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Seattle Art Museum

Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei

get tickets join SAM now on view through Sep 7
Seattle Asian Art Museum

Ai Weiwei: Water Lilies

get tickets now on view through Mar 15 2026
Seattle Asian Art Museum

Suchitra Mattai: she walked in reverse and found their songs

get tickets now on view through Jul 20

One museum, three must-see locations

Find information on ticketing and visiting SAM

Pedestrians are crossing a downtown street on their way to visit Seattle Art Museum.

Seattle Art Museum

1300 First Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101

🏙️ plan your visit
Sunset reflecting off the art-deco facade of the Seattle Asian Art Museum.

Seattle Asian Art Museum

1400 East Prospect Street
Seattle, WA 98112

🐫 plan your visit
Aerial view of Olympic Sculpture Park with Calder's "Eagle" and Serra's "Wake" in the foreground of Seattle's waterfront.

Olympic Sculpture Park

2901 Western Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121

🌲 plan your visit

Wanna be Friends Forever?

In celebration of Little Cloud Sky, SAM’s upcoming installation by FriendsWithYou, we invite you to take part in a joyful tribute to the people who lift us up. With a gift of $50 or more, honor your BFF or that special person in your life and receive a Friendship pin, your names on the Friends Forever wall, and more.
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Tariqa Waters: Venus is Missing

May 7 2025–Jan 5 2026

Seattle Art Museum

Following Space: Thaddeus Mosley & Alexander Calder

Nov 20 2024–Jun 1 2025

Seattle Art Museum

Bethany Collins: At Sea

Nov 14 2024–May 4 2025

Seattle Art Museum

Selections from the Shirley Family Calder Collection

Nov 20 2024–Jun 1 2025

Seattle Art Museum

Diego Cibelli: Fiori dei Miei Habiti / La Montagne EnchantĂŠe

May 31 2024–May 10 2026

Seattle Art Museum

Boundless: Stories of Asian Art

Feb 8 2020–ongoing

Seattle Asian Art Museum

Yirrkala: Art from Australia’s Top End

May 10 2024–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Deities & Demons: Supernatural In Japanese Art

Oct 20 2022–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

American Art: The Stories We Carry

Oct 20 2022–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum
see what’s on

So much to do at SAM!

see all events

Seattle Art Museum

sold out

My Dinner with SAM

Wed May 14 2025

  

6:30–10 pm

Seattle Asian Art Museum

SAM Talks: Asia Society Seattle Series

Thu May 15 2025

  

5:30–7:30 pm

Seattle Art Museum

SAM Creates: Vivid Description Poetry Workshop with Luther Hughes

Sun May 18 2025

  

1–3 pm

Seattle Art Museum

SAM Films: Rohingya

Sun May 18 2025

  

2–4 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Conversations with Curators | Uncanny Landscapes: Surrealism in the Pacific Northwest

Wed May 21 2025

  

6–7:30 pm

Seattle Art Museum

SAM Films: Vivos

Sun May 25 2025

  

2–4 pm

Seattle Art Museum

2025 Naramore Middle & High School Art Show

Wed–Sun Apr 2–Jun 1 2025

  

10 am–5 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Free First Thursday: Seattle Art Museum

Thu Jun 5 2025

  

10 am–8 pm

Olympic Sculpture Park

sold out

My Dinner with SAM

Thu Jun 5 2025

  

6:30–10 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Saturday University: Magic Materiality, and Miniatures in First Millennium BCE West Asia

Sat Jun 14 2025

  

10–11:30 am

Seattle Asian Art Museum

SAM Films: Anuja

Sat Jun 21 2025

  

2–4 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Free First Thursday: Seattle Art Museum

Thu Jul 3 2025

  

10 am–8 pm

Seattle Asian Art Museum

sold out

SAM Camp: Creative Ceramics (Grades 3–6)

Mon–Fri Jul 7–11 2025

  

9 am–3 pm

Seattle Asian Art Museum

sold out

SAM Camp: Playful Plots (Grades 1–3)

Mon–Fri Jul 7–11 2025

  

9 am–3 pm

Seattle Asian Art Museum

SAM Films: Anuja

Sat Jul 12 2025

  

2–4 pm

Seattle Asian Art Museum

sold out

SAM Camp: Big & Bold (Grades 1–3)

Mon–Fri Jul 14–18 2025

  

9 am–3 pm

Seattle Asian Art Museum

sold out

SAM Camp: Mixed Media Magic (Grades 3–6)

Mon–Fri Jul 14–18 2025

  

9 am–3 pm

Seattle Asian Art Museum

sold out

SAM Camp: Nature Explorers (Grades 1–3)

Mon–Fri Jul 21–25 2025

  

9 am–3 pm

Seattle Asian Art Museum

sold out

SAM Camp: Printmaking Paradise (Grades 3–6)

Mon–Fri Jul 21–25 2025

  

9 am–3 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Free First Thursday: Seattle Art Museum

Thu Aug 7 2025

  

10 am–8 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Free First Thursday: Seattle Art Museum

Thu Sep 4 2025

  

10 am–8 pm

Seattle Art Museum

2026 Naramore Ceremony

Fri May 1 2026

  

6–7 pm

Seattle Art Museum

2026 Naramore Middle & High School Art Show

Wed–Sun Apr 1–May 31 2026

  

10 am–5 pm

Sign up for SAM News

Subscribe to receive email from SAM for updates on what’s happening at the museum.

