Seattle Culture
The Performance Art of Goddess Kring
Shannon Kringen retains her colorful and quirky personality from her public access tv show
Of all the personalities on local public access, though, perhaps one of the most memorable was Shannon Kringen — the colorful pagan woman whose Goddess Kring show featured stream-of-consciousness monologues combined with naked performance art. Kringen recently announced that she had uncovered a large cache of VHS tapes containing all episodes of her show, generating some renewed interest in this bygone era of TV. The discovery of these artifacts led me to reach out to her to learn more about her interesting story.
Must List: April 25-May 1
Seattle Black Film Festival, Peter Rabbit, and a pair of star-crossed lovers
Catch Seattle’s Black Film Festival, or see the tale of Peter Rabbit come to life. Rock out with AJR, or be swept up in one of the greatest love stories ever told. And don’t miss the Procession of the Species in downtown Olympia.
Celebrate Indie Bookstore Day This Saturday
From Elliott Bay Book Co. to Third Place Books, Seattle bookshops are ready for the big day
28 bookstores across the Seattle area are gearing up to mark the day, including iconic shops such as Fantagraphics Bookstore, Queen Anne Book Co., Third Place Books, Left Bank Books, Elliott Bay Book Co., and University Bookstore.
Finding Place in Pictures
Artist Sky Hopinka’s first solo museum exhibit in the northwest showcases his creative approach to language and identity
“I had cassette tapes and workbooks, but it was hard because I was living in Washington, and my tribal language has roots in Wisconsin,” Sky Hopinka says. Learning alone, he could listen to prerecorded Hocak phrases and practice writing letters and words, but an essential component was missing — another person to speak with.
Photo by Sky Hopinka, Mnemonics of Shape and Reason (Still), 2021. Digital Video (Color, Sound); 4:12 Min.
Seattle: Where Every Day is Earth Day
The city nabs a top spot on the nation's greenest cities list
Seattle ranks as the second-greenest city in the United States, just behind San Francisco. The study evaluated cities on sustainability metrics including air quality, public transportation, access to green space, and bike-friendliness.
Must List: April 18-24
Earth Day, Fat Ham, and Bruce Hornsby
Catch Bruce Hornsby at Benaroya Hall, or hang out with nature at a state park on Earth Day. See Fat Ham, a funny take on Hamlet, or explore the impact of pop culture on our daily lives. And don’t miss 54 dancers moving as one in The Seasons’ Canon.
The Wild Sauna of Seattle
A taste of Norwegian culture comes to the Pacific Northwest
In the heart of Kirkland, tied up to a public dock, one of the United States’ first floating saunas bobs on Lake Washington, providing a unique experience inspired by sauna culture in Norway. On a recent crisp chilly day, I had the opportunity to visit Von Sauna…
Feeding Ghosts to Free Them
Artist Tessa Hulls creates a revealing graphic novel to help her deal with childhood trauma
Seattle artist Tessa Hulls’ new graphic novel Feeding Ghosts is a deeply stirring narrative of loss, mental illness, and intergenerational trauma. She says that she wrote it to answer this question: What broke my family? Much of the book is about repetition, and how three generations of women in Hulls’ family were emotionally crippled by an isolation that kept them from experiencing belonging. She also came to the project as an attempt to heal her relationship with her own mother…
Molbak’s Returns
Popular store launches community hub for gardening
Molbak’s has launched a new community initiative called Green Phoenix Collaborative at Molbak’s, which will transform the former retail site into a community hub for all things gardening. The collaborative will feature programs, classes, and events.