Entry No. 16 — the Seattle file — filed under: outdoor
Cannonball Arts (Virginia Park & Leviathan)
From the producers of Bumbershoot, Cannonball took over a former big-box store at 3rd & Virginia and turned it into a sprawling contemporary art hub. The centerpiece, Virginia Park, is a 2,200-square-foot indoor sculpture garden built from artificial flora, with a winding trail past a pond, a Garden of Letters and Confessions, and works tucked into the landscape by more than a dozen artists. Other rooms hold a hand-made life-sized kinetic whale skeleton inspired by a whalefall, a needle-felted nudibranch mounted over a working mechanical bull, a VR monster-truck program, and Ben Zamora's voluminous matrix of fluorescent light.
The story
The corner of 3rd and Virginia used to be a Bed Bath & Beyond—a cavernous, windowless big-box shell where Seattleites bought bath mats and plastic drawer organizers. Then the producers behind the Bumbershoot festival moved in, gutted the corporate floorplan, and turned the space into Cannonball Arts: a sprawling, multi-room contemporary art installation that feels like a fever dream staged inside an abandoned department store.
The anchor is Virginia Park, a 2,200-square-foot indoor sculpture garden built from artificial flora, live plants, and a winding trail that skirts a small pond and a 'Garden of Letters and Confessions.' Beyond the indoor garden, things get weirder: a handmade, life-sized kinetic whale skeleton designed to mimic a deep-sea whalefall, a glowing grid of fluorescent tubes by light artist Ben Zamora, a VR monster-truck experience, and a giant, flaming-pink needle-felted nudibranch mounted directly onto a working mechanical bull.
What it's like
Stepping off 3rd Avenue puts you immediately into a dark, sprawling gallery footprint that trades traditional white-cube museum rules for immersive, tactile installations. The main gallery space is open Friday through Sunday, but the basement venue space hosts late-night DJ sets and live programming on an independent schedule. Check the official calendar before you head downtown, and make sure to double-check event times if you plan to stick around after hours for music downstairs.
The move: Wander the indoor sculpture jungle together, then catch a late DJ set in the downstairs music venue.
📍 Before you go Galleries open Friday through Sunday; event and venue hours vary by program, so check the calendar.
- 📍 Downtown Seattle
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1930 3rd Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Bathtub Gin & Co. — Walk two blocks into a Belltown alley for a quiet cocktail in a former 1920s boiler room after exploring the cavernous galleries.
- Shorty's — Follow up the felt mechanical nudibranch with arcade pinball and Chicago dogs at Belltown's Coney Island-themed dive bar.
- Seattle Glassblowing Studio — Pair the fluorescent light matrices and kinetic whale sculptures with watching molten glass worked live in a hotshop under the Monorail.
Good to know
What used to be in this building?
Cannonball Arts occupies a vacant former Bed Bath & Beyond retail space at 3rd Avenue and Virginia Street.
When are the galleries open?
The gallery exhibitions are open Friday through Sunday. Specific event and music hours vary depending on the calendar.
Who operates Cannonball Arts?
The space was created and produced by the team behind Seattle's long-running Bumbershoot arts and music festival.
Is there live music here too?
Yes, the building includes a dedicated music venue space (Level 1) downstairs that hosts late-night DJ sets, concerts, and special events.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · cascadepbs.org · iexaminer.org · thestranger.com · seattleschild.com
last checked: 2026-06-24