Our music critics have already chosen the 32 best music shows this week, but now it's our arts critics' turn to pick the best events in their areas of expertise. Here are their picks in every genre—from the closing of Summer Dreams: Works by Electric Coffin, Peter Gronquist, Neon Saltwater, and Jennifer Zwick to the Little Saigon Festi-Roll, and from the "spectacle opera" Nomadic Tempest: A Climatopian Spectacle to Jim Woodring Presents 'Poochytown.' See them all below, and find even more events on our complete Things To Do calendar.

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MONDAY

READINGS & TALKS

Patricia Hampl: The Art of the Wasted Day
No one knows how to waste a day better than a writer. But don’t take my word for it, take it from Patricia Hampl, one of the best time-slayers in the business. Over at NPR, Maureen Corrigan calls Hampl’s new book, The Art of the Wasted Day, “a swirl of memoir, travelogue, and biography of some of history’s champion daydreamers,” one that makes the case “for the profound value of letting the mind wander.” In one chapter, Hampl recounts the story of “two celebrated eighteenth-century Irish ladies who ran off to live a life of ‘retirement’ in rural Wales.” I’ve never been more on board with an idea in my life. Like all the best nonfiction books, this one’s a secret perdu de temps. Hampl is remembering her late husband while trying not to remember her late husband in these pages, threading her humorous and thoughtful treatise with a thin wire of grief. RICH SMITH

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY

ART

Summer Dreams: Works by Electric Coffin, Peter Gronquist, Neon Saltwater, and Jennifer Zwick
Visitors to last year's Out of Sight are sure to remember the work of Neon Saltwater, a Seattle artist whose luminescent, color-saturated interior spaces recall vintage motels, retro-futuristic mall food courts, and the architectural strangeness of dreams. For this summer extravaganza, curated by artist and writer Amanda Manitach, Neon Saltwater will be doing her thing alongside high-concept Seattle design team Electric Coffin, Portland sculptor/painter/taxidermist Peter Gronquist, and Seattle photographer and installation artist Jennifer Zwick. Each of these four artists/groups will transform a separate corner of the gallery into a vibrant, immersive experience that must be seen in person to be appreciated. EMILY POTHAST
Closing Wednesday

MONDAY-SUNDAY

FILM

Sound and Vision Film Fest
For the first time, Cinerama will focus on the harmony of sight and sound, with excellently soundtracked movies like Mulholland Drive, Total Recall, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Purple Rain, and Stop Making Sense.

TUESDAY-THURSDAY

COMEDY

Ellen DeGeneres
Best-selling author, Emmy Award–winning daytime television host, noted vegan, and the only remaining lesbian in America, Ellen DeGeneres is returning to stand-up comedy after a 15-year hiatus. Her two appearances at Benaroya Hall will be filmed for a forthcoming Netflix stand-up special, so here’s your chance not just to see Ellen live, but to see her alone, without a Bieber or a Timberlake or some other lesser star clogging up the stage with her. Of course, the show sold out in seconds, so you might have to con, fuck, or mug a lucky ticket-holder to get in. No matter—that’s a small price to pay to see this legend in person. KATIE HERZOG

TUESDAY-SATURDAY

ART

Kerry Tribe: Standardized Patient
My introduction to the weird world of medical gigs was as a participant in the National Health Interview Survey when I was 18 years old. Fascinated by playing a small role in medical research, I’ve participated in several other research studies since. Video and installation artist Kerry Tribe found her way to the standardized patient—an actor who acts out symptoms for trainee doctors—via a similarly circuitous path. “One project about a famous amnesiac patient and another about people with aphasia led me to think about some big questions around the way subjectivity is embodied and communicated,” Tribe told me. In this exhibition originally commissioned by SF MoMA, videos and scripts show the interaction that—while clinical—demonstrates the humanity necessary in doctor/patient interactions. KATIE KURTZ
Closing Saturday

