
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 some of the best temporary exhibitions in Seattle that you can view now and coming soon in 2025:
1. Fischersund: Faux Flora at the National Nordic Museum
Faux Flora is the first-ever museum exhibit from Icelandic art collective Fischersund—and it was just extended into February! The Fischersund collective uses scent, visual arts and music to create an immersive experience and tell stories. This multi-sensory exhibition specifically “explores the scientific relationship between scent and memory by drawing on the collective’s experience growing up in Iceland” and explores “the fragrance, sound, and movement of Fischersund’s own collection of invented plant species.”
Pro tip: The National Nordic Museum is now open late on Thursdays! You can enjoy all the galleries, special exhibitions, the Museum Store, and Freya Café until 8:00 pm. This is a unique “evening at the museum” experience. While you’re there, make sure to stop just outside of the museum entrance to view one of the Northwest Trolls (more info below!).
📍Where: National Nordic Museum (2655 NW Market Street, Seattle, WA)
📅When: Now through February 23, 2025
🎟️ Get tickets here!
2. Northwest Trolls
Northwest Trolls by Thomas Dambo is a long-term but ultimately temporary installation of larger-than-life trolls in the PNW area. The troll sculptures are constructed from recycled materials and will be maintained for three years. They can be found outside the National Nordic Museum in Ballard, at Lincoln Park in West Seattle, in nearby Issaquah, and (via a short ferry ride) on Bainbridge and Vashon islands. There’s also one in Portland. Since they’re all outside, you can visit them for free. Read more about the Northwest Trolls.
📍Where: various locations
📅When: now through August 2026
3. Keith Haring: A Radiant Legacy at MoPOP
This special exhibition is an “in-depth celebration of the iconic artist’s life, work, and activism” with over 240 Haring artworks and objects, a selection from his personal art collection, and more. You can get tickets and more info on the MoPOP website.
📍Where: Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)
📅When: Now through March 23, 2025
🎟️ Get tickets here!
4. Following Space: Thaddeus Mosley & Alexander Calder
Thaddeus Mosley is “a contemporary sculptor inspired by modernist aesthetics and traditional African wood carvings” and Alexander Calder “revolutionized modern sculpture.” You can now visit SAM to view the works of these two American sculptural artists in dialogue for a limited time.
📍Where: Seattle Art Museum
📅When: Now through June 1, 2025
🎟️Get tickets here!
5. Meot: Korean Art from the Frank Bayley Collection at Seattle Asian Art Museum
Frank Bayley was a generous art patron and distinguished collector of East Asian art and promoted Korean art and culture. The Korean term meot encompasses charm, style, elegance, beauty, and creativity, along with highly refined aesthetic sensibilities. This special collection displays all of those qualities and features over 60 artworks, including ceramics, calligraphy, paintings, and wooden works.
📍Where: Seattle Asian Art Museum
📅When: Now through March 2, 2025
🎟️ Get tickets here!
6. Home Beyond Earth at The Museum of Flight
Ever wonder what it would be like to live in outer space? This new exhibition at Seattle’s Museum of Flight presents an immersive experience with digital projections, interactive elements, and artifacts from space stations. Get tickets on the Museum of Flight website.
📍Where: The Museum of Flight
📅When: ongoing (temporary)
🎟️ Get tickets here!
7. Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei at SAM
Seattle Art Museum will be showcasing the work of provocative Chinese artist Ai Weiwei at all three of its locations this year, including this main retrospective at its downtown location starting in March. You will be able to view “iconic works from his career” as well as “several works making their international debut.” This will be the largest US exhibition ever of this famous artist; don’t miss it.
📍Where: Seattle Art Museum
📅When: March 12 through September 7, 2025
🎟️ Get tickets here!