Seattle Free for All Museum Day

The first Thursday of each month is a free day at many of Seattle's museums. Now on my 6th visit to Seattle, I have seen most of them once. Today's adventure began like this:

Take the 33 bus at 10:03. It turns into the 27 (who knew?) Get off, then onto the 48 bus. Realize after about 5 stops that you are heading in the wrong direction. Oops! Get off the northbound 48 bus, cross the street, and wait for the southbound 48 bus. Arrive at the Northwest African American Museum only a few minutes later than planned. Life is always an adventure!

Always need pictures of big diggers along the route!

And Pier 91

The Northwest African American Museum is housed in a beautiful old neighborhood school building. It is a story of an Italian-American neighborhood turning over time into an African-American neighborhood, the school eventually being closed, and neighborhood leaders fighting for many years to preserve the building and make it a home for this museum.

There was a special exhibit of African American art.

These pictures are from the museum's website as photography was not allowed for this collection. The artwork was an eclectic mix of lithographs, charcoal, water color, wood block prints, and etchings. I would have loved to have pictures of many of them.

There was an exhibit of young artists.

Pandora's Jar, 2016 by Elan Ma, age 15

Untitled, 2016 by Ana Wichman, age 17

And another special exhibit "The Atomic Frontier: Black Life at Hanford" (Eastern Washington) This spoke of the life of African Americans who were recruited from across the country, lured with offers of good wages and housing, to work on part of the Manhattan Project. Even working in integrated factories, their housing and after work activities were segregated and discrimination was the norm. They "worked in secrecy on an undisclosed 'war project.'" It was undisclosed to any of the workers until after the atomic bomb they were working on, "the product," was exploded over Nagasaki. I found the exhibit heartbreaking and angering.

Nagasaki, before and after

I did appreciate this poster in the gift shop:

There was much more, but it was time for lunch and to move along. On the way to my next bus connection, I stumbled across the Seattle Children's Play Garden! What a wonderful surprise after a heavy museum experience.

I met a goose who is known for untying shoelaces.

She was not at all apologetic!

The blackest duck I have ever seen... as black as her shadow!

Fun plant sculptures...

They had already put in plant starts. I saw chard and kale and many others that I don't recognize when they are little.

Then one last stop of free museum day, The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience in the International District. I have been there before, but wanted to check out a new installation on the Khmer American people from Cambodia. Another sad and angering story of how humans have treated humans.

Many Khmer Americans have generational PTSD and depression, and increased rates of diabetes and heart disease from the trauma they and their parents and grandparents have lived through.

Quilt making, a tradition for the Khmer people, is one of the healing modalities being used for people to gather, create, and share their stories.

Buddhism is the most common religion among the Khmer people.

String bracelets were offered to those visiting the museum.

And to offer a little lightness to an otherwise heavy museum content day, I end with the Royal Court Musicians.