PERFORMANCE

Nomadic Tempest: A Climatopian Spectacle
Nomadic Tempest is set in the near future (2040) and tells the tale of four monarch butterflies from disparate corners of the world who've been displaced by climate change and are seeking a new home. The story is presented on the Amara Zee, a tall ship that's a replica of a Thames River sailing barge, and told through graphics and animations projected onto a huge screen, and also by performers on two stages—the deck and trusses. The 20 cast members are also the crew of the ship in between the cities they visit. Everyone operates on a level playing field when it comes to pay—no one makes more money than anyone else, no matter what they do or how long they've been with Caravan. Director Paul Kirby has dubbed Caravan's unique style of theater—entertaining but also resonant and emotionally strong and delivered via a musical vehicle—"spectacle opera." LEILANI POLK

WEDNESDAY

READINGS & TALKS

Amy Bhatt: High-Tech Housewives
In order to work at maximum proficiency at your demanding tech job for 13 hours per day, you need to have your house in order. Food must be cooked, dishes must be done, children must be cared for, miles must be run, etc., all so you can adequately reproduce your beautiful shining body for work the next day. Though companies expect you to do all the work required to be a functioning and healthy person, they don’t pay you for that work. And yet, without it, they would crumble. In her new ethnography of Indian IT migrants, Amy Bhatt, associate professor of gender and women’s studies at the University of Maryland, highlights this unpaid and unacknowledged domestic work undergirding the transnational tech world. Bhatt also shows how—surprise, surprise—a lot of the women providing this unpaid labor are just as qualified to work in professional fields as their husbands. RICH SMITH

Paulette Perhach: Welcome to the Writer's Life
Former Made at Hugo House resident and Stranger contributor Paulette Perhach offers a book that's "like freshman orientation for writers," published at Seattle's own wonderful Sasquatch Books. Learn all about the business of writing from an author with a funny, relatable voice.

WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY

PERFORMANCE

Porgy and Bess
The setting: Charleston, South Carolina. The time: long ago. The story: Porgy is a beggar ("I Got Plenty o' Nuttin"); Bess is a loose woman ("Bess, O Where's My Bess?"). The two are part of a love triangle completed by Crown, a rough and manly longshoreman. Early in the opera, a craps game happens. But the pleasures of gambling do not last long. A fight erupts. Crown kills another man, Robbins. Crown flees before the police arrive. Bess, who is hated by the other women of the ghetto, moves in with the only man, Porgy, who will offer her protection from the law. Porgy falls in love with her; Bess fails to fall totally in love with him. The opera has a sad ending. But the George Gershwin opera provided jazz with two giant standards: "Summertime" and "I Loves You, Porgy." It's also considered by many as the United States' only legitimate contribution to the opera canon. CHARLES MUDEDE

WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY

PERFORMANCE

Femme Fatale
A Prom Queen and Can Can collab!? Yes, please! The Can Can culinary cabaret, which serves up some of the best butts and beignets in town, is partnering with rising music star Prom Queen for their summer show, and it's a safe bet that it will be a hit. That said, the team could have chosen a better subject than Mata Hari, who catapulted to fame using an outsider's vision of Indonesia. Hopefully their adaptation will avoid Hari's pitfalls by doing more than just simply reproducing the Dutch dancer's problematic early-20th-century Orientalist style. Otherwise, this will be a spectacular shitshow. CHASE BURNS

THURSDAY

ART

The Hideout Bathroom Selfie Contest
Between July 3rd and August 13th, patrons of the Hideout snapped selfies in the bar's esoterically decorated bathroom. On this evening, a panel of judges will allot whopping prizes to the very best photos: $250 and $100 gift certificates. The incredible jury will be made up of Megumi Shauna Arai, The Stranger's own Charles Mudede, Hayley Young, Steven Miller and Charles Peterson, so make sure you're up to their high standards and join them for the awards ceremony and party.

Summer at SAM
These Thursday and Saturday events offer a range of family-friendly arts programming throughout the park, including yoga and Zumba on Saturdays, tours, shows, workshops, food trucks, and more. Don't miss a funk performance from Khu.Ă©ex’ at tonight's closing celebration.

COMEDY

Laugh Back: A Comedy Show to Benefit the NWDC Resistance
A terrific lineup for an urgent cause: Clara Pluton will host a show with the endearing grump El Sanchez as headliner, plus excellent local comics Adi Naidu, Abraham Tadesse, Dewa Dorje, and Mohanad Elshieky, with proceeds going to help protesters at the Northwest Detention Center, where migrants and asylum-seekers are being held.

