ArtSEA: New Northwest things to do when the news is getting to you

In that vein, this week I present a selection of things to do when the news is getting to you, featuring current art experiences around Seattle. Pick your favorite strategy and enjoy the reprieve while you can. (See also our recent story on ways to cultivate a healthy news diet, including sound advice from experts at the University of Washington.)

Crawl back into the womb [have womb image]
Who can blame us for wanting to return to our original safe space, where we encountered the world only as a series of muffled sounds? Seattle artist Fumi Amano gets it. In 2021 she created “Where Are You From?,” an oversized uterus sculpture made of thick red rope that invited visitors to crawl inside and out, becoming “reborn.” (Visitors obliged with glee.) 

Now she’s created a new womb with a view — this one with a soft inner sanctum and a spiky exterior made of wooden legs from old bed frames. It looks a bit fearsome on the outside, like a porcupine pufferfish flexing its defense mechanism, but the womb welcomes (shoeless) visitors inside for a moment of rest and recalibration and, as Amano says, “reappreciation of female bodies.”

Part of a two-person installation called Origin, which also includes a hanging grove of upturned Ponderosa pines by local sculptor Stella Bronson, it’s located in the lobby of the new Hilite apartment complex at 622 Rainier Ave. S (open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Thursdays through May 5, or by appointment).

Run away with the circus
Billing itself as “the world’s largest comedy/variety festival,” The Moisture Festival (Broadway Performance Hall through April 13) has been delighting local audiences with vaudeville vibes for more than 20 years. Featuring all things weird and wonderful backed by live music, this year’s showcase includes hoop roller Jesse Patterson, magician/comedian Ran’D Shine and Seattle’s own extremely endearing clown Godfrey Daniels. For grown-ups (18+), Frisky Friday editions lean a bit more burlesque.

Scramble up into a tiny treehouse
The Pacific Bonsai Museum in Federal Way is always a good bet for clearing the head. This outdoor collection of beautifully sculpted trees — set in a grove of tall evergreens — is immediately transportive. And maybe even more so right now, with a visiting collection of tiny treehouses. Building Wonder: Bonsai Treehouses by Dave Creek (through Dec. 21) features six incredibly crafted tree houses tucked into deceased bonsai trees. 

Created by the late artist Dave Creek (a character designer for Bob’s Burgers), these treehouses previously toured children’s hospitals to inspire imagination and thoughts outside the medical setting. If it’s been a while since you experienced the thrill of climbing into a treehouse, just seeing these works will bring that sense of freedom rushing back. For the first time, the general public can see these treehouses too — and engage in our own flights of fantasy.

Wrap yourself in seaweed
This weekend is the last chance to treat yourself to the soothing undersea dream of Being with Kelp (Northwind Gallery in Port Townsend through March 31.) Shawna Marie Franklin — an Orcas Island artist who has also worked as a biologist and professional kayak tour leader — takes us under the surface of the Salish Sea with her paintings of the eco-boosting crop known as kelp. Working in stained-glass colors, Franklin adds glimmers of sunlight to the images as she dives deep into the long ribbons and bulbous bubbles of this underwater wonder.

Go medieval
Longtime Seattle artist Cappy Thompson has been perfecting medieval glass techniques for about 50 years. Combining glass blowing and painting, she creates translucent scenes that are sometimes spiritual (inspired by many different religious traditions), sometimes earthy and domestic. 

In her new show Thinking of Angels (Studio e in Georgetown through April 19; artist talk April 5 at 2 p.m), Thompson presents 16 works, many bathed in vivid, lapis blue. Her explorations are the same as those of artists in ancient times — the great mystery of life and what happens after — and in this collection include heartfelt images of friends, angels and animal companions.

Tune into the universe
Even if you’ve never heard Gustav Holst’s The Planets, an orchestral suite that premiered in London in 1918, the opening moments will likely sound familiar. The first movement, “Mars: Bringer of War,” sounds a lot — really quite a lot — like John Williams’ soundtrack for Star Wars. There’s debate over whether this constitutes plagiarism or homage, but it’s worth blotting out images of Darth Vader storming down the halls and appreciating Holst’s music for what it was meant to be. 

The composer/trombonist intended these big, cinematic sounds (plenty of horn action) as a tribute to the seven planets then identified. A believer in astrology, Holst particularly wanted to emphasize each planet’s astrological properties. The Seattle Symphony’s presentation of Holst: The Planets (March 27 - 30) includes NASA imagery of the solar system and another bonus: The performance will be conducted by music director designate Xian Zhang, who’ll officially begin her leadership at the symphony (announced last year) this September. 

Lean into chaos
Still feeling like you tripped and fell into an absurdist parallel dimension? One way to handle it is to push that sensation to the limits — or at least watch a skilled artist do so. The subversive performance artist known as Dynasty Handbag (aka Jibz Cameron) is bringing her multimedia solo show Titanic Depression to On the Boards (March 27 - 29). 

On the surface the show is a comedic and environmentalist take on James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster, but let’s just say surreal liberties are taken. In her version, for example, “Jack” is an octopus trying to escape a warming ocean (disguised as a giant hat). This off-the-rails tragicomedy is also about climate change and hubris and greed — and slamming right into a disaster that could’ve been avoided.