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Venue Experiences

Make your occasion an art experience

Provide an art-filled backdrop by hosting your next gathering at one of SAM's three locations. When you choose SAM for a venue experience, you are supporting the museum's mission by connecting art to life.

Seattle Art Museum Seattle Asian Art Museum Olympic Sculpture Park Shooby Doo Catering FAQ

Beautiful spaces for special occasions

Wow your guests by hosting your next function with SAM. Each of our three locations can easily transform to reflect your personality and vision and enhance your experience with spectacular exhibitions and stunning interiors.

We offer a variety of room options, accommodating groups of 15 to 1,500 people.

Seattle Art Museum

Offer your guests the city at their feet and the experience of roaming the galleries of the Pacific Northwest’s leading visual arts organization. The Seattle Art Museum is steps from the world-famous Pike Place Market, the Seattle waterfront, and most major hotels. Shooby Doo Catering offers full-service private dining and our grand, light-filled spaces accommodate large receptions.

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The Seattle Art Museum Brotman Forum full of tables set for a celebration with a sculpture of a tree hanging above and floor-to-ceiling windows along one wall.
Two figures at the far end of an art gallery sit with their backs to the camera admiring a painting.
Art galleries

Include private access to SAM’s collection or special exhibitions. Enhance the experience with a guided tour or audio guide available for certain exhibitions.
The open expanse and high ceiling of the Brotman Forum are complemented by John Grade's Middlefork sculpture overhead.
Brotman Forum

Accommodates up to 400 for a standing reception or 270 seated at tables. Features rotating art installations, currently Middle Fork by John Grade.
A subdued natural light emphasizes the luster of marble stairs and sculptures at the Seattle Art Museum.
Grand Staircase &  South Hall Lobby

Accommodates approximately 250  for a standing reception or up to 160  for a wedding ceremony. Chinese sculpture, including our beloved 14th century Camels.
Rows of red velvet chairs full of spectators in name tags socializing as they wait for a program to begin.
Plestcheeff Auditorium

293 fixed seats plus wheelchair spaces.
Mixed-use capabilities with a stage  and projection screen. No food or beverages. Catering available in adjacent South Hall lobby outside of museum hours.
A carpeted room with overhead lighting and paneled walls alternately painted white and covered in an abstract mural.
Simons Board Room

Accommodates approximately 100 for a standing reception or 60 seated at tables.
Mark Tobey murals decorate the walls.
An intimate auditorium with rows of seats facing a low stage with a podium in one corner and a blank projection screen on the back wall.
Nordstrom Lecture Hall

103 fixed seats plus two wheelchair spaces. No food or beverages inside the room. Catering available in adjacent foyer or Simons Board Room outside of museum hours.
A wood-paneled room with decorative hanging lamps, banquet tables, and a spotlight on a singer and pianist front and center.
Arnold Board Room

Accommodates 140 for a standing reception or 80 seated at tables. Can be divided into two spaces. A wall of glass art includes work by Dale Chihuly, Ginny Ruffner, and Lino Tagliapietra.
A white room with warm lighting and wooden dining tables and chairs along the walls.
Private Dining Room in MARKET Seattle

Dining capacity 28. Reception 40. Removable tables and chairs. Ideal for rehearsal dinners and  other intimate affairs. Reserve through Shooby Doo Catering at sam@shoobydoocatering.com or 206.332.1347
Diners enjoying eating, drinking, and conversing in a dining room lined with art and full of colorful furniture.
MARKET Seattle

Dining capacity 50. Reception 150.
Ideal for dinners or receptions. Rotating art shows curated by  SAM Gallery. Reserved through MARKET Seattle at museum@marketfreshfish.com or 206.903.5291

Seattle Asian Art Museum

Located in lush Volunteer Park, this newly renovated and enhanced historic Art Deco building is home to the largest collection of Asian art in the Pacific Northwest. Enjoy free parking, views of the Seattle skyline, and nearly 50 acres of manicured park meadows and gardens at this iconic Seattle landmark. ​​​

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Guests in formal attire gather around cocktail tables in the Seattle Asian Art Museum Park Lobby.
A long light-filled room with a natural stone floor and decorative plaster walls opens onto the Art Deco entrance of the Seattle Asian Art Museum.
Fuller Garden Court & Park Lobby

Accommodates 250 guests for a standing reception or 110 seated at tables. Optional access to adjacent galleries for private viewing can be added. Includes access to Front Terrace for ceremonies, weather permitting. Indoor ceremony options are available.
An L-shaped space with marble floors flooded with natural light from floor-to-ceiling windows looking onto Volunteer Park.
Park Lobby Interior

The Park Lobby is part of the expansion and renovation of the Seattle Art Museum, unveiled in 2020. The glass lobby creates easy movement between spaces for guests and connects the creative beauty of our collection and the natural beauty of Volunteer Park.
Outside view of the Seattle Asian Art Museum expansion looking across a lush field from under the boughs of a tree.
Park Lobby Exterior

