On the corner of Fifth and Pike stands a white, revival-style building that seems perfectly comfortable being different. Surrounded by tall glass towers, its ornate exterior feels like a small act of rebellion. While everything around it reaches upward in sleek, modern lines, this building holds its ground with a personality entirely its own. There’s something reassuring about that, a reminder that you don’t have to look like everyone around you to belong.
I’d noticed this building years ago, had seen some cool exhibits passing by but somehow never stepped inside. Why? I couldn’t tell you. Then, one summer afternoon, while strolling through downtown Seattle, I spotted a board advertising a free art show. And honestly, who doesn’t love a free art show?
I was in desperate need of inspiration. Not another saved post or something to scroll past, but something that would make me stop and feel curious. With “brain rot” becoming an increasingly familiar part of everyday life, I wanted to give my attention to something that wasn’t competing for it through a screen. Since leaving my UX career behind, I’ve also found myself more drawn to art as a source of creative stimulation. Without a brief to answer or a problem to solve, I’m learning to enjoy looking without needing an outcome.
So I went inside.
First impression about Coliseum of Art
I found was a whole new world, and a much bigger understanding of what art could be. It’s easy to think of art as paintings on canvas, or as something so niche that you need special knowledge to appreciate it.
Here, those assumptions started to fall away.
The Summer of Awe exhibition brought together large-scale installations, video, sculpture, and intimate rooms that offered entirely different experiences. Some works invited you to look. Others asked you to step inside, linger, or listen.
One of my favorites was an installation that felt like listening to plants communicate. Being in that room was surreal. The experience made something I would normally walk past, a plant, feel worthy of my full attention. I found myself listening, wondering, and trying to understand what I was experiencing. Whether or not I could explain it neatly suddenly felt beside the point. It had made me curious. That was enough.
An Old Theater Finds a New Role
The building has its own story of reinvention. Originally opened in 1916, the Coliseum Theater was designed by architect B. Marcus Priteca as an early movie palace. It stopped screening films in 1990 and later became a Banana Republic store.
Its newest chapter is the Coliseum of Art, a program of the Conru Art Foundation. The art space welcomed visitors for its summer 2026 exhibition, with a major show opening on June 26. Part of the foundation’s Summer of Awe initiative, the exhibition featured work by more than forty local artists. Its purpose was refreshingly approachable, bring people together through local art and make room for discovery in the middle of downtown.
Admission was free, participating artists were paid, and proceeds from artwork sales went entirely to the artists, without a foundation commission. That matters. Making art accessible should include both the people experiencing it and the people creating it.
What to Look Forward To
The Coliseum’s programming is seasonal, so don’t assume the summer exhibition is still running. Next up is Winter Lights, planned for November 27, 2026, through February 27, 2027, with daily hours of 2–8 p.m. The exhibition will bring contemporary work into the historic building’s halls, rooms, and windows; the artist lineup and further visitor details are still to be announced.
The summer program also offered guided tours of architectural features usually hidden from view. Future visitors should check the official website for exhibition announcements and any returning tours.
I went in because a sign said “free art show.” I left thinking about plants, creativity, and how many interesting things we pass simply because we’ve never opened the door. That white building had caught my attention for years.
I’m glad I finally let it keep it.
