Arts & Entertainment

March 15, 2024

Thermal creatures

In her current Seattle exhibit, Saya Moriyasu, ’91, imagines magical mineral spirits in paper and clay.


February 27, 2024

A Black woman sits in an Adirondack chair with her chin resting on a fist.

Colleen McElroy, 1935-2023

Colleen McElroy, 1935-2024, was the first Black woman to be promoted to a full professorship at the UW.


February 24, 2024

A young Korean woman with her dark hair slicked back stares over her shoulder with an inquisitive expression

Raves for novelist

E.J. Koh’s debut novel affirms her place among powerful American storytellers.


February 23, 2024

A museum visitor brings her fact close to Anida Ali, who is wearing a giant orange tube that winds around the room

Art in action

UW Senior Artist-in-Residence Anida Yoeu Ali opens a solo show at Seattle Asian Art Museum.


People relaxing in a bright yellow museum room. They're staring at the ceiling, which has a large panel of acetate and tape made to look like stained glass.

Dazzling display

Artist Raúl de Nieves blends mystical symbols and Mexican craft in a Henry Art Gallery exhibition.


February 7, 2024

Close up on a mural of a colorful bird

Beauty after chaos

The Wing Luke Museum unveils a new mural across Canton Alley after the museum's windows and doors were vandalized in an alleged hate crime in September.


January 18, 2024

Artist Anida Ali stands in front of a picture of herself wearing a sparkly red chador.

Out of the ordinary

UW Artist-in-Residence Anida Yoeu Ali opens her show at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, which runs through July 7.


January 8, 2024

A man in a grey cardigan and blue button down shirt smiles in front of an academic building.

A new history

Ned Blackhawk's book about Native Americans in U.S. history won the National Book Award for its enlightening take on "rediscovering" America.


December 23, 2023

A gold Olympic medal that reads "XI OLYMPIADE BERLIN 1936"

Boys in the Boat trivia

"The Boys in the Boat" is now a major motion picture. How well do you know your UW rowing history?


December 14, 2023

A man wearing sunglasses and a man on a bicycle in front of a large fountain

UW on the big screen

The UW has graced the silver screen with a few cameos. Have you seen any of these movies?


December 13, 2023

A man smiles in the projection booth of a theater, holding a film reel.

Cinema steward

Tom Mara, who helms the Seattle International Film festival, is making history by transforming the Cinerama into SIFF Cinema Downtown.


December 12, 2023

Two mannequins (without heads, arms or legs) painted with imagery of roads, people and objects.

East and West

Cheryll Leo-Gwin, '75, '77, draws on her history with fabric and jewelry arts in her new Jack Straw exhibit "Larger than Life."


November 29, 2023

Seattle's sounds

Daniel Pak, who calls himself the "executive homie" for Totem Star, builds a legacy at their new home.


November 26, 2023

Wit and whiteout

Haidee Merritt charms readers with her droll and deprecating illustrations about Type 1 diabetes.


November 25, 2023

‘Boys’ on the big screen

Turning "The Boys in the Boat" into a Hollywood movie took a lot of research to re-create the UW of the 1930s.


Portrait of an artist

The UW School of Art + Art History + Design unveiled a portrait of Jacob Lawrence created by Seattle-based artist Barbara Earl Thomas, ’77


November 24, 2023

Cells of cedar

Seattle-based artist John Grade created the dynamic sculpture “Union” for the Washington Park Arboretum.


An exhilarating story

Author Daniel James Brown recalls writing "The Boys in the Boat": "Anxiety quickly gave way to exhilaration."


Forest chorus

Byron Au Yong, ’96, went to the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island to sing with the trees at an outdoor, participatory research event.


November 17, 2023

Small canvas, big impact

Kela Wong celebrates her Asian American identity through Kela Designs, her small business, selling stickers, pins and more.


October 27, 2023

Ways of knowing

A new podcast produced in partnership with the UW is dedicated to humanities research and thought.