The expanded Park Lobby offers an additional 13,900 square feet of essential interior space for your event. Facing east overlooking a large lawn, your view on the world is oriented towards the origins of our Asian art collection. Lawn and outdoor sites within Volunteer Park can be reserved through Seattle Parks and Recreation.
A long room painted white with overhead lighting and windows along two walls looking out on Volunteer Park.
Alvord Board Room

Up to 150 guests for a standing reception or 80 seated at round tables. Optional access to the scenic Grousemont lobby, overlooking the beautiful Volunteer Park can be added.
Rows of dark green velvet chairs face a low stage with Art Deco light fixtures overhead and a projection screen on the back wall.
Stimson Auditorium

209 fixed theater seats. No food or beverages.
Visitors admire a long vitrine of ceramics from many different Asian cultures and regions in the Seattle Asian Art Museum galleries.
Art galleries

Add private access to SAM’s beautiful collection of Asian art to any event. Enhance the experience with a guided tour led by a knowledgeable SAM docent.
The ornate and light-filled entrance of the Seattle Asian Art Museum features original Art Deco columns and light fixtures.
Ragan Foyer

Events are spectacular from start to finish as your guests enter and exit through the stunning Art Deco metalwork at the iconic building’s front entrance.

Olympic Sculpture Park

This waterfront venue offers indoor and outdoor space alongside impressive sculpture. Treat your guests to spectacular views of Elliott Bay, the Olympic Mountains, and gorgeous sunsets!

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Sun fills the Olympic Sculpture Park Paccar Pavilion, decorated with plant life and elegantly set tables.
Guests socialize around banquet and cocktail tables in a large, open room of windows looking out into Volunteer Park and the buildings beyond.
PACCAR Pavilion & Trust For Public Land Covered Terraces

Accommodates up to 300 for standing reception or 180 seated at round tables.
Concrete floors are ideal for dancing. Artists from around the world activate this space annually. Includes private access to Gates Amphitheater. 
Ornate flower arrangements flank rows of white chairs placed along stadium steps leading up to the covered terrace of the Paccar Pavilion.
Bill & Melinda Gates Amphitheater

Outdoor space available for a maximum of 200 guests. Includes access to outdoor North Terrace, under covered awning. A maximum of 120 guests can be accommodated under the awning.
Features Wake by Richard Serra among other stunning sculptures.
A cocktail table, beanbags, and large stuffed animals are between tables of beverages in an intimate space lined with windows on two sides.
Alvord Art Lab

Accommodates up to 50 for standing receptions and 30 for seated at round tables. Available both during and outside of Pavilion hours.
Visitors stroll toward a Richard Serra sculpture along a path lined with grass and trees.
Park Grounds

Nine-acre outdoor park is open to the public daily from sunrise to sunset. For information on outdoor ceremonies of 15 people or less contact SAM’s Venue Experiences Manager at venues@seattleartmuseum.org

Shooby Doo Catering

Shooby Doo Catering can handle all of your needs for all occasions held at SAM locations. Artful packages include custom menu items, flexible pre-event planning, and logistics coordination. Paint a picture of your dream event and Shooby Doo Catering will bring it to life in the most delicious way possible!

Mood lighting casts a glow on a table of elegantly arranged seafood platters and cutlery.
Food & beverage

Food and beverage minimums are assessed based on the space, time of day, day of the week, and season. Menu prices do not include labor, rentals, tax, or hospitality fees. There is a 23% hospitality fee on all food and beverage. Specialty bar and menu requests must be made one month in advance to ensure product availability.
Sun glints off wine glasses covering a table where the hand of a bartender pours two glasses and the fingertips of a guest reach toward them.
Labor

On-site service labor is charged by the hour for set-up, service, and tear-down of your event. Total amount of staff depends on service style and needs.
A table setting of matching flatware, cutlery, cups, candles, linens, and decor features a delectable entree on a plate.
Rentals

All on-site tables, chairs, and other furniture are available at no cost. Biodegradable plates, forks, napkins, and cups provided at cost. Shooby Doo Catering will handle all rental coordination including linen, china, glassware, flatware, additional chairs, and other service and equipment needs. There is a 10.1% tax for all items.

Venue Experiences FAQ

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Contact the Venue Experiences department by email or by phone at 206.654.3140. Space is available to reserve on a first-come, first-served basis up to 12 months in advance.

You are welcome to view the museum and PACCAR Pavilion public spaces any time during public hours. You do not need an escort and you’re not required to pay admission to preview the location for a future event. Please email us to double-check that the spaces you would like to view are not booked for an event during the time you want to visit.

College dance events, auctions, and political events are not permitted at SAM. High school reunions and proms, however, are permitted.

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Stay in touch

venues@seattleartmuseum.org
206.654.3140