With a new quarter beginning and the weather still chilly, there’s plenty to do indoors in the Emerald City. Here’s a guide to four Seattle museum exhibits to catch this month!
Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience
1750 Occidental Avenue South, Seattle, Washington
(213) 277-2954
We’ve all seen the stunning pictures on Instagram as the Van Gogh Immersive Experience has traveled the world. Now you have the chance to take your own photos while the exhibit is in town until March 1, 2022. (The exhibit may be extended due to popularity.)
Located in a spacious warehouse in the SODO district, this exhibit features a massive two-story room with multi-media projections that take visitors through the ups and downs of the artist’s life and his most famous paintings. Other rooms allow guests to color their own masterpiece or tour his Yellow House through a 10-minute virtual reality adventure.
The exhibit is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends and holidays. A standard access ticket is $36 on weekdays and $45 on weekends, but with a student ID, it’s $25 on weekdays and $30 on weekends.
Weekends can be occasionally busy, so a VIP access ticket allows you cut-the-line privileges at the entrance and also includes the virtual reality experience and a poster. (There are no student discounts for the VIP ticket.)
The virtual reality experience can also be added on at the door for $5.
There is paid parking (through an app) on a gravel lot for $5/hour on weekdays and $7/hour on the weekend. Limited free street parking is available. The exhibit is wheelchair accessible. All visitors ages 12 and older must show proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 PCR certificate (taken within 72 hours of the visit) to enter the experience. Masks are mandatory.
Imogen Cunningham: A Retrospective
Seattle Art Museum
1300 1st Avenue, Seattle, Washington
(206) 654-3100
Imogen Cunningham was a pioneer for women in photography and a notable influence on 20th-century photography. The Seattle Art Museum’s special exhibition of her work is the first major retrospective in the United States in 35 years, and it closes in less than a month on Feb. 6, 2022.
The exhibit explores Cunningham’s 70-year career featuring nearly 200 of her elegant botanical prints, groundbreaking nude portraits, and city street photos. A Pacific Northwest Native, Cunningham was born in Portland and grew up in Port Angeles and Seattle. She graduated from the University of Washington and opened the first studio for artistic photography in Seattle in 1910.
A special exhibition ticket for a specific time must be purchased for this retrospective and comes with access to SAM’s permanent collection. SAM is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Adult tickets purchased in advance online are $29.99. The student (with ID) discount price is $19.99.
Two nearby lots with discounted parking rates for SAM visitors require a parking voucher from the museum. Russell Investment Center Garage is $8 for up to 4 hours but is only available Friday through Sunday. The 3rd and Stewart Garage is $10 for up to 4 hours and is open Wednesday through Sunday. Drop-off areas and accessible parking are available. The museum is wheelchair accessible, and wheelchairs are available on request at Coat Check.
All visitors ages 12 and older must show proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 PCR test (taken within 72 hours of the visit) to enter the museum. Masks are mandatory for everyone over the age of 2. More information about COVID mandates is outlined here.
Heroes and Villains: The Art of The Disney Costume
Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)
325 5th Avenue North, Seattle, Washington
(206) 770-2700
Get ready to relive some Disney childhood classics (and recent favs too!), through the lens of costume. Open now through April 17, 202, d Heroes and Villains: The Art of The Disney Costume displays around 70 original pieces worn by the stars themselves including ball gowns, sorcerers’ capes, military uniforms, tiaras, and, of course, glass slippers.
Highlights include multiple Cinderella gowns, costumes from the original and remake of Mary Poppins, and the costume designs of the Pirates of the Caribbean. But it’s not all swords and tiaras, as the Sanderson Sisters and Maleficent demand attention, too.
MoPOP is open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Wednesdays. A special exhibition ticket, which includes General Admission, must be purchased for a specific time. An adult ticket ranges from $30 – $34 depending on the day and time, and students receive $3 off the normal price.
The easiest way to get to MoPOP is via the Metro using the Seattle Center stop. There are also several paid parking garages within a couple of blocks of the entrance and a drop-off turnaround at 5th Ave N and Harrison St. The museum is wheelchair accessible, and they are available at the main ticketing desk.
All visitors ages 12 and older must show proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 PCR test (taken within 72 hours of the visit) to enter the museum. Masks are mandatory for everyone over the age of 3, and all safety details can be found here.
Woven Together: Stories of Burma/Myanmar
Wing Luke Museum
719 S. King Street, Seattle, Washington
(206) 623-5124
The Wing Luke Museum explores what life was like for early Asian Pacific immigrants through permanent and special exhibits, neighborhood tours, and even an artisan marketplace. And the museum also looks at the experiences of new refugees and those displaced within a country’s borders in the exhibit, Woven Together: Stories of Burma/Myanmar. The exhibit explores the multiple ethnicities, cultures, and religions of the Southeast Asian nation.
Through stories from Seattle’s own residents, visitors get to learn about how the country’s complicated history has affected real people. This second run of the exhibit (which initially ended when the museum was forced to close during the pandemic) has been updated to include stories related to the February 2021 coup in Burma/Myanmar.
The Wing Luke Museum is open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission includes entry to all of the exhibits and is $17, but $12.50 with a student ID. You can use this map, to locate nearby parking garages. Street parking is free all day on Sundays and holidays. The museum is fully wheelchair accessible. All visitors ages 12 and older must show proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 PCR test (taken within 72 hours of the visit) to enter the museum. Masks are mandatory.
