Seattle Art Museum features world-class exhibits and though-provoking visual arts. The museum includes three major facilities in the city:
- Seattle Art Museum (SAM) in downtown Seattle
- Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM) in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill
- Olympic Sculpture Park on the Seattle waterfront
Each of these locations is described in detail below.
Seattle Art Museum fronted by Hammering Man sculpture – DepositPhotos.com
History of the Seattle Art Museum
Listed below are some of the highlights of SAM’s history that established each of its locations and its reputation as a world-class art institution.
The parent institution for SAM, the Seattle Fine Art Society, dates back to 1906. The society staged exhibitions at various venues around the city. In 1929, it was renamed the Art Institute of Seattle as it continued to search for a permanent facility. From 1931-1933, a $250,000 donation provided for the construction of a new building located in Capitol Hill’s Volunteer Park–today, the site of the Seattle Asian Art Museum.
In June 1933, Seattle Art Museum opened its doors to the public at the Art Deco building in Volunteer Park. Over the next few decades, the museum continued to expand its collections in European and Asian arts, establishing itself as an important institution for international art.
When the 1962 World’s Fair was hosted by Seattle, the event established the city as a modern arts hub and allowed for further expansion and more diverse displays of art at SAM that continued through the 1970s. In particular, the 1978 exhibit the “Treasures of Tutankhamun” at the Seattle Center Flag Pavilion expanded the museum’s profile. The “Tut” exhibition’s popularity and financial success fueled plans for a permanent downtown facility.
In 1981, the SAM collection expands again with an unexpected gift of African art in an extraordinary combination of private philanthropy and corporate support.
In 1991, several significant events continue to expand the museum’s profile. SAM receives a donated collection of Northwest Native art, the Volunteer Park building closes for renovations, the new SAM location opens in downtown Seattle–fronted by Jonathan Borofsky’s 48-foot-tall Hammering Man, and the Seattle Asian Art Museum is formed in the former SAM location.
In 1994, the Volunteer Park location is rededicated as the Seattle Asian Art Museum. The new space allowed many more of the approximately its collection of Asian art objects to go on display. Today, SAAM is one of only a few art museums in the country, and the only in the Pacific Northwest that highlights art from throughout Asia.
In 2007, Olympic Sculpture Park opened. The waterfront park featuring massive sculptures has become a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. Located about one mile north of SAM, the unique outdoor park sits on nine acres long the Seattle waterfront. It is Seattle’s largest green space, highlighted by these stunning works of modern and contemporary art. Visitors to the park enjoy sweeping views of the Puget Sound as well as views of the city. Sculptures are occasionally rotated out and/or undergo maintenance to preserve them from the effects of being outdoors and exposure to saltwater from the Puget Sound.
In 2020, SAAM at Volunteer Park reopened following an extensive renovation.
Read on for more information about visiting each of the SAM locations.
Visiting Seattle Art Museum
Located one block from Pike Place Market, SAM presents a rotating roster of exhibitions throughout the year, as well as installations of art from SAM’s global collection or loaned works.
Location: 1300 First Ave, Seattle, WA 98101. The museum is easily accessed via King County Metro bus service from stops along 3rd Avenue at University or Seneca.
Parking is available in the Russell Investment Center garage or the 3rd and Stewart garage. Make sure to ask for a voucher for a discounted rate from the art museum.
Hours: Fri-Sun, 10AM – 5PM. Closed Monday-Thursday. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Regular admission: $29.99/adult. Children 14 and younger are FREE.
Free and discount admission to Seattle Art Museum
- FREE admission to everyone 1st Thursday of every month. Tickets available onsite or online.
- FREE admission for members at all locations, plus other benefits. Pays for itself in 3-5 museum visits.
- FREE admission with a Seattle Public Library Museum Pass (spl.org) or King County Library Museum Pass (kcls.org).
- DISCOUNT admission when you purchase advance tickets online. Prices increase day of visit online or at the entrance.
- DISCOUNT admission for seniors every 1st Friday.
- DISCOUNT admission via the Museums For All program.
- DISCOUNT admission for other select groups (such as Gold Card/Ageless Seattle, caregivers with care recipient, PCC Markets members, Teen Tix, Bank of America, AAM and ICOM).
- Discount admission with CityPASS Seattle ticket package.
Website: Seattle Art Museum
Visiting Seattle Asian Art Museum
The 1933 Art Deco building in Volunteer Park is SAM’s original home. Today it is the location of SAM’s extensive Asian art collection. Through exhibits and events, visitors can experience diverse perspectives on Asia’s many cultural traditions and contemporary issues.
Location: 1400 East Prospect St, Seattle, WA 98112.
Parking: FREE parking in Volunteer Park. Easy access from public transit.
Hours: Thurs-Sun, 10AM – 5PM. Closed Monday-Wednesday. Closed Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.
Regular Admission: $17.99/adult (suggested)
- Suggested admission means visitors may pay what they wish for entry. Available onsite only. Excludes entry to special exhibitions.
Free and discount admission to Seattle Asian Art Museum
- Admission is FREE to everyone on the first Thursday of each month at Seattle Asian Art Museum. Tickets available both onsite and online. Please note: last Fridays are no longer free at the Seattle Asian Art Museum.
- FREE admission for members at all locations, plus other benefits. Pays for itself in 3-5 museum visits.
- FREE admission with a Seattle Public Library Museum Pass (spl.org) or King County Library Museum Pass (kcls.org).
- DISCOUNT when you purchase advance tickets online. Prices increases day of visit online or at the entrance.
- DISCOUNT admission via the Museums For All program.
- DISCOUNT admission for other select groups (such as Gold Card/Ageless Seattle, caregivers with care recipient, PCC Markets members, Teen Tix, Bank of America, AAM and ICOM).
- Discount admission with CityPASS Seattle ticket package.
Website: Seattle Asian Art Museum
Olympic Sculpture Park “Eagle” and Space Needle in the background via DepositPhotos.com
Visiting Olympic Sculpture Park
Covered in monumental artworks, the award-winning Olympic Sculpture Park stretches along the Puget Sound waterfront and is the city’s largest downtown green space at nine-acres.
Location: 2901 Western Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
Parking: paid parking available in the PACCAR Pavilion garage or street parking. Bike parking available as well.
Hours: Open 365 days a year 30 minutes before sunrise and closes 30 minutes after sunset.
Admission: Admission is always FREE.
Website: Olympic Sculpture Park
But wait, there’s more!
- Ultimate guide to museums in the Seattle-Tacoma metro area
- 93 Free attractions around the Puget Sound region
- Best retailers for gifts, party supplies, holiday decor
- Find free and cheap things to do every day on the Greater Seattle on the Cheap calendar.
- Visit the Greater Seattle on the Cheap home page and choose from a menu of free and cheap activities in the Puget Sound region.
Love our cheap ideas? Get our FREE email newsletters. Choose from daily, weekly, and monthly lists. Click here to subscribe.
Calendar of museum and art gallery events
The following calendar list includes events at museums and art galleries around the Puget Sound region.
