Seattle Open Arts Place (formerly 18th & Union)

Where creative risk and play meet

Seattle Open Arts Place is a performance space in Seattle's Central District that hosts portable performance and visual art. Our mission is to sustain an affordable, inclusive, intimate space that nurtures art and community. Our vision is a city where everyone has equitable art and community collaboration access.

Where we're coming from:

• As of 1/23/25, we've successfully transitioned from 18th and Union: An Arts Space to Seattle Open Arts Place, to align more closely with our mission and values as an organization. 
• To further our vision, we've remodeled our space to include two accessible bathrooms! We can now welcome a larger community to enjoy these stories! 
• We continue to be one of the most affordable spaces in Seattle for artists to produce in and for audiences to attend.
  • For audience: All S.O.A.P are available on a sliding scale, including pro bono tickets, to ensure everyone has equal access to the art we offer.
  • For artists: S.O.A.P is unique in working with indie artists on a profit-share model. We partner with them as a co-producer and offer a rare thing: A fully-appointed performance venue to showcase their work without requiring any upfront deposit; in fact, we don’t require a rental fee. Instead, we share the risk of producing and split net box office income with them. We also offer them robust production and marketing support, especially for nascent producers who can learn “the ropes” alongside us and advance their producing skills.

Where we're going:

Seattle Open Arts Place is committed to celebrating storytelling through different genres of art.  Inviting a new batch of creators to share their fresh “portable” work with new and returning audiences.

 We continue our efforts to make S.O.A.P:

• A place to experiment and to "fail" without failure! We continue to enhance our co-production model to decrease risk for indie artists and increase access to representation in our performance space.
• One of the most affordable spaces in Seattle for artists to produce in and for audiences to attend.
• A place which offers a diverse array of art! We are developing two visual art residencies!
• Community oriented, providing the community with ample opportunities to connect through: 
  • Solstice & Equinox gatherings
  • Film nights
  • Poetry/short fiction nights
  • Artistic wellness workshops
  • Professional development workshops for artists