Arts and Entertainment

The Henry Art Gallery scrapped admission fees this summer and saw a jump in visitors.

Connect, explore, get involved! Dawg Daze will take place from September 17 to 26, 2025. It is a great way to discover resources, familiarize yourself with important campus landmarks, and connect with UW staff and other UW students.

Many in the theater world here in Seattle know of David Armstrong, UW affiliate instructor of drama, as 5th Avenue Theatre's artistic director and executive producer from 2000 to 2018. Now he's also an author. Armstrong is interviewed about his new book: "Broadway Nation: How Immigrant, Jewish, Queer, and Black Artists Invented the Broadway Musical."

Featuring exhibitions at the University of Washington.

An exhibit by Rob Rhee, assistant professor and chair of interdisciplinary visual art, is included in this roundup.

With "University of Washington Soundscape," ethnomusicology and international studies major Leo Freedman has created an audio experience of the UW campus. 

Check out the cornucopia of the UW’s uncommon classrooms, on campus, all over the Evergreen State and around the world.

A new book from David Armstrong, University of Washington affiliate instructor of drama, is an historical and cultural account of how the Broadway musical was predominantly created by people marginalized from mainstream society. The book, Broadway Nation: How Immigrant, Jewish, Queer, and Black Artists Invented the Broadway Musical, traces this history through four major eras.

Derek Sheffield, ’90, ’99, a poet and English teacher, was appointed Washington State’s Poet Laureate in April by Governor Bob Ferguson. A passionate naturalist known for co-editing the best-selling "Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry" with Elizabeth Bradfield, ’94, and CMarie Fuhrman, Sheffield is “always packing” binoculars and hand lens and birds by ear—often in the woods near his home in Leavenworth. He has butterflied alongside Robert Michael Pyle, ’69, ’73, the lepidopterist, and once exchanged letters with Pulitzer-winning biologist E.O. Wilson.

Derek Sheffield, ’90, ’99, a poet and English teacher, was appointed Washington State’s Poet Laureate in April by Governor Bob Ferguson. A passionate naturalist known for co-editing the best-selling “Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry” with Elizabeth Bradfield, ’94, and CMarie Fuhrman, Sheffield is “always packing” binoculars and hand lens and birds by ear—often in the woods near his home in Leavenworth. He has butterflied alongside Robert Michael Pyle, ’69, ’73, the lepidopterist, and once exchanged letters with Pulitzer-winning biologist E.O. Wilson.

Looking for galleries to visit this fall? Check out these visual arts shows by UW alumni.

Art meets technology at the SPAM New Media Festival, an exhibition of creative works that use technology in unexpected ways. The event will be held September 12-14.

Lucia Flores-Wiseman (B.A., Communication), a Mexican American singer-songwriter, brings an inspiring emotional depth to her craft.

Launched in Spring of 2025, the pilot season includes seven episodes – each featuring a School of Art + Art History + Design alum in conversation with host Liz Copland.

Each of the College's 2025 medalists received a special gift — a glass bowl, handblown in the UW School of Art + Art History + Design.