READINGS & TALKS

Makers of the Now: Natalie Ball
In her text-based art, Natalie Ball advocates for moving the term "Indian" outside of governing discourses, "complicating an easily affirmed and consumed narrative and identity." Tonight, as part of the Makers of the Now: Contemporary Native American and First Nations Artists Lecture Series, she'll discuss how her work offers a visual genealogy that challenges colonial representations of Native American life and culture.

Next Exit: An Evening of Indigenous Music and Poetry
Indigenous punk rock meets indigenous poetry meets indigenous visual art at the opening of Demian DinĂ©Yazhi’s Brink Award exhibition. WEEDRAT will melt your face off with pure power, the NizhĂłnĂ­ Girls’ sludgy surf rock will give you a chance to put your face back on, but then Black Belt Eagle Scout will melt your face off again, this time with your own tears. (Her new album comes out in September on Saddle Creek.) In between sets, you’ll hear some quality poems from Sasha LaPointe, Sara Marie Ortiz, and DinĂ©Yazhi’. This is a dream-team lineup, and you’d be an idiot to miss it. RICH SMITH

THURSDAY-SATURDAY

PERFORMANCE

14/48 Projects + Cafe Nordo: Food Theater Thunderdome
Four playwrights and chefs with a randomly chosen cast and director create a paired play and four-course dinner with a randomly chosen secret ingredient in this collaboration with the 14/48 Projects. They only have five days to come up with the whole thing.

Alma (or #nowall)
Benjamin Benne's Alma (or #nowall) follows a Mexican immigrant who has been living in the U.S. for 18 years after fleeing her country for a better life for herself and her daughter. The play takes place in December of 2016, a month before Trump's inauguration, and Alma fears for her citizenship prospects and her daughter's safety.

THURSDAY-SUNDAY

FOOD & DRINK

Li'l Woody's Dessert Month
Seattle is host to a wealth of bakers and ice cream makers. For the month of August, local burger joint Li'l Woody's is teaming up with some of the city's favorite up-and-coming sweets suppliers to provide a new special every weekend, or until they sell out. This week, don't miss the red bean-filled taiyaki with matcha and black sesame ice cream from Matcha Man.

PERFORMANCE

The Who's Tommy
If you can see only one rock opera, you should probably make it The Who’s Tommy. Seriously, who can’t relate to a deaf and blind pinball wizard? Overcoming physical and mental hardships to succeed at an adolescent game requiring extraordinary hand-eye coordination is
 a recipe for euphoria. Actually, Who mastermind Pete Townshend used this absurd premise to explore spiritual enlightenment; it was 1969, after all. Helping significantly to achieve that state is the music, which represents some of Townshend’s most melodically and lyrically ambitious work—expansive, psychedelic rock with hooks to die and cry for. Director Phil Lacey and music director Brandon Peck promise to upgrade Tommy for 21st-century sensibilities. DAVE SEGAL

FRIDAY

ART

SAM Remix
SAM Remix is a recurring and ever-changing art party that includes performances, tours, and dancing, all inspired by their current special exhibit. Now it's turning 10! Invited artists and performers include terrific locals like Julie Alpert and Andy Arkley, Wayne Bund, Romson Bustillo and Tariqa Waters, Celeste Cooning, Colleen Echohawk, Adria Garcia, and others.

FESTIVALS

MĂ©xico en el CorazĂłn
Celebrate the exciting art and culture of our southern neighbor at this free show, which will kick off the MEXAM NW festival.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

FOOD & DRINK

SILVA - The Story of Washington
At this pop-up named after the Latin word meaning "forest," chef Eric Rivera will tell the story of Washington with an evolving 12-15 course tasting menu that will teach guests about the "people, ingredients, and preparations from across Washington."

