<p>Due to a calendar coincidence, this Monday the country will commemorate two American leaders whose messages could not be more disparate: Martin Luther King Jr., who counseled “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that,” and President Trump, who famously posted in all caps on Truth Social, “I hate Taylor Swift!”</p>
<p>Yes, January 20 is <strong>Inauguration Day</strong>. Given the circumstances and the setting, it’s hard not to think back to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when insurrectionists attempted to impede the peaceful transition of power.</p>
<p>If there’s any chance you’ve forgotten the chaos and terror of that day, you’ll remember in an instant when viewing the images taken by a Seattle photojournalist who captured the historic moment in Washington, D.C.</p>
<p><strong>Nate Gowdy</strong>, who was covering Trump’s “Save America” rally for Rolling Stone that day, ended up in the middle of a mob bent on breaching the Capitol Building. His arresting black-and-white photos reveal a powder keg of people — wearing Trump hats, tactical vests and, yes, a Viking helmet.</p>
<p>“It resembled a high school pep rally gone way wrong,” Gowdy told Crosscut in a <a href=”https://uat1.crosscut.com/culture/2023/01/seattle-photographers-firsthand-account-jan-6-chaos”>2023 story about his photos</a>. “The adrenaline and the toxic masculinity. The war cries.”</p>
<p>Gowdy is currently showing 23 of these striking shots as archival pigment prints in <a href=”https://www.spectrumfineart.com/show/spectrum-fine-art-nate-gowdy-insurrection”><em>Witness</em></a>, at Spectrum Gallery in Madrona (through Feb. 15; artist reception Jan. 16, 6 – 9 p.m.).</p>
<p>Grammy-winning Seattle singer/songwriter Johnaye Kendrick will perform the songs of Billie Holiday on MLK Day.</p>
<p>January 20 is also <strong>Martin Luther King Jr. Day</strong>, so if you’d prefer to focus your attention on Reverend King and his teachings, there are many ways to do so — including by listening to or watching the “<a href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smEqnnklfYs”>I Have a Dream</a>” speech, which he gave at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. </p>
<p>The Northwest African American Museum is hosting its annual <a href=”https://www.naamnw.org/king-day”>King Day Celebration</a> (Jan. 20), an all-day event that this year includes the opening of two vibrant portrait shows by local painters: <a href=”https://www.naamnw.org/recognition-love-and-healing”><em>Recognition, Love, Healing</em></a> by <strong>AshaAung Helmstetter</strong> and <a href=”https://www.naamnw.org/where-do-we-go-from-here”><em>Where Do We Go From Here</em></a> by <strong>Myron Curry</strong>. </p>
<p>The Royal Room is celebrating the legacy of Dr. King with <a href=”https://theroyalroomseattle.com/event/south-hudson-music-project-presents-painting-the-town-red-a-mlk-day-tribute-to-the-music-of-billie-holiday-2/”><em>Painting the Town Red: The Music of Billie Holiday</em></a> (Jan. 20, 7:30 p.m.), featuring stars of Seattle jazz including vocalist <strong>Johnaye Kendrick</strong>, drummer <strong>D’Vonne Lewis</strong> and pianist <strong>Wayne Horvitz</strong>.</p>
<p>KEXP is celebrating two ways: With the 25th annual <a href=”https://www.kexp.org/events/kexp-events/25th-annual-expansions-mlk-unity-party/”>Expansions MLK Unity Party</a> (Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Clock-Out Lounge), featuring DJs including <strong>Supreme La Rock</strong> and <strong>Riz Rollins</strong>. Then on Jan. 20, the station will air special MLK Day music and programming (5 a.m. to 7 p.m.).</p>
<p>And over at Town Hall, East L.A.’s Grammy-winning Chicano band <strong>Quetzal</strong> — which is committed to social justice as well as folk-infused music traditions — will play a concert in honor of MLK (Jan. 20, 6:30 p.m.).</p>
<p>“Mammie Wada” by Joyce J. Scott at Seattle Art Museum. For this series, the artist channeled African stories of a water deity into small amphibious figures using bone, yarn, fake hair, beads and glass. (Brangien Davis/Cascade PBS) </p>
<p>The Seattle arts scene is starting the year strong, with tons of great things to see and do. Here’s a smattering of options by art form. </p>
<strong>Visual arts</strong>
<p>This weekend is your last chance to see <a href=”https://www.seattleartmuseum.org/whats-on/exhibitions/joyce-j-scott”><em>Joyce J. Scott: Walk a Mile in My Dreams</em></a> (through Jan. 19 at Seattle Art Museum). When Scott, aka “The Queen of Baltimore,” arrived at the press preview back in October, she entered the room singing an a cappella gospel version of “Stop, Children What’s That Sound” — and held us in rapt attention for the next hour. </p>
<p>The 75-year-old artist’s fearless personality shines through in 150 colorful and meticulously crafted works from the 1970s to the present, including intricate glass beadwork, sculptures, jewelry and textiles.</p>
