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Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

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878 results for: Performing Arts

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Image of Nirvana performing during MTV taping at Pier 48, Seattle, December 13, 1993
Photograph

Nirvana performing during MTV taping at Pier 48, Seattle, December 13, 1993

In December 1993, the cable channel MTV recorded its “Live and Loud” concert special in Seattle. To be aired on New Year’s Eve, the concert was originally set to feature both Pearl Jam and Nirvana, but Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam's vocalist) had come down with the flu and had to cancel. After sets by the Breeders and Cypress Hill, Nirvana…
ID Number:2000.107.132.29.02
Date:1993
Image of Kurt Cobain performing at Seattle Center Arena, January 7, 1994
Photograph

Kurt Cobain performing at Seattle Center Arena, January 7, 1994

Nirvana had their beginnings in the Seattle grunge scene, and widely popularized alternative rock. Members Kurt Cobain (1967-1994) and Krist Novoselic (b. 1965) were from Aberdeen, Washington.Nirvana performed at the Seattle Center Arena on January 7-8, 1994, the last stop on their fall tour. Band members celebrated the end of the tour by trashing their instruments as well as the…
ID Number:2000.107.132.29.03
Date:1994
Image of Shirley Parker performing at Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center, Seattle, December 20, 1982
Photograph

Shirley Parker performing at Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center, Seattle, December 20, 1982

In 1969, the City of Seattle used federal Model Cities funds to purchase a building for use as a community center, the Chevra Bikur Cholim Synagogue, which was designed in 1915 by B. Marcus Priteca (1889-1971) and located at 104 17th Avenue South in the Central District neighborhood. In 1971 the building became the home of what is now known…
ID Number:2000.107.138.12.01
Date:1982
Image of Won Ldy Paye with students at McGilvra Elementary School, February 19, 1988
Photograph

Won Ldy Paye with students at McGilvra Elementary School, February 19, 1988

Won-Ldy Paye is a storyteller, dancer, drummer, and artist from Tapita, Liberia. He was trained by his grandmother to remember and retell the stories of the Dan people of northeastern Liberia, and is a member of the Tlo Ker Mehn, the class of professional Dan entertainers who are keepers of the oral tradition. Paye immigrated to the US in 1990…
ID Number:2000.107.139.04.01
Date:1988
Image of Won Ldy Paye teaching African music to fourth grade students, Seattle, February 19, 1988
Photograph

Won Ldy Paye teaching African music to fourth grade students, Seattle, February 19, 1988

Won-Ldy Paye is a storyteller, dancer, drummer, and artist from Tapita, Liberia. He was trained by his grandmother to remember and retell the stories of the Dan people of northeastern Liberia, and is a member of the Tlo Ker Mehn, the class of professional Dan entertainers who are keepers of the oral tradition. Paye immigrated to the US in 1990…
ID Number:2000.107.139.04.02
Date:1988
Image of Mary Ann Peters painting mural in Port of Seattle building, February 14, 1993
Photograph

Mary Ann Peters painting mural in Port of Seattle building, February 14, 1993

Mary Ann Peters is a Seattle artist whose work has been exhibited extensively across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. She has received the Stranger Genius Award in Visual Art, the Pollock Krasner Fellowship, and the Civita Institute Fellowship. Peters also received the Neddy Artist Award for visual artists in Washington State in 2000. Peters is a founder of the Center…
ID Number:2000.107.140.14.01
Date:1993
Image of Black Arts/West actors rehearsing
Photograph

Black Arts/West actors rehearsing "The River Niger," Seattle, June 4, 1974

Black Arts/West was Seattle’s first black theatre and functioned as a three component program: theatre, dance, and an art gallery displaying the work of local and national artists. Founded by Douglas Q. Barnett (1931-) in 1969, Black Arts/West evolved out of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and was charged with getting young people involved and learning the necessary…
ID Number:2000.107.142.33.01
Date:1974
Image of Tom Robbins and Karl Krogstad, Seattle, June 27, 1985
Photograph

Tom Robbins and Karl Krogstad, Seattle, June 27, 1985

Author Tom Robbins (1932-2025) was known for his novels, articles, essays, and support for progressive causes. Here, Robbins consults with Seattle filmmaker Karl Krogstad on the set of a video they were working on for the MTV cable channel. Caption information derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.
ID Number:2000.107.153.38.07
Date:1985
Image of Laila Peterson with mandolin at Syttende Mai, Seattle, May 17, 1988
Photograph

Laila Peterson with mandolin at Syttende Mai, Seattle, May 17, 1988

Norwegian Constitution Day, or Syttende Mai, is the national day of Norway and is an official public holiday observed on May 17 each year. The holiday has been celebrated in Ballard, Seattle's traditionally predominantly Scandinavian neighborhood, since the late nineteenth century with a parade that nowadays regularly draws thousands of spectators.In this image Laila Peterson, wearing a traditional Norwegian costume,…
ID Number:2000.107.165.08.01
Date:1988
Image of Seattle Banjo Band, June 21, 1976
Photograph

Seattle Banjo Band, June 21, 1976

As part of King County's 1976 Bicentennial celebrations, the Seattle Banjo Band gave six free summer performances at King County parks. These were sponsored by the King County Parks Division and the King County Arts Commission. Here, the Seattle Banjo Band poses for its publicity shot on a Seattle beach. The band's 1976 performances included sing-a-longs, Charleston dancers, and a…
ID Number:2000.107.165.10.01
Date:1976
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