8 Best Sights in Seattle, Washington

One of the most important destinations on the First Thursday Art Walk, this gorgeous space featuring paintings, sculpture, and prints, is a top venue for national and regional artists. Be sure to check out the outdoor sculpture deck on the second level. If you have time for only one gallery visit, this is the place to go. You'll see big names that you might recognize, along with newer Northwest artists, and the thematic group shows are always thoughtful and well-presented.

First emerging as an online art space to uplift Black arts, culture, and community, Arte Noir now lives in a permanent home in the C.D. Part gallery, part shop, and part community gathering space, Arte Noir showcases thought-provoking visual arts from Black C.D. artists, alongside a small shop selling jewelry, books, and home goods from Black artists that honors the C.D.'s roots and fight against its gentrification.

Soaring 18-foot ceilings, classic brick arches, and antique wood floors make a dramatic backdrop for monthly rotating exhibits with a contemporary bent. Part of a multitasking, 6,000-square-foot studio space, the gallery features a roster of local, national, and international artists and photographers. AXIS hosts new shows with entertainment during First Thursday Art Walk.

One of the Seattle art scene's heaviest hitters has digs as impressive as the works it shows: a century-old building with high ceilings and 7,000 square feet of exhibition space. Works by internationally acclaimed Northwest masters Kenneth Callahan, Mark Tobey, Alden Mason, and George Tsutakawa are on permanent display, alongside rotating exhibitions.

Gallery 110 is a collaborative space that works with a collective of 30 contemporary artists (primarily Northwest-based), showing pieces in its small space that are energetic, challenging, and fresh. On-site exhibitions change monthly, with new exhibits typically launching during the First Thursday Art Walk.

This community-funded gallery embraces the ethos that art is for the people. It's a central initiative in Seattle's local art scene. Slip Gallery's frequently shifting exhibits are eclectic, modern, and thought-provoking, featuring timely art often tied to political, climate, and social justice themes. From drag shows and community art days to Belltown Art Walk and a magazine launch, Slip occasionally hosts events in this creative space.

Prints, masks, drums, sculptures, baskets, and jewelry by local Native artists fill the space of this elegant Belltown gallery near Pike Place Market. Alaskan and Arctic art are also on display, including beautiful sculptural pieces carved from ivory, wood, and soapstone.

This elegant gallery will give you a real look at the best contemporary work of Northwest Coast and Alaska tribal members (and artists from these regions working in the Native style). Three floors exhibit wood carvings, paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media pieces from the likes of Robert Davidson, Joe David, Preston Singeltary, Susan Point, and Rick Bartow.