It is a challenge to stay spoiler-free AND relay the excitement I have for the temporary immersive art experience that’s here for just a couple of weeks.

Look up at night on Capitol Hill and you’ll see the lights are on again at the three-story building that used to be our beloved “R Place.” (I got a little teary-eyed when I saw the lights across the street from the Hot Mama’s corner – drag-queen-filled memories flooded back.)

This Seattle local immersive art experience is called “Seattle: City of the Future.” A group of incredible artists, technologists, organizers, and wonderful business owners have banded together to bring us this vibrant multi-media experience on Capitol Hill now through June 25.

From their website: “During the World’s Fair in 1962, Seattle was celebrated as the City of Tomorrow, a forward-thinking town with cutting edge innovation and technology. Sixty years later, in a large-scale immersive art experience at the Teal Building, we ask again, What does a city of the future look like?”

Timed tickets are available now. I love they priced tickets to be more accessible than many (most?) art experiences in our area. Tickets are $10, $15, or $25. I recommend getting your tickets ASAP. This is one of those experiences that rely on word-of-mouth, so get your timed tickets now and go as soon as possible – then you can give others the gift of hearing about it from you!

Thank you to the 40+ local artists for their creations. Thank you to participating artist Andrew Cole, who is the reason I heard about this! Thank you to the new owner of “The Teal Building,” Tam Nguyen / Tamarind Tree Restaurant for providing the space to make this accessible art experience possible. Thank you to Shelly Farnham, the magician behind Third Place Technologies, Passable (the artist-oriented maker’s space you can check out during the Capitol Hill Art Walk), and this experience. Y’all are awesome people and bring so much joy to our community.

In the spirit of not wanting to spoil anything, I won’t go into much descriptive detail. I will share: there are some dark works (it is an art experience about the possible future, after all), but overall the vibe is hopeful, curious, and expansive. Expect to stumble across some of my favorites: cheeky posters, a graffitied alleyway, the coziest cozy walls ever (say hi to my pal hanging out there, I nicknamed him Marvin), and the chance to guide some flowers with our fingertips. I encourage you to just “buy the ticket, do the thing” and go in fresh like I did.

I went last Saturday night and had a blast hanging out with two artist friends, Andrew and Brooke. I get to explore “Seattle: City of the Future” again this Sunday with Brandon, my folks, brother, sister-in-law, and teenage niece. There’s certainly some works there that I haven’t taken in yet. I might go for a third time, if my schedule allows. Just go, alright? Celebrate local artists and treat yourself and your peeps to a vibrant night that is bound to stir up some creative joy within you.

Once you go, let me know that you did! We can connect about what our experiences were like.

Sending you love,

Keridwyn