Skip to main content

Free First Thursday: Seattle Art Museum

Thu Jan 2 2025

10 am–8 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Entire Building

Photo: Alborz Kamalizad

Call your friends and bring the family, admission is FREE to everyone at the Seattle Art Museum on the first Thursday of every month.

In addition to our regular hours, Seattle Art Museum will be open for Free First Thursday evenings from 5–8 pm to provide more opportunities to visit the galleries for free! Evening hours will feature extra activities like live music, drop-in art making, and in-gallery experiences for visitors.

4:30-5 pm
Music and dance by Anokye Agofomma
4th floor galleries
After 10 years, SAM’s African masks have been moved to storage in preparation for a major reinstallation of the African Art galleries. Ghanaian drumming group Anokye Agofomma is filling the space with music to celebrate this time of change.

5–8 pm
Make jewelry inspired by Joyce J. Scott: Walk a Mile in My Dreams with teaching artist Kulla Jatani
Brotman Forum

5:30-7 pm
Meet SAM Director Scott Stulen
3rd floor galleries

6-6:30 pm
Tour of Lessons from the Institute of Empathy* with curator Pam McClusky
4th floor galleries

6:30-6:50 pm
Sculptor Jai Sallay-Carrington on Diego Cibelli: Fiori dei Miei Habiti / La Montagne EnchantĂŠe
Porcelain Room, 4th floor
Hybrids: A Queer Landscape of Possibility—Jai Sallay-Carrington (they/them) will speak about how the hybrid figures in Diego Cibelli's porcelain sculptures queer our reality by combining different physical traits. Jai will share how they use the mythology and physicality of hybrids in their ceramic figures as a professional artist. They will also speak about Cibelli’s porcelain sculpting methods.

7-7:20 pm
My Favorite Things tour with Farren Rice from Lavender Rights Project

7-7:45 pm
Spoken word performance by artist Christa Bell
Plestcheeff auditorium
Join Artist Christa Bell as she delivers her monologue-mantra/endurance spell celebrating reproductive and spiritual power. Through her unique mix of humor, poetry, and critique, Christa’s performance will “sanctify the bodies of womxn and formally reclaim every word cast at us . . . as DIVINE.” She will share an excerpt from her newest one-womxn show and will end with her chanted mantra.

Content warning: This performance contains profanity, including slang terms for genitalia. We recommend that visitors who find this language upsetting choose to forego participation.

Free tickets are available both onsite and online.

Free First Thursday Evenings Presented by

Paul G. Allen Family Foundation

Related program

Discounts

To ensure that everyone has the opportunity to experience art, SAM offers monthly free days and various discounts for visiting our locations.

view program

What’s on at Seattle Art Museum

Seattle Art Museum

SAM Creates: Joyce J. Scott Drop-in Workshop

Sat Jan 11 2025

   

11 am–2 pm

Seattle Art Museum

SAM Creates: Figure Drawing with Studio Paradiso

Sat Jan 11 2025

   

1:30–4 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Conversations with Curators | After Middle Fork: More Rebellious Revelations from John Grade

Wed Jan 15 2025

   

6–7:30 pm

Seattle Art Museum

SAM Creates: Joyce J. Scott Drop-in Workshop

Sat Jan 18 2025

   

11 am–2 pm

Seattle Art Museum

SAM Talks: Malcolm Peacock

Sat Jan 18 2025

   

1–2:30 pm

Seattle Art Museum

SAM Gallery Presents: Highlights

Wed–Sun Jan 1–Feb 2 2025

   

10 am–5 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Free First Thursday: Seattle Art Museum

Thu Feb 6 2025

   

10 am–8 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Chanoyu: Tea Culture of Japan Demonstration

Sat Feb 8 2025

   

2–3 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Chanoyu: Tea Culture of Japan Demonstration

Sat Feb 15 2025

   

3–4 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Conversations with Curators | Zen Misfits

Wed Feb 19 2025

   

6–7:30 pm

Seattle Art Museum

SAM Gallery Presents: Secret World

Wed–Sun Feb 5–Mar 2 2025

   

10 am–5 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Free First Thursday: Seattle Art Museum

Thu Mar 6 2025

   

10 am–8 pm

Seattle Art Museum

THE OPENING

Fri Mar 7 2025

   

6:30–11 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Chanoyu: Tea Culture of Japan Demonstration

Sat Mar 8 2025

   

2–3 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Chanoyu: Tea Culture of Japan Demonstration

Sat Mar 15 2025

   

3–4 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Conversations with Curators | Scandal & Celebration: Queer Representation in Art

Wed Mar 19 2025

   

6–7:30 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Spring Educator Open House | Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei

Thu Apr 3 2025

   

4–7 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Chanoyu: Tea Culture of Japan Demonstration

Sat Apr 12 2025

   

2–3 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Conversations with Curators | New Scores for Art: The Work of Benjamin Patterson

Wed Apr 16 2025

   

6–7:30 pm

Seattle Art Museum

SAM Talks: Hamza Walker

Thu Apr 17 2025

   

6–7:30 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Chanoyu: Tea Culture of Japan Demonstration

Sat Apr 19 2025

   

3–4 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Spring Educator Workshop: Art & Activism

Sat Apr 26 2025

   

10:30 am–4 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Chanoyu: Tea Culture of Japan Demonstration

Sat May 10 2025

   

2–3 pm

Seattle Art Museum

My Dinner with SAM

Wed May 14 2025

   

6:30–10 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Chanoyu: Tea Culture of Japan Demonstration

Sat May 17 2025

   

3–4 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 Talks: Dr. Richard Powell

Sat May 24 2025

   

1–2:30 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Chanoyu: Tea Culture of Japan Demonstration

Sat Jun 14 2025

   

3–4 pm

Seattle Art Museum

Chanoyu: Tea Culture of Japan Demonstration

Sat Jun 21 2025

   

3–4 pm