Stories to tell

See how three museums from the Seattle area draw upon their UW ties and engage in evolving conversations around race, history and identity.


Stories to tell: Sea Mar

The 4-year-old Sea Mar Museum is the first in the Pacific Northwest to represent Chicano and Latino culture.


Stories to tell: NAAM

The Northwest African American Museum, which opened in 1998, has many ties to the UW.


Stories to tell: Wing Luke Museum

The Wing Luke Museum is part of Seattle's community of culturally specific museums that build empathy, promote equity and tell more complete histories.


October 6, 2023

Community visionary

From canvases in coffee shops to Brooklyn streets, Hoa Hong’s art and impact are far-reaching.


September 2, 2023

Shaping the future

Five industrial designers, five decades of influence and one message for tomorrow’s designers.


August 30, 2023

Staying tuned

Actor Garret Dillahunt joined the UW Symphony orchestra for an end-of-year performance. An audience of more than 500 were treated to his narration of ‘l'Histoire de Babar, le Petit Éléphant.’


August 29, 2023

Museums are magical

After 15 years leading the Henry Art Gallery, Sylvia Wolf shares her thoughts on the magic of museums.


July 10, 2023

Ordinary to extraordinary

Nathan Vass slows down time with his photography and writing.


June 20, 2023

Historian, tour guide, archive enthusiast

Let Antoinette Wills show you around the UW's campus.


June 4, 2023

Down to earth

Blending her own story with tales of climate crisis negotiations, Brianna Craft shows us the world in her memoir.


A KKK ‘monster’ story

Timothy Egan’s latest book, “A Fever in the Heartland," centers on the rise and undoing of D.C. Stephenson, a grand dragon of the KKK


May 28, 2023

The Jake awakes

In 1994, the art school’s instructional gallery was dedicated to Jacob Lawrence, recognizing his influence and vision. The time had come for a refresh and a slight relocation.


Exuberant abstraction

Artist Sarah Cain transforms the Henry’s two-story East Gallery into the monumental painting, “Day after day on this beautiful stage.”


A walk down ‘Skid Road’

Nurse, professor and advocate Josephine Ensign walks readers through the history of Seattle's "Skid Road."


Creative flow

The Chihuly Workshop has produced a photo-rich book, “The Boathouse: The Artist’s Studio of Dale Chihuly,” to tell the story of a building with UW ties.


May 19, 2023

Full of surprises

As UW mourns the loss of a beloved artist, we talk with a fellow Husky who saw first-hand how much the acclaimed painter cared about our campus and community.


April 27, 2023

Not quite by the book

Preston Wadley explores new truths in old objects through "Abstract Truth" at the Bellevue Arts Museum.


April 21, 2023

Better hustle

Over the past two years, MFA candidate Abdiel Jacobsen has brought their love of hustle to the UW.


March 1, 2023

A heartfelt award for Jean Smart

The star of the HBO series “Hacks” scores yet another honor for playing acerbic Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance – but couldn’t attend the show due to a heart issue.


February 25, 2023

Department of what?

What is that silver structure on the UW campus? It's a “department” of sorts.


Call of the wild

Samantha Zwicker works to rehabilitate and reintroduce wildlife in the Amazon rainforest.


Drawn to love stories

New Yorker cartoonist Olivia de Recat captures relationships in her book ‘Drawn Together.’


Body language

“Body Language: Reawakening Cultural Tattooing of the Northwest,” submerses visitors in traditional tattooing practices and their modern expressions.


February 23, 2023

Revolution to evolution

Emile Pitre captures the story of decades of activism at the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity in his new book.


Another side of the city

Peter Bacho wrote a love letter to Seattle with “Uncle Rico's Encore,” a book he says he “had to write.”


February 15, 2023

Huskies in the Super Bowl

Magical avocados, an (alleged) $1.5 million hairstyle and two Huskies-turned-Chiefs took over our TVs this weekend.


November 27, 2022

Hip-hop and hype

The UW Graduate School will host an “Evening with Chuck D” for its public lecture series.