A collage of photographs showing children's hands coloring, a person DJing, and a figure looking into the camera while gesturing toward plant life.

SAM Films

Get your ticket, grab your seat, and explore a diverse roster of film screenings and series that present everything from feature releases to rarely seen prints.

learn more

Seattle Art Museum

SAM Films: Rohingya

Sun May 18 2025

  

2–4 pm

Seattle Art Museum

SAM Films: Vivos

Sun May 25 2025

  

2–4 pm

Seattle Asian Art Museum

SAM Films: Anuja

Sat Jun 21 2025

  

2–4 pm

Seattle Asian Art Museum

SAM Films: Anuja

Sat Jul 12 2025

  

2–4 pm

For members

Make the most of your SAM membership with discounts and exclusive events!

learn more

Seattle Art Museum

Conversations with Curators | Uncanny Landscapes: Surrealism in the Pacific Northwest

Wed May 21 2025

  

6–7:30 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Member Month

Thu–Sat May 1–31 2025

  

10 am–5 pm

See it first. See it free.

Become a SAM member and enjoy free admission at all three locations!
join SAM

Explore 25,000 works of art in SAM’s collection

Browse SAM’s global collection and learn about art that spans cultures and centuries, past to present.
see the collection

Upcoming exhibitions

Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads (Bronze)

Opening 2025

Olympic Sculpture Park

FriendsWithYou: Little Cloud Sky

Jun 27 2025–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Farm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism

Oct 23 2025–Jan 18 2026

Seattle Art Museum

Beyond Mysticism: The Modern Northwest

Mar 5–Aug 2 2026

Seattle Art Museum

Samantha Yun Wall: 2024 Betty Bowen Award Winner

Opening Spring 2026

Seattle Art Museum
see what’s coming up

SAM Shop

Support the arts by shopping unique gifts and local handmade items.
shop now

SAM TV

watch now
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Weight in Space: Interview with Thaddeus Mosley

SAM Stories

read now
A person stands before a neon art installation by Nicholas Galanin at the Seattle Art Museum. It reads: IVE COMPOSED A NEW AMERICAN NATIONAL ANTHEM: TAKE A KNEE AND SCREAM UNTIL YOU CAN BREATHE. They wear a jacket adorned with patches, embodying unconventional patriotism.

Artist Nicholas Galanin Invites You

Stand with Us: A Message from SAM’s Director and CEO

A Symbol of Tangible Faith: Ghiordes Pattern Prayer Rug
Illustration of a female astronaut in a gray suit with U.S. flags, floating in space. She is surrounded by smaller figures, rocket ships, and cosmic elements. A golden arc and Earth enhance this surreal, celestial scene.

These Four Artworks by Women Artists in SAM’s Collection Embody the Spirit of Women’s History Month 2025
A large, vintage-style pink vehicle hovers behind a chain-link fence in a suburban yard.

“We Possess the Ability to Imagine Boundlessly”: An Interview with Tariqa Waters
An elderly man with a beard stands in a workshop filled with wooden items and tools. He wears a checkered shirt and a black cap, smiling gently at the camera. The background shows various hanging pictures and unfinished wooden projects.

Celebrate Black History Month 2025 with Four Artworks by Contemporary Black Artists On View at SAM
An older woman with glasses and dark hair stands confidently, arms crossed, in a black jacket and scarf. Behind her, a large abstract artwork featuring a horse is displayed on the wall—a tribute to artist and activist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith.

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith: Her Existence Was a Miracle
Two people stand in an indoor market, under adorable inflatable cloud decorations by FriendsWithYou. The market features a glass ceiling and iron supports. Both individuals are smiling, dressed casually, with pink flowers adding a splash of color below.

“From Rooted to Airy”: Middle Fork Makes Way For FriendsWithYou Commission
Elderly woman with curly hair wearing a traditional embroidered dress, sitting in a colorful room. Her expression is playful, with her tongue sticking out. Artworks and sculptures decorate the background.

The Seat of Knowledge with Joyce J. Scott
A person with curly hair stands in a gallery wearing a light-colored jumpsuit and a badge, epitomizing inclusive programming. They admire an art installation of red and white stripes against a backdrop of abstract faces.

Summer Fun and Inclusive Programming: Intern Lucy Adams Reflects
A group of children and an adult gather around a white display platform in the art gallery during a school tour. The adult gestures towards wire sculptures suspended above. The children, sitting on the floor with notepads, appear engaged by the captivating visual art.

Access to Art: Rebuilding School Tours at SAM
In a dimly lit corner of the Seattle Asian Art Museum, a person observes a display case featuring exquisite ceramic artifacts. Behind them, an artistic panel with a tree branch design hints at the beauty and depth of Korean art.

An Interview with “Meot” Guest Curator HJ Han

Have you heard the news?

A large metal sculpture of a person with a hammer stands outside the Seattle Art Museum, featured in recent SAM news and press releases, surrounded by tall modern buildings on a sunny day.
Museums, in Seattle and beyond, tell America’s stories. Support them
The Seattle Times
April 25, 2025
A man with short gray hair and a beard sits in front of two large, golden animal head sculptures—one resembling a pig and the other a bear—against a dark background, as featured in recent SAM news press releases.
In Seattle, a Deep Dive into the Provocative and Creative World of Ai Weiwei
The New York Times
April 21, 2025