The red and white lighthouse spinning its yellow beam inside the National Nordic Museum isn't going anywhere yet, but time is running short.
The two companion Moomin exhibitions filling the Barbro Osher Gallery at 2655 NW Market St. close Sept. 6, giving Ballard families fewer than three weeks to step inside.
"Moomins' Sea Adventures" and "Tove and the Sea" arrived in March from the Moomin Museum in Tampere, Finland. It's the first time the Tampere museum's collection has crossed the Atlantic, and Seattle is its only U.S. stop before everything ships back to Finland in September, according to ParentMap.
The main gallery features life-sized character cutouts, illustrations and translated pages from five Jansson books lining deep blue walls, and an interactive island at its center: three little red rowboats, oversized plush boulders and that lighthouse.
Kids can climb in and imagine their own Moominvalley voyage. A scavenger hunt available at the front desk sends visitors upstairs to find tiny Moomin characters hidden throughout the permanent "Nordic Journeys" exhibition.
The companion show, "Tove and the Sea," takes a quieter approach. Large-scale photographs and reflective texts trace creator Tove Jansson's bond with the Finnish archipelago, where she spent 28 summers on the remote island of Klovharun with her life partner Tuulikki Pietilä. A 43-minute documentary directed by Pietilä replays every hour.
There's a Seattle thread woven in: Pietilä, the inspiration for the Moomin character Too-Ticky, was born in Seattle before returning to Finland as a toddler, according to the official Moomin blog.
Art historian Tuula Karjalainen, author of "Tove Jansson: Work and Love," wrote of Jansson: "She worshiped the sea. She could spend long periods alone in the archipelago, even though she was afraid of the dark. The sea strengthened her sense of freedom."
Moomin Movie Night: Thursday, Aug. 20
The museum wraps its summer Moomin Movie Night series with a screening of "Tove" (2020), directed by Zaida Bergroth and starring Alma Pöysti, on Thursday, Aug. 20 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 general admission, $7 for members.
Visiting details
- Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Thursdays until 8 p.m. Closed Mondays.
- Tickets: $20 adults, $10 youth (ages 5–18), free for children 4 and under. Free admission with public assistance ID through the Museums for All program.
- Free First Thursday: Sept. 3 general admission is free; special exhibitions $5.
- Parking: $2–$2.50/hour in the lot behind the museum; $12 all day.
Seattle community week ahead: Aug. 18–23
Tuesday, Aug. 18
- Ballard Historical Society lecture, "What Stories Are Buried on Crown Hill?" — Ballard Branch Library, 6–7:30 p.m. Free.
Thursday, Aug. 20
- Moomin Movie Night: "Tove" (2020) — National Nordic Museum, 6:30–8 p.m. $10/$7 members.
Friday, Aug. 21
- Outdoor movie: "10 Things I Hate About You" — Bakke Coffee Museum, Ballard, 7–10 p.m. Free.
Saturday, Aug. 22
- Free open house and pancake breakfast — Kadampa Meditation Center Washington, Ballard, 8 a.m.–12 p.m.
- Summer concert: StageOne swing band — Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, 2–4:30 p.m. Free.
Sunday, Aug. 23
- Ballard Farmers Market — Ballard Ave NW, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
- Summer concert: HyperResonance Sax Ensemble — Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, 2–4:30 p.m. Free.
- Community potluck — Ballard Solidarity, 1–3 p.m. All welcome.
