Don’t miss these current exhibitions in Seattle.
Seattle is an exciting city to visit or live in if you love art. We have so many incredible museums here, from the Seattle Asian Art Museum to the National Nordic Museum. In the spirit of helping you navigate the sheer breadth of options, we put together this guide to some of the coolest current exhibitions in Seattle. Whether you’re looking for an immersive experience or a family-friendly exhibition, we got you. Some of these exhibitions are even free of charge!
Make sure to save this post and check back regularly as we will update this list to reflect the most current options a few times a year.
Here are 10 of the best temporary exhibitions in Seattle that you can view this fall:
1. Northwest Trolls
Where: various locations
When: for three years starting in August and September 2023
Northwest Trolls by Thomas Dambo is a long-term but temporary installation of larger-than-life trolls in the PNW area. The troll sculptures are constructed from recycled materials. They can be found at Lincoln Park in West Seattle, Issaquah, Bainbridge Island, Vashon Island, and in Ballard at the National Nordic Museum. There’s also one in Portland. Read more about the Northwest Trolls.
2. Van Gogh: the Immersive Experience
Where: 1750 Occidental Ave.
When: now through October 15, 2023
See Van Gogh’s artwork like never before in this immersive exhibition that reopened in Seattle because of popular demand. Tickets are available for the Van Gogh exhibit for select dates this September and October.
3. We Are Puget Sound
Where: Burke Museum
When: June 3 through December 31, 2023
Seattle’s Burke Museum debuted the new exhibition We Are Puget Sound in June. This exhibition will help you build a deeper connection with Puget Sound and the wildlife and cultures that live there, as well as an appreciation for the people working to protect it.
4. Arctic Highways
Where: National Nordic Museum
When: August through November 26, 2023
“Arctic Highways: 12 Indigenous Artists of the Circumpolar North” is a temporary exhibition at the National Nordic Museum in Ballard. The exhibition displays multimedia artwork from 12 Indigenous artists from Sápmi, Canada, and Alaska.
You can get tickets and more info on the Nordic Museum website.
5. Hidden Worlds: the Films of LAIKA
Where: Museum of Pop Culture
When: Now through summer 2024
Did you love the 2009 stop-motion movie Coraline? If so, this extremely thorough exhibition at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture (known as MoPOP) is for you. You’ll get to see artifacts from the LAIKA production studios, immersive set displays, and more. Get more info on the MoPOP website.
5. Hokusai: Inspiration and Influence
Where: Seattle Art Museum
When: October 19, 2023 through January 21, 2024
Chances are you recognize the iconic artwork Under the Wave off Kanagawa (more commonly referred to as The Great Wave). This exhibition coming to Seattle Art Museum this fall/winter celebrates the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. Go beyond The Great Wave and view many more of his paintings and prints as well as works by other artists that were influenced by him.
6. Chloë Bass: Soft Services
Where: Volunteer Park
When: Now through August 2024
This free exhibition in Seattle is entirely outdoors, which makes it a perfect budget-friendly fall activity. Stroll through Volunteer Park in Capitol Hill to read messages on the inscribed stones that make up Soft Services. You can read more details about this exhibit before you go.
7. Clarissa Tossin: to take root among the stars
Where: Frye Art Museum
When: October 7, 2023 through January 7, 2024
Ever wonder what to do with all your empty Amazon boxes? Clarissa Tossin: to take root among the stars is an exhibition coming to Frye Art Museum this fall/winter that might inspire you. The artist repurposes “consumerist detritus” (such as Amazon boxes) to create multimedia artworks that explore questions of capitalism, climate change, and even space exploration.
The best part is that admission to Frye Art Museum is always free!
8. Art+Flight
Where: Museum of Flight
When: June 10, 2023 through January 7, 2024
Museum of Flight’s new multimedia exhibition Art+Flight opened this past June and you still have a few more months to check it out. In addition to the artwork being exhibited there will be “interactive mural painting, music, dance and plenty of family activities.” There will also be events and guest speakers throughout the exhibition’s run. The museum is calling this a “community-focused celebration.”
9. Renegade Edo and Paris
Where: Seattle Asian Art Museum
When: July 21 through December 3, 2023
Renegade Edo and Paris: Japanese Prints and Toulouse-Lautrec is a temporary exhibition that can only be seen at Seattle Asian Art Museum. If you have an interest in both Japanese and French art, you won’t want to miss this exhibition that explores the links—both artistic and social—between late 18th- to 19th-century Edo (present-day Tokyo) and late 19th-century Paris.