Seattle residents can walk into three free gallery exhibitions, grab handmade zines, and dance to live jazz on King Street Station plaza.

The First Thursday Art Walk at ARTS at King Street Station runs 5–8 p.m. and anchors a July slate of free programming at the city-run gallery space on the top floor of the historic station at 303 S. Jackson St.

The evening features live music from Joe Brazil Legacy, the organization honoring Seattle jazz legend Joe Brazil, who co-founded the Black Music curriculum at the University of Washington and appeared on John Coltrane's 1965 album "Om," according to UW records and the organization's archives. Executive Director Tana Yasu leads the group. Common Area Maintenance hosts a Free Zines & Mobile Book Fair on the plaza alongside the music.

Three exhibitions are open upstairs. "This Room is Ours: Centering the Black Figure," curated by Seattle-based figurative painter and educator Lila Alexis Thomas, features work by Kamari Bright, Le'Ecia Farmer, Nahom Ghirmay, Adrienne Matthews, and Ric'kisha Taylor in painting, video-poetry, photography, textiles, sculpture, and mixed media. The show runs through Saturday, July 18.

"Ancestral Future: Taíno Archives" explores Taíno, Arawak, and Borikén identity through Indigenous futurism. The third show, the 2025 SDOT Bridge Artists in Residence Showcase, features animation works created in the historic towers of the Fremont and University Bridges.

The following Thursday, July 9, the "Setting of the Daybreak Star" concert series brings Indigenous rock band Ribbon Skirt to the plaza from 6–6:45 p.m. The Montreal-based band is led by Anishinaabe musician Tashiina Buswa, according to the group's concert listing. United Indians of All Tribes Foundation and its Daybreak Star Radio Network host the weekly sunset series on the plaza.

The programming is part of the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture's "We Still Dream a Future" initiative. Kate Fernandez, the office's Downtown Activations Supervisor, said the city invested nearly $900,000 in free programming downtown and at King Street Station throughout 2026.

ARTS at King Street Station is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., and until 8 p.m. on Thursdays. The 7,500-square-foot gallery is dedicated to increasing opportunities for people of color to generate and present their work, according to the Office of Arts & Culture.

Seattle Community Week Ahead: June 29–July 5

• Thursday, July 2, 5–8 p.m. | Pioneer Square | First Thursday Art Walk at ARTS at King Street Station, 303 S. Jackson St., Top Floor. Live music, free zines, three gallery exhibitions. Free.
• Thursday, July 2–Friday, July 3, 10 a.m.–8 p.m. | Waterfront | Kickin' It Indi-City: An Indigenous Soccer Celebration. 30+ Native artists and vendors, intertribal dance, cultural workshops, traditional food demos. Thursday at Bell Harbor Rooftop Patio (Pier 66); Friday at Pier 62/58 (1951 Alaskan Way). Hosted by Native Action Network. Free.
• Thursday, July 9, 6–6:45 p.m. | Pioneer Square | Setting of the Daybreak Star: Ribbon Skirt concert, King Street Station Plaza. Hosted by United Indians of All Tribes Foundation. Free.