Many have written Seattle off—artistically speaking—due to its Amazonification at the hands of one of the many billionaires who are suspiciously eager to move to space. After Bezos and a few other tech megacorps set up shop there, it was widely lamented that the resulting rent explosion and condo culture had made the city unlivable and uninspiring for the art-inclined. That is, to some degree, accurate insofar as it’s accurate for most major metro areas in the U.S. Starving artists can’t afford $2,000 micro-studios that are too puny for creative projects in the first place. Cost of living is an art killer.

Thank you for signing up!

By clicking submit, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime.

But the steel and glass spit-polish nightmare that has been applied to clean up once grungy neighborhoods like the Denny Triangle—the defining feature of which was at one time a tow lot presided over by an enormous set of pink plastic toes that looked like a prop from a John Waters film; where today a five dollar breakfast sandwich costs $16.95—is only part of the picture. There’s still plenty of great art to be found in Seattle, thanks not only to well-curated museums but no small amount of effort and innovation on the part of community organizers.

SEE ALSO: ‘Hidden Master’ Rightfully Places George Platt Lynes in the American Photography Canon

While I am a Seattle native who came up in its gritty underground art scene, it’s been at least a decade since I’ve spent any serious time there, so........

© Observer