Shunpike

LAST CHANCE to get tickets for Shunpike’s Silver & Gold Gala! The final day to purchase tickets is this Monday, September 14.

For 25 years, Shunpike has empowered artists through equitable access to vital expertise, opportunities & business services. Join us in celebration & support of Shunpike as we raise a toast to this milestone!

Gather with friends, colleagues, and arts supporters on Friday, September 25 at the National Nordic Museum for food, drinks, socializing, and entertainment by Shunpike artists!

Tickets available at shunpike.org/golden

Get excited for our lineup of performers and guest speakers who will join us at our Silver & Gold Gala | Celebrating 25 Years of Shunpike! The last day to purchase tickets is Monday, September 14. Go to shunpike.org/golden to buy your tickets!

Performers:
🔸 The School of TAIKO and Japan Creative Arts, a traditional drumming ensemble sharing the spirit of Japan across Seattle and beyond since 2009
🔸 HeadSpin Productions featuring the ILLICITZ, a Seattle-based breaking crew built around individuality, creativity, and the culture of breaking
🔸 Arnaldo! Drag Chanteuse, a Seattle-based performer who has been “opening hearts and minds through music one cabaret at time”

Guest Speakers:
🔸 Randy Engstrom, Acting Director of Seattle Center and a passionate advocate and organizer of cultural and community development for over 25 years
🔸 Benjamin Hunter, Artistic Director of NW Folk Life and a Seattle-based polymath, award-winning multi-instrumentalist, composer, creative & culture advocate, social entrepreneur, producer, and educator.

For 25 years, Shunpike has empowered artists through equitable access to vital expertise, opportunities & business services. Join us in celebration & support of Shunpike as we raise a toast to this milestone!

We're excited to welcome Benjamin Hunter and Randy Engstrom as our guest speakers at Shunpike's Silver & Gold Gala! You won't want to miss these two Seattle arts visionaries as they take the stage together.

Act fast! The last day to purchase tickets is Monday, September 14. Go to shunpike.org/golden to buy your tickets!

🔸Benjamin Hunter, a Seattle-based polymath, is an award winning multi-instrumentalist, composer, creative & culture advocate, social entrepreneur, producer, and educator. He is the founder of Community Arts Create (2011-2020), co-founder of the Hillman City Collaboratory (2013-2021), co-founder of Black & Tan Hall (2016-present), and currently serves as the Artistic Director at NW Folklife (2021-present). He served on the Seattle Music Commission from 2017-2021, and co-chairs the Columbia Hillman Arts & Culture District. Benjamin's focus in these arenas is to strengthen and elevate the role of arts & culture in civil society as a tool for social connectivity, economic development, and a cultural awakening that centers arts & culture as a need to have vs a want to have.

🔸Randy Engstrom has been a passionate advocate and organizer of cultural and community development for over 25 years. He joined Seattle Center as Acting Director on March 30, 2026. Previously, he was the owner and principal of Third Way Creative, a collaborative consulting studio specializing in cultural policy, racial equity, and creative economy. He is also an Adjunct Faculty Member at the Seattle University Arts Leadership Program, teaching cultural policy and advocacy, and a regular lecturer at the Evans School of Governance and Public Policy at the University of Washington. From 2012-2021, he served as Director of the Office of Arts and Culture for the City of Seattle, where he expanded their investments in granting programs and Public Art, while establishing new programs and policies in arts education, cultural space affordability, and racial equity.

🎉 ACES is returning this year with art exhibits, live art-making, an art market, workshops, artist talks, and more! ACES will run for 3 days, October 9-11 at WA 1000 in Downtown Seattle and feature the work of more than 50 local artists of color. Stay tuned for the announcement of this year's exhibiting artists, workshops, speakers, and vendors!

ACES is free and open to the public; all are welcome to attend. Register at shunpike.org/ACES

What can you expect at ACES this year?

🎨 ART EXHIBITION ▶ Experience a showcase of visual work by BIPOC artists. The exhibit offers a platform for both emerging and established artists to share their vision in a public space and spark conversation.

🎨 THE CYPHER ▶ Watch three rounds of live art-making under a shared theme, where artists draw inspiration from one another and create a cross-medium dialogue.

🎨 ARTIST TALKS & CREATIVE WORKSHOPS ▶ Learn directly from local artists and creatives with fascinating live talks, presentations, workshops and more happening throughout a three-day event.

