50. Seattle Art Museum: Disguise - Masks and Global African Art

Fifty down. Five to go.

The exhibit Disguise: Masks and Global African Art demonstrated the strength of the Seattle Art Museum. Brilliantly conceived, it showcased African masks from SAM's collection along with new works created for the exhibit by artists from around the world. The immersive multi-media installations flowed through several rooms. Each was an exploration of the theme by a different artist, featuring stories and experiences, and accompanied by an original sound track written for the exhibit. It was beautiful, challenging, mystical, at times whimsical, and thoroughly compelling. ArtsFund was a presenting sponsor.

Yours truly, taken
at the Disguise exhibit.

Last year, SAM's 80th anniversary, over 750,000 people visited its three locations: the museum's home in downtown Seattle, the Asian Art Museum on Capitol Hill, and the Olympic Sculpture Park just north of Seattle's central waterfront. Almost 50,000 young people from the Seattle area and beyond participated in SAM's varied educational programs. They include numerous summer activities and events for kids, education programs in the classroom and at the museums, and extensive programming for teens.

The 80th anniversary celebration featured a special exhibit at the Asian Art Museum which explained how the SAM collection began, focusing on its founder Dr. Richard Fuller. At the Olympic Sculpture Park SAM installed Echo, a monumental new sculpture by James Plensa. SAM continues to expand its global collection with significant new acquisitions that fill gaps and add depth to the collection. SAM is strong, growing, truly world-class and clearly makes our region a better place to live.

SAM has added the monumental sculpture
Echo to its Olympic Sculpture Park.