Summer at SAM 2025
Summer at Sam: Concert Evenings Photo: Chloe Collyer
Summer at SAM is very much of a reflection of Seattle’s love of packing everything it can into the few sun lit months. As the Manager of Public Engagement for the Olympic Sculpture Park, I plan, oversee, and produce the 5 weeks with 10 programs serving 4500 visitors. On Thursdays the park hosted concerts curated in partnership with Sonic Guild and the Sundays were filled with activity days animated with our museum partnerships culminating in a Fairy Festival. Fairies –playful, queer and protectors of nature. For a couple of years I have been hosting fairy garden parties in Miami as a way to entice my friends out to gardens and parks. Selfishly, I wanted to dress as a fairy and frolic in the Olympic Sculpture park, but I knew I wouldn’t be alone.
Oblé Reed performing with Passenger String Quartet curated by Sonic Guild Photo: Chloe Collyer
This is still my first cycle in the city so the summer was surprising; it is so alive and full of events. Seattle LOVES its music and the audience is so much more attuned to performances than other places I have visited. I can see active listening and attention to genres outside of the audience’s “norms”. It was such a pleasure to work with Sonic Guild, a national non-profit with local chapters that provide music artists with grants to tour and record. Supporting local musicians is such a treat, and I really value the public engagement team at the museum for going above and beyond to provide a meaningful stepping stone for many of their careers. If you are curious in learning more about this years bands– explore sonically here: ZooKraught, Black Ends, Linda from Work, Instant Crush, Midnight High, All Star Opera, Passenger String Quartet, Dark Chisme, Oblé Reed, Akira Galaxy, and Cumulus.
Davis Bashungwa, the OSP 2025 intern Photo: Chloe Collyer
Sundays were framed in a gentler, drop in context. Many of the visitors to the park are either hyper locals walking their dog or visiting before their cruise departs. These days are filled with yoga, music curated by Northwest Folklife, figure drawing, meetups, and art activities. For assistance on such a grand endeavor, SAM graced me with an intern, Davis Bashungwa. What a creative force! Ideas were always flowing around them. Davis was super integral in handing all the teaching artists with our partner The Cutie Foundation. With the challenge of wrangling fairies, he was really patient with all the communication and logistical hiccups. I’m very grateful to have been your mentor Davis. I learned a lot about myself as a mentor and saw a mirror many times to the experiences of my first Miami museum internship.
The Cutie Foundation Trinket Trading post and Sarah Lovett Puppets Photo: Chloe Collyer
FAIRY FEST
On the last day of the summer programming (8/10/25), I was tasked with throwing a culminating fairy festival in the park. The day was HOT by Washington standards but the people came out! I was most surprised by the droves of families that came out to the event. We danced, played with puppets, made art, and explored the park. Big thanks to the many partners who came together to make this day happen: Seattle Aquarium, Seattle LGBTQ+ Center, Peter Ali with NorthWest Folklife, Campbient, Sarah Lovett puppets, Dance Church, DJ Clover, The Cutie Foundation, Comedy Sportz Seattle, Maiah Wynne, and our headliner HANA. It was a dream to work with Hana (Hon-ah). I’m honored to be in a position where I can support an artist whose work I love and that the SAM (Heaven) told me to dream big with my ask. The night was welcomed with hummingbirds dancing over the dance floor. HANA’s set is something I will never forget—an ethereal and energizing sonic blessing for the Olympic Sculpture Park on my first Summer at SAM in Seattle.
HANA performing at the Olympic Sculpture Park for Fairy Festival 8/10/25 Photo: Natali Wiseman