November 26, 2022

Treasure in feces

Bryn Nelson followed his love for animals and science to become both a microbiologist and the writer of a book on human feces.


November 17, 2022

Alumni on the small screen

From Anna Faris to Joel McHale, check out a few of our favorite performances from UW alumni on television.


November 9, 2022

On the big screen

Anna Faris plays Savannah, a struggling business owner after her aunt's inheritance, in her latest silver screen effort.


November 4, 2022

Media

Viewpoint Magazine highlights two new books from the UW community.


November 3, 2022

Inspired by a blue suit

Poet Shin Yu Pai uses everyday objects to explore unique meaning in her new podcast "The Blue Suit."


September 20, 2022

A body in motion


September 16, 2022

Big day for Smart

The acclaimed Seattleite and actor wins her second consecutive Emmy Award on the day before her birthday.


September 9, 2022

Story of Black Seattle

Quintard Taylor tells the stories of Seattle’s small, but influential Black community.


September 3, 2022

Glowing observations

Willem Volkersz, ’65, will have an exhibit of his work, “The View From Here,” on display at the Boise Art Museum from Oct. 8 to Jan. 8.


September 2, 2022

Hollywood Husky

Collaborating with Will Smith and Dave Chappelle is all in a day’s work for one of TV’s leading women directors.


August 31, 2022

The Poet Laureate

Ada Limón, the 24th poet laureate of the United States, gives UW Magazine a glimpse into her process.


July 22, 2022

Ada Limón, ’98, named 24th U.S. Poet Laureate

The 1998 drama graduate received the nation's highest honor in poetry.


July 21, 2022

A tribute to John Hartl, ’67, Seattle’s greatest movie critic

Famed movie critic John Hartl had a thoughtful eye, an unusually high IQ and an encyclopedic knowledge of film.


May 30, 2022

Dreaming of America

Wes Hurley has built a community of allies from his time at the UW, and it’s paying off.


May 29, 2022

Immersive art

The Henry Art Gallery’s commissioned work from Bolivian-American artist Donna Huanca is on display through April 2023.


May 25, 2022

Husky Walk of Fame

Jean Smart joins the growing list of UW legends whose names are engraved on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.


May 17, 2022

One who dared

A gifted actor and director—and one of "The Five Who Dared"—Harvy Blanks made history.


March 11, 2022

Win a trip to Browntown

George Tramountanas, '93, turned personal tragedy to big-screen comedy in his new feature film about a unique incentive for weight loss.


March 5, 2022

‘You Deserve the World’

Ally Ang is a 2021 graduate of the UW Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing, with a focus on poetry.


The voice of Yakima Valley

While working on her doctorate, Monica De La Torre, ’16, studied the Yakima Valley's Radio Cadena. She shares their stories in “Feminista Frequencies."


March 4, 2022

Autism in the spotlight

Actor Mickey Rowe's book chronicles his journey from a legally blind self-described outcast to the hero of his own story.  


A real character

Versatility has been Jean Smart’s strength since her UW days. Now, the Emmy-winning actor’s star is shining brighter than ever.


Biodiversity in a box

Nature photographer David Liittschwager captures biodiversity in one cubic foot of space.


March 1, 2022

A woman stands in front of a craft booth holding fabric

Preserving crafts in India

Judy Frater, '87, put her UW museology degree to good use by seeking out and empowering local Indian artisans.


January 31, 2022

Ryan Minkoff smiles while wearing his UW Hockey Club uniform and holding a hockey stick

From puck steals to book deals

Player-turned-agent Ryan Minkoff’s second book, “Nora’s Hockey Dream,” pays homage to his sister and all the girls who love hockey.


December 4, 2021

Dancer Abdiel Jacobsen poses wearing dark blue pants, a light blue tank top and a pink cardigan.

Stepping up

Dance students and faculty once again get a chance to strut their stuff.


Imogen Cunningham takes a black-and-white self portrait in a storefront window.

Imogen exposed

Imogen Cunningham was an innovative and influential fine art photographer. A retrospective features nearly 200 of her works.


