Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University

A Soft Place to Land by Cristina Martinez, 2026

70' × 150'

The reclining figure is one of the oldest poses in painting, and for centuries it was arranged for someone else to look at. Martinez gives it back to its subject. Hers is a woman simply being, fully and unapologetically occupying her space, the flowers growing around her as though she belongs to that earth as much as they do. She has always been there and nobody can move her. A quiet kind of radical act, in the artist's words.

Martinez is a 2026 Neddy Artist Award finalist in Painting, and this work arrives in the Neddy's 30th year. After three decades of investing in Seattle artists through studio practice and exhibition, the program is expanding into public art, carrying that recognition out of the gallery and onto the walls of the city. A Soft Place to Land is the first work of that expansion, and a statement of what it can mean: a Neddy artist given scale and permanence.

The mural anchors the Occidental Promenade project, a permanent work at 1016 Ist Ave S funded through Seattle's 2024 Transportation Levy. Its composition is built for the corridor. The figure leans out toward the street, meeting people where they walk and drawing the eye southward, a soft invitation that carries from the heart of Pioneer Square down toward the stadiums.

It is the largest permanent commissioned mural in Pioneer Square's history.

Artist: Cristina Martinez
Assisted by: WISEKNAVE, Cho Yoonmi, Rabi Towing
Curated by: ARTXIV
Produced by: Forest For The Trees
Documented by: Brock Scott
Supported by: Pioneer Square Seattle, Seattle Parks Foundation, Seattle Department of Transportation, and Neddy Artist Awards
Special thanks to: Anahí Bendeck-Narver, Beth Purcell

We're proud to announce that Cornish Film Faculty Britta Johnson and her film Late Shift were selected for the 2026 Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF).

The film was written, directed, and edited by Britta Johnson, with cinematography by Benjamin Kasulke and music from Lori Goldston. It was made in Seattle with support from the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture.

Starring Alycia Delmore and Anteia DeLaney, Musical Theater, '23, the film's world premier was at SIFF on May 13, 2026.

Learn more about the film below!
Cornish College of the Arts - Theater Department

Highlights of Spring 2026: Theater

1-2. Gypsy
3. Afternoons working in the costume shop
4-5. Mother Courage and Her Children
6. Land acknowledgement by Xavier Brown, Musical Theater, ‘26
7-8. New Works Festival
9. Student speaker Darby O’Neil, Acting & Original Works, ‘26
10. Barbara Pitts McAdams’ theatre talk back with Rich Gray

& so many more! Cornish College of the Arts - Theater Department

Three art exhibitions open this week on the Cornish campus featuring work by staff, faculty, alum and the 2026 Neddy Artist Award finalists!

Smallish: Seattle & {work of fiction}
On view June 3-July 24. 2026
9th Ave Gallery
Opening: June 3, 5-7pm

Agents of Change by Neddy Artist Awards finalists
On view June 3-September 12, 2026
The Behnke Family Gallery
Opening: June 3, 6-9pm

Escape the rain this week and pop over to South Lake Union for a dose of art. 🖼️

"Okay, now let's take a silly one!" 📸

Commencement snapshots with 321 FOTO X Photo Booths

What does meaningful support for artists look like right now?

For 30 years, the Neddy Artist Award has invested in artists whose work pushes boundaries and sparks deeper conversations around art, community and lived experience.

We recently spoke with the 2026 Neddy recipients, Jo Cosme (open medium) and Sangram Majumdar (painting), whose work explores displacement, perception and the systems that shape how we see each other.

Read more about their work and the impact of sustained arts funding below!

Cornish alums Joe Shlichta and Matt Sellars met on campus in the early 90s. Now, in 2026, they're joining creative forces for an exhibition at Traver Gallery that brings together painting and sculptural carving.

Though working in distinct media, both artists engage with light as an active, elusive force—one that shapes experience while resisting capture.

Now on view through May 30, 2026! Learn more below.

Today, the first alumni class of Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University crossed the commencement stage. 🎓

During the ceremony, alum and Honorary Degree Recipient Reggie Watts reflected on his time on campus in the 1990s, sharing, “I wouldn’t be who I am today without Cornish.”

We wouldn't be the same without you all, either. Congratulations, Class of 2026!

We’re celebrating Cornish alum Amy O’Neal, Dance ’99, on being named a 2026 Guggenheim Fellowship recipient!

During her time at Cornish, O’Neal trained and performed with influential Seattle companies including Pat Graney Company and Scott/Powell Performance, building the foundation for a career that blends hip-hop, house and contemporary dance. She also became the first recipient of Cornish’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2014.

Today, O’Neal is a nationally recognized choreographer, educator and founder of Hybrid Dance Lab in Los Angeles and Seattle.

This prestigious fellowship is a powerful recognition of her creative impact. Congratulations, Amy! 👏