<p>Imbuing her work with humor and sparkle, Scott doesn’t flinch from sending powerful messages about racism and other injustices (for example, her startling “lynching necklaces”). </p>
<p>See also: <strong>Eva Funderburgh</strong>’s toothy and rotund ceramic creatures in <a href=”https://www.jrinehartgallery.com/exhibition-calendar/eva-funderburgh-gifts-of-the-forest”><em>Gifts of the Forest</em></a> at J. Rinehart Gallery (through Jan. 29; artist talk Jan. 18 at 1 p.m.) Endearingly roly-poly yet slightly menacing, these “monsters” radiate humanity.</p>
<strong>Theater</strong>
<p>Seattle Opera presents <a href=”https://www.seattleopera.org/performances-events/les-troyens/”><em>Les Troyens in Concert</em></a> (Jan. 17 and 19 at McCaw Hall). This abridged version of Hector Berlioz’s epic tale (which was based on Virgil’s <em>Aeneid</em> and debuted in Paris in 1863) centers on Acts 3, 4 and 5, when Aeneas falls in love with Queen Dido while fighting invading Nubians.</p>
<p>Starring as Queen Dido is Tacoma native and Grammy winner <strong>J’Nai Bridges</strong>, who back in high school made the tough choice of <a href=”https://southseattleemerald.org/arts-culture/2025/01/06/mezzo-soprano-jnai-bridges-returns-home-for-les-troyens”>singing in the choir over playing basketball</a>. Lucky us!</p>
<p>See also: <a href=”https://taproottheatre.org/shows/2025/lewis-and-tolkien-2025/”><em>Lewis and Tolkien</em></a> (Jan. 22 – Feb. 22 at Taproot Theatre), a very different kind of entanglement, which imagines a pub encounter between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Once close literary pals at Oxford, the conversation highlights how the writers’ paths diverged.</p>
<p>Whim W’Him dancers rehearse a newly commissioned piece by Canadian choreographer Cameron Fraser-Monroe. (Jim Coleman)</p>
<strong>Dance</strong>
<p>Seattle-based contemporary dance company <strong>Whim W’Him</strong> presents its <a href=”https://whimwhim.org/next-creations/winter-25/”><em>Winter ’25</em></a> performance (Jan. 17 – 25 at Cornish Playhouse), featuring three new pieces by an exciting bill of choreographers.</p>
<p><strong>Cameron Fraser-Monroe</strong>, a member of the Tla’amin First Nation in Canada, combines Indigenous dance forms with contemporary movement, all set to a score by Diné jazz trumpeter <strong>Delbert Anderson</strong>. Also on the roster: works by Chicago-based <strong>Robin Mineko Williams</strong> and by company founder <strong>Olivier Wevers</strong>, who reflects on “water as the source of all life.”</p>
<p>See also: <a href=”https://meanycenter.org/tickets/2025-01/production/les-ballets-trockadero-de-monte-carlo”><em>Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo</em></a> (Jan. 23 – 25 at Meany Center), the popular drag ballet troupe that combines canon spoofs and physical humor with no-joke dance skills. </p>
<strong>Literature</strong>
<p><strong>Percival Everett</strong>, whose 2024 novel <em>James</em> won the National Book Award, visits Seattle for a Seattle Arts and Lectures conversation at Town Hall (Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m.; in-person tickets sold out but live-streaming tickets available).</p>
<p>The witty, insightful and sometimes very funny book reimagines Mark Twain’s <em>Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</em> from the perspective of Huck’s enslaved traveling companion, Jim. <a href=”https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/percival-everett-on-his-novel-retelling-huckleberry-finn-from-jims-point-of-view”>Everett has said</a> Twain’s writing was a big influence on him growing up; in his own book he takes a similar approach to observational humor, blending it with the stark reality of slavery.</p>
<p>See also: Seattle-based author <strong>Jewell Parker Rhodes</strong> visits <a href=”https://www.thirdplacebooks.com/event/jewell-parker-rhodes”>Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park</a> (Jan. 23 at 6 p.m.) to talk about her newest book for youth, <em>Will’s Race for Home</em>. Called “an exciting gallop through history” (Kirkus) with “hauntingly engaging prose” (School Library Journal), the coming-of-age story follows a young Black boy in 1889 Texas who sets out with his father on the historic land rush — harboring high hopes that clash with post-Civil War actualities.</p>
<p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href=”https://www.cascadepbs.org/arts” hreflang=”en”>Arts</a>, <a href=”https://www.cascadepbs.org/artsea” hreflang=”en”>ArtSEA</a>, <a href=”https://www.cascadepbs.org/books” hreflang=”en”>Books</a>, <a href=”https://www.cascadepbs.org/features” hreflang=”en”>Features</a>, <a href=”https://www.cascadepbs.org/music” hreflang=”en”>Music</a>, <a href=”https://www.cascadepbs.org/theater” hreflang=”en”>Theater</a>, <a href=”https://www.cascadepbs.org/things-do” hreflang=”en”>Things to do</a></p>
Source