What the Funk?! is the BIPOC Burlesque Fest You’re Craving
“You want the FUNK?! We got the FUNK!” -Rebecca Mm Davis
“Representation matters and this festival continues to raise the bar for visibility of BIPOC performers across the world.” So sayeth the press release for What the Funk?!, the PNW’s first entirely BIPOC burlesque extravaganza. Every year we’re treated to a celebration of funk, beauty, brains, brawn, and Black/Brown Joy with three nights of funky entertainment.
Top 3 Parks to Visit: Jack Block
The park itself consists of a series of paved walkways that meander among the trees and foliage, offering lovely views of the shoreline and Elliott Bay. The paths have gentle slopes that are accessible by both stairs and ramps. The aforementioned beach offers a nice place for picnics and relaxing. At the end of the walkway is your big reward, an observation tower that gives you an unobstructed view of Elliott Bay, the Seattle skyline, and the Port of Seattle. This vista point is very popular whenever there are fireworks at the Space Needle.
Something for Everyone at Duwamish River Festival
One of the most remarkable aspects of the festival was the sense of community. People of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages—from kids to adults—came together in a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. It was a true reflection of the diverse and vibrant community that calls the Duwamish River home.
Top 3 Parks to Visit: Freeway Park
When all construction on the freeway was completed in 1966, many public-spirited Seattleites and King County officials began talking about constructing a “lid” over the portion of I-5 between Union and Seneca Streets to reconnect First Hill to Downtown.
June is the First Fall: An Emotional Journey of Self and Family
In the heart of Seattle’s International District, the stage is set and ready to captivate the audience with Yun Theatre’s summer production, June is the First Fall. This 90-minute play hosts themes of personal and cultural identity, defying tradition, the complexity of family relationships, and so many other themes that everyone is bound to find a connection with in the show. At this intimate venue operated by Theater Off Jackson, audiences will be absorbed into a heartfelt, empathetic story that is sure to leave you entertained and immersed.
First Thursday ARTSy Joy at King Street Station
Did you know there is an art gallery at the top floor of the King Street Station in Pioneer Square? If not, add it to your stop during the First Thursday art walk. ARTS at King Street Station is a free art gallery open Wednesday through Saturday, 11am to 5pm, and closes at 8pm for the monthly art walk.
Top 3 Parks to Visit: Gas Works
The most innovative aspect to Haag’s reclamation of the land had to be the bioremediation strategies he incorporated into its design. The process of bioremediation is the use of biological systems (typically bacteria, microalgae, and various forms of fungi) to remove environmental pollutants. Instead of simply cleaning out the industrial waste and moving it to another location (i.e. not really doing anything about it), Haag and his engineers decided to leave the waste onsite and have nature do its thing by degrading the pollutants organically over time.
How Will We Meet Our Climate Goals?
We all want a safer, happier, more livable, equitable, and resilient city. And simply put, that won’t be possible if we don’t meet our climate goals. We all need to care about climate. And we should expect our leaders to do more than just talk about it. We should expect them to act on it—decisively and urgently—so that in just 6 years, when our 2030 targets come due, Seattle is ready.
Ranked Choice Voting in Washington’s Future
Politics isn’t showing any signs of becoming less polarizing and divisive. We need system reforms that change the conditions we vote in so that we can change the conditions we live in. The 2028 presidential primary will be here before we know it, and we deserve to be in a position to vote our respective truths knowing our voice will be heard in a meaningful way.
Fruit Bowl Fashionistas Flip for PhoeNyx!
Fruit Bowl is a recently developed art production series bringing local artists’ designs to life with a set of runway shows—and yes, you’re right: it’s fruit-themed. Fruit Bowl is very queer and closed the show on Pride weekend; this last show’s theme was “Chimera Fruit: The Mutant Fruit.”
What to Watch: Japanese Film Festival Online 2024
The Japanese Film Festival Online streams a diverse catalog of cinema from Japan. As an entirely free festival, viewers from around the world can instantly gain access to many movies and TV shows, including some archival films. The Japan Foundation started this festival, known as JFF, in 2016 to highlight and share Japanese culture through film, and has since expanded its access to 27 countries with subtitle options in over a dozen languages. These facets of JFF make it a fantastic chance to experience all kinds of Japanese cinema from almost anywhere around the world.
Auburn’s Lack of Effort Apparent at Juneteenth Fair
The City of Auburn’s Juneteenth event at Les Gove Park in Auburn, WA, promised to be a vibrant celebration of freedom and culture. Located right in downtown Auburn, adjacent to the King County Library Auburn Branch, the event was set against a backdrop that should have been inviting and accessible. My experience, however, revealed several areas that needed improvement.
Jinkx Monsoon & The Major Tip the Scales in Heart and Humor
The story transports the audience to the year 2065, where Planet Earth is a post-apocalyptic, dystopian hell, and the rulers are odd, sponge-like aliens who oversee a Big Brother-style world, and the humans who have somehow survived live in constant fear of being disappeared in the night if they don’t openly demonstrate their fealty to their authoritarian rulers.
Gage Academy Bids Farewell to Capitol Hill with Graduating Class
Congratulations to the Gage graduates for completing their programs and their final showcase as students at Gage Academy of Art! This Best Of showcase was Gage’s last show in their Capitol Hill location, as they’ll be moving to a new spot soon. Gage’s gallery hallway will expand with more space for art, students, and learning. Many of these recent graduates have had their pieces shown across Seattle, including a contemporary showcase held at AXIS a few months ago. The showcase grouped the different art pieces by categories: still life, nature, figures, sculpture, portrait, narrative, and abstract.
Heywood’s I-2109 is Wrong for Washington
If passed in November, I-2109 would slash over $5 billion from our schools, early learning, and childcare to give a tax cut to the very wealthiest.
New Thought-Provokers at Ethnic Heritage Gallery
The Ethnic Heritage Gallery hosts several paintings across the third floor of SMT. One of the paintings, Wat’sa with a Pearl Earring (2014), by Allison Marks, puts a mask on a version of the famous Girl with a Pearl Earring piece. While the alluded painting gently remains unchanged, the mask brings a dark and violent feeling to the scene with red eyes and fire across the face.
Ready for Your Closeup, Washington Film Industry?
How does film production help a city’s economy? Production for a single movie can include a team of hundreds of people (cast, crew, and staff). During a several months-long film shoot, this large team of personnel would infuse money directly into the local economy for food, transportation, lodging, entertainment, services, equipment purchases and rentals, and patronizing the many tourist attractions or outdoor activities that the Pacific Northwest boasts.
Two Major Seattle Theaters Explore Merger
ACT Theatre and the Seattle Shakespeare Company recently announced that its respective boards are exploring a merger between the two Seattle theater companies. The prospective forging of the two would produce a new entity in the Seattle theater community as well as create an arts center that focuses on both classic and contemporary works housed in the historic Eagles Auditorium Building at 700 Union Street.
cINeDIGENOUS at SIFF: Representation from Voices Traditionally Silenced
SIFF took a close and considerate involvement with Indigenous film creators with a designated category and showcase. Three films that caught attention ranged from Indigenous Mexican, Aboriginal, and Native Hawaiian stories.
NO on I-2124: Here’s Why
A lot of folks assume that their health insurance, or Medicare, will cover long-term care if we need it. They do not. The vast majority are unprepared financially to cover expenses of support should we need help with daily living tasks like dressing, bathing, getting around, managing meals, and medication.