🎨 ART MARKET ▶ Shop for original artwork, handmade pieces, and gifts made by local creatives in the ACES market.

🎨 CULTURAL ARTS PARTNER TABLING ▶ Community organization tables highlighting nonprofit, advocacy, mutual aid, and educational initiatives.

🎨 LIVE PODCASTING ▶ Watch live podcast conversations with artists, hosted by Milli Agency.

🎨 FILM SCREENINGS ▶ Short film screenings and talks by Scope Screenings.

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✨ ACES 2026
📅 Friday, October 9 - Sunday, October 11, 2026
📍WA 1000, 1000 Olive Way, Downtown Seattle

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ACES // Artists of Color Expo & Symposium is a BIPOC-led program produced by Shunpike that creates space for BIPOC artists to be bold and create through experimentation and community intention.

We are looking for volunteers to help with Shunpike's Silver & Gold Gala on Friday, September 25 at the National Nordic Museum!

Learn more & sign up here: https://bit.ly/45WrMoC

Volunteers will work alongside staff to provide support in a variety of areas throughout the event. In return, volunteers will be able to view most of our event program, be served a volunteer meal, and may participate in the silent auction and raffle. Plus, all volunteers will receive a free Shunpike 25th Anniversary t-shirt!

We look forward to working with you!

Join us for a panel discussion at Scenius this Monday, August 24 from 5:30-8:30 pm. We’re joined by local media experts to discuss the current state of arts & culture media coverage in the wake of the World Cup.

Check out our panel of experts:

🔸Takiyah “TDUB” Ward is a Seattle-born multidisciplinary with a passion for creative problem-solving. From custom sneakers and clothing through TDUB Customs, murals and art activations through the Vivid Matter Collective, and media and storytelling through Art Of The Matter, Ward has become a fixture in Seattle's arts and culture scene.

🔸Amanda Manitach is a staff writer at The Stranger, with a focus on art. She is a Seattle-based artist and writer whose work explores the power and plasticity of language through large-scale drawings, installations, and text-based works across mediums. Blurring the boundaries between word and image, her practice channels desire, endurance, and resistance in intricate, hand-rendered compositions. She has exhibited widely across the Pacific Northwest.

🔸Jennifer Dahl is the News Director at KIRO 7, bringing over 30 years of experience in media and marketing. She has overseen 42 TV newsrooms, managed media buying for 20 TV stations, and led CMS and HD technology transitions across multiple markets, consistently driving ratings, revenue, and brand growth.

And moderator:

🔸Marcus Harrison Green () is a storyteller and advocate reshaping narratives about Black and brown communities. Founder of the South Seattle Emerald, publisher of Hinton Publishing, and podcaster with the In The Meanwhile podcast, he left finance to center overlooked voices. An award-winning journalist, he challenges dominant narratives with work rooted in justice, nuance, and the full humanity of his community.

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🔸 Scenius Social: On the Record
📅 Monday, August 24, 5:30-8:30 PM
📍 Washington 1000, Downtown Seattle
🔗 RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/scenius-social-on-the-record-tickets-1994093457210?aff=oddtdtcreator

Scenius is produced by Shunpike, created in partnership with Future Arts and Third Way Creative. This event series is supported by Allen Family Philanthropies.

We are thrilled to welcome more than 24 new artists to our Storefronts & Artist Residencies Program! Join us for a Grand Opening Celebration on Friday, August 28 from 5-8 pm during Downtown Art Walk. Explore four downtown locations, discover fresh window installations, meet the artists behind the work, and celebrate the newest wave of creativity in downtown Seattle.

🔗 RSVP: https://bit.ly/3TTEotU

📆 Friday, August 28, 5-8pm
📍 Downtown Residency Locations:
🔹 380 Union St
🔹 1401 4th Ave
🔹 1405 4th Ave
🔹 1501 5th Ave

🎨 Incoming Artists:
1971, AMAI, Aya Borucki, Victor Melendez, Carina Del Rosario, Carlos Martínez, Chloè Morris, Abby McDougal, Gabriela Garcia Greco, Gina Ariko, Ian Shearer Studio, Jo Cosme, Kelly Haejung Paik, Lalitha Art Studio, Nicole Nora Art, Niki Keenan, Ning Wan, Pazuzu, Sapar Art Studio, Shivani Bhalla, Stephanie M. Silva Santana/ Fani, Tiana Monēt, Wemoonwalkerz | Damiano Austin, Yolanda Galery Art