SATURDAY

ART

Jim Woodring Presents 'Poochytown'
Follow naive bipedal rodent (?) Frank to the very end of the Unifactor as Pupshaw and Pushpaw savor the hedonistic delights of Poochytown. If that sentence holds no meaning for you, congratulations: You are experiencing the delirium of a Jim Woodring graphic novel for the first time. Woodring is a local genius who inks morphing cartoon dreamscapes and characters in stories unconstrained by words or traditional story lines. Poochytown is the latest installment in the adventures of Frank, whom Woodring introduced back in the 1990s in an eponymous Fantagraphics-issued series. If you saw his exhibition The Pig Went Down to the Harbor at Sunset and Wept at the Frye last year, you know how the Boschian bloom of his ink manifolds can lead your senses into a tripped-out daze. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Woodring discuss his latest tome with cartoonist Simon Hanselmann. JOULE ZELMAN

The Veil
The curatorial debut of photographer and poet Sequoia Day O'Connell, The Veil is structured around the idea of membranes—the thin, often permeable barrier that divides inside and outside, reality and perception, being and nonbeing. Featured artists include Ko Kirk Yamahira, whose dissected canvas constructions were recently exhibited at the Frye; Markel Uriu, whose delicate sculptures incorporate plant and animal materials; and Taylor Hanigosky, who makes pensive, pendulous installations from found rocks and gravity. Alongside these locals is the work of Charlie Crowell, a Brooklyn artist whose multimedia works skirt the edges of ephemerality, vulnerability, and connection. EMILY POTHAST
Closing Saturday

FOOD & DRINK

Belltown Crush
Belltown’s fifth annual block party includes representation from more than 20 local wineries, breweries, and cideries. Street food includes eclectic nosh from the beloved and recently revived bar Babirusa, Spanish tapas from Pintxo, Mexican food from Mama’s Cantina, and pub grub from Belltown Brewing. Plus, take in live music, watch live chalk art by artist Raziah Roushan, and literally crush the competition in a grape-stomping contest. Proceeds benefit Plymouth Housing, which provides housing and support for people experiencing homelessness. JULIANNE BELL

READINGS & TALKS

'Best American Experimental Writing' Reading
Poets Sarah Dowling and Nicole McCarthy join Stranger Genius Award finalist Don Mee Choi in this reading from the Best American Experimental Writing anthology, aka BAX. The last time I saw Choi read poetry, she projected gorgeous photos taken by her father and incorporated a bass guitar and drum. There’s a pretty high chance that this reading will get weird in all the best ways. RICH SMITH

Seattle Urban Book Expo
The Seattle Urban Book Expo, aka the "Black and Brown Literary Get-Down," is an opportunity for local urban authors to gather and to present their work to the community. Stop by to eat food, listen to some tunes, and chat with the writers about their work.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

PERFORMANCE

Wars Outdoors: A New Hope in the Park
Inclusive casting and very primitive special effects are two of the charms of this outdoor theater series. They've been putting on Outdoor [Star] Trek for some time, but this time they're switching to the universe of George Lucas.

SUNDAY

FOOD & DRINK

Little Saigon Festi-Roll
Each year, the Little Saigon community festival—which celebrates American Vietnamese street food, culture, and entertainment—pays tribute to a different Vietnamese specialty; past festivals have honored banh mi or cafĂ© sữa đá (Vietnamese iced coffee). This year, revel in rice-paper-wrapped goodness as they salute the spring roll. Food offerings will include a Cajun Vietnamese seafood boil from Crawfish King; pho from the esteemed Pho Bac; authentic Hawaiian pokĂ© from goPokĂ©; macarons in flavors like guava, lychee, and durian from Macadons; and more. Plus, there’ll be a bia (Vietnamese beer) garden courtesy of Sugar Hill, live performances, activities and games for kids, and a market with local vendors like Moksha and Trichome. And should you want to put your pho-slurping and spring-roll-shoveling abilities to the test, you can enroll in contests to do just that. JULIANNE BELL

READINGS & TALKS

Surreal Storytelling with Strange Women
Short-fiction writer, zine maker, and literary organizer Kate Berwanger heads up this evening of surreal storytelling along with some other multidisciplinary luminaries. Expect some spare, heartbreaking fragments from Meredith Clark; some sincere investigations into psychic transmissions from REDEFINE Magazine editor-in-chief Vivian Hua (èŻć©·ć©·); and some next-level black-magic poem-stories from Seattle civic poet Anastacia-ReneĂ©. RICH SMITH