Reinvigorate Yourself This Spring

Even though we’re on the tail ends of the UW cherry blossoms, the spirit of reinvigoration, renewal, and reinvention remains in the air in the Seattle arts scene. In April we traveled from Jet City Improv to the Henry Art Gallery quintessential spring atmospheres. We hope you’ve been taking advantage of the nice weather and visiting all of our amazing arts partners!

We first see this theme of reinvention at the Henry with Thick as Mud, an exhibit that explores how mud represents the relationship between humanity and geography. The multimedia showing explores the violence inflicted against the environment as well as the potential for preservation and reinvigoration. Similarly, Ikat at the Seattle Art Museum uses an immersive experience to remind us of the importance of the tangible in terms of fashion. SAM describes this as “A radical departure from today’s factory-made cloth, Ikat serves as a reminder of the power of slow fashion and the sacredness of clothing as art”.

Theaters across Seattle are engaging with the idea of renewal. ZACH at ArtsWest takes on tropes of 90s teen sitcoms but reintroduces them to the audience to be inclusive. Another event for those who are feeling nostalgic is Sweeney Todd at the 5th Avenue Theater, which will run from May 10 to May 14. Similarly, the Seattle Rep is taking on How I Learned What I Learned, a play by the legendary August Wilson. Seattle Shakespeare will also be revisiting a classic with Twelfth Night. Art itself has always grappled with how to evolve - how to pay homage to the past while marching steadily into the future. The Taproot Theater took on similar themes in As It Is In Heaven, a show that takes on discord between generations as time goes on. The show took place between March 24 and April 22.

For AAPI heritage month, Jet City Improv is exploring themes around tradition as it relates to culture with Joy Market. The show centers around a market where “dating, fate and traditions are the key commodities and products”. Similarly, Resisters at the Wing Luke Museum informs us about resistance since Japanese-American incarceration and how it relates to resistance movements today. Seattle Symphony also explored stories of oppression and triumph with a live performance of the Battleship Potemkin soundtrack, played along with a screening of the legendary silent movie.

Whether revisiting beloved classics or making room for new stories in arts spaces, we hope that you’re carrying reinvention, renewal, and reinvigoration with you this spring.

Lead Photo: Photo from Anders Jildén on Unsplash

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