A smiling woman, wearing a black shirt and red patterned skirt, crosses her arms and looks off into the distance.

The art of curiosity

As she curates an exhibit at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, doctoral student Brittney Frantece examines art through a critical lens.


A large grey house in the midcentury style with warm light inside and a manicured yard outside.

The midcentury view

A new book finally shines a spotlight on Paul Hayden Kirk, ’37, who set the standard for Northwest modernist architecture.


Portraits of justice

Alfredo Arreguin has painted the official portraits for three justices on the Washington State Supreme Court. At 86, the master of Mexican-American art remains a source of colorful ideas and vivid canvases.


November 19, 2021

Headshot of Jane Wong holding a bouquet of flowers

From pain to poetry

Poet Jane Wong isn’t afraid to lay her emotions bare as she explores ways beyond the written page to reach audiences.


September 11, 2021

Art and exploration

“Fly Your Own Thing,” a celebration of the late Alden Mason, ’42, ’47, is on exhibit at the Bellevue Arts Museum.


Ballet in the Cold War

The Cold War played out on exotic battlegrounds. Perhaps none were stranger—and had more unexpected outcomes—than cultural-exchange ballet tours.


September 8, 2021

Visual music

Through the interplay of light with her creations, artist Barbara Earl Thomas creates ‘ordinary magic.’ Her extraordinary work explores childhood, race and religion.


September 4, 2021

The Nisei story

‘Boys in the Boat’ author Daniel James Brown’s new book depicts the heroism of World War II-era Japanese Americans.


Meals & memories

Two decades after Tom Stockley and his wife, Peggy, perished in a plane crash, their daughters curate a new book of his eating pleasures.


A life in design

Nin Truong brings creativity and sustainability to the world of public art, skateboarding and apparel.


August 31, 2021

Unbeatable, unforgettable

The national champion ’91 football team inspires the first UW Press book on Husky sports.


July 22, 2021

A fresh lens on QTPOC life

Through feature films, groundbreaking documentaries and shorts, a UW librarian creates a canon of meaningful representation in American cinema.


July 6, 2021

Seeing myself in a 125-year-old photograph

I'm a computer science major, but it was an art history class that shaped how I understand our complex and broken world, and also allowed me to better know myself as an Asian American.


June 10, 2021

Less can be more

Compared to changes that add, those that subtract are harder to think of. The removal of a bridge in the Bay Area illustrates how sometimes, less is more.


The B-Side

“The B-Side,” on display at the Henry Art Gallery, is a large-scale wall painting, is one of Gary Simmons’ “erasure drawings.”


June 7, 2021

Curiosity and clay

From the start, Seattle artist George Rodriguez explored identity, culture and community in his work.


Calling the shots

For Golf Channel analyst Paige Mackenzie, ’06, the only thing more thrilling than scoring a hole-in-one is calling the golf play-by-play at the Olympic Games.


June 3, 2021

Reliving ’91

The story of the greatest coach in Husky football history and how he led the 1991 team to the national championship is the subject of a new book.


May 11, 2021

‘Guests’ at the Burke

Artists Tony Johnson (naschio) and Adam McIsaac installed their sculpture, “Guests From the Great River,” just outside the Burke Museum.


High-flying professor

Cecilia Aragon’s memoir, “Flying Free,” is for “anybody who has been discouraged all their life,” she says.


Radical works

A little-seen series by Jacob Lawrence, one of the country’s most celebrated Black artists and one of the UW’s most beloved art professors, is now on view at the Seattle Art Museum.


April 17, 2021

Frontline photographer

Photographer David Ryder, ’06, ’11, was recently recognized as UW Bothell's Alumni of the Year recipient.


March 13, 2021

Surveying the Native art of the Pacific Northwest

Here's what it's like to be a student in the University of Washington's class about Indigenous art.


March 11, 2021

Bracing artistry

Residents in the School of Dentistry’s orthodontics program crafted wire sculptures using the materials of their profession.