Seeking: Judy Lee's Seattle Snapshot 📸
our first local interview!
I’m so excited to introduce our very first Seattle Snapshot featuring Judy Lee!
Judy is one of those people who has a hundred secret skills and is always brimming with new things to share. Whether it’s a community she discovered or a new person she has recently connected with, my world expands every time we meet up for coffee.
Which is why she was a natural choice for our first snapshot! We met about 5 years ago at a morning meet-up for creatives when we were both doing different things — I was building a local wellness collective, she was doing transformative portrait photography — and we’ve been evolving and orbiting around each other ever since 💫
I hope you enjoy getting to know Judy this week!
*This post is a little long, so don’t forget to expand if it gets cut off in your email!
👋 Meet Judy Lee
Hello! My name is Judy and I’ve been in Seattle since 2006. I live in the Ballard neighborhood with my spouse, two boys, a Shiba Inu, and two cats (and occasionally foster cats). I’ve been a portrait photographer working with clients for many years but shifted to the artist world last year to focus on community-centered social justice art and community care. I love hiking, camping, deep conversations, trying new restaurants, and new experiences. I also sometimes enjoy just being a homebody.
💎 Judy’s local gems
Labour Temple | Belltown
This is a co-working/office space that is only open to the public during the Belltown Artwalk (Ed note: Judy was my guide to my first Belltown Art Walk in December!).
The space is stunningly beautiful with incredible design elements and attention to detail. Angela, who designed and runs the space, is welcoming to everyone and is a huge supporter of the local artist community. She supports the Wonder Collective, a nonprofit organization that supports emerging artists through art shows (the building is full of art!) and community gatherings.
Labour Temple also houses some of my favorite Seattle humans including the team at Humanize Wealth, a wealth management company focused on advancing social equity, including in our local communities. They started holding salons where they gather people from all walks of life, from millionaires to average folks like me, to talk about solutions to important but complex issues plaguing our city.
My friend Tatyana of Films About Artists also works there. She is a talented documentarian focused on telling artist’s stories and has collaborated with me on one of my projects. She’s your gal for any videography work.
Miro Tea | Ballard
This is my go-to place for “coffee” dates. While the majority of their offerings are tea-based with an incredible selection, they do have some coffees. I always go for the seasonal flavors, with my favorite being their ube latte with oat milk.
Jeannie, the owner, is a wonderful human being who supports local artists as well as the greater community. As an aside, did you know she got her name from a neighbor? She’s in My Name Story Project because of it. There’s a lot more interesting complexity to her name story, but I’ll leave it at that and let you explore further on the project site
Snowy Village | U-District
This is my family’s go-to place for dessert. They feature Korean bingsu which is basically milk turned into ‘snow’ and topped with all sorts of delicious things. My favorite flavor is Taro, which they often run out of, but all the flavors I’ve tried are good. They just announced that they now have vegan snow, for which my lactose-intolerant stomach is grateful. The servings are HUGE so be sure to share with a friend and go earlier in the evening because they tend to get really crowded the later it gets — especially during the summer months.
👀 On Judy’s radar
Yoga Classes @ A Space Inside | Downtown
I’ve been curious about this BIPOC-centered wellness space and finally got to go to a sound bath, which they have weekly on Sundays. I spoke to the owner and she is warm and welcoming. She told me about their different yoga offerings, each with different vibes, so I’m looking forward to trying one out. I also want to go to one of their open mic nights. This space is open to everyone.
PaperSpace Collage Workshop | Uptown + Belltown
PaperSpace is a pop-up paper arts-based makerspace that encourages the learning of new skills in a communal setting. They hold events throughout the city, but host them regularly at The Fishbowl and Slip Gallery (another gem of a place). I have heard wonderful things about the person who runs these workshops. Check out their IG for their schedule. They supply everything so all you have to do is show up. I’ve been wanting to go forever and have finally signed up for a class!
Common Area Maintenance (CAM) | Belltown
This is an artist community based out of studios in Belltown. While I've been to one of their old locations years ago to meet a friend who was a member there, I've never been to one of their community events. They are currently building a 2nd location and are definitely on my list of places to experience. (Ed note: I’m particularly interested in the Poetry Seance happening this weekend on 2/18 and the monthly yoga classes!)
📍 Where to find Judy
Come to the Have You Eaten exhibition at Nino Studio in Pioneer Square featuring 30 Asian American (AANHPI) artists! Gallery hours are Thursdays-Sundays, 11-6pm. There are also weekly special events including a Talking Circle & Tea Ceremony that I’m facilitating on 2/17 from 1-3pm, and an Artist Talk I’ll be moderating at the Closing Reception on 2/29 from 5-8pm.
I am curating an exhibition centering marginalized voices called From the Margins at The Fishbowl, a community-centered artists’ gallery. We are being featured on King5 soon (air date TBD)! Gallery hours are Thursdays-Fridays from 2-8pm, and Sundays from 1-4pm. Come to the Artist Talk I’ll be moderating at the Closing Reception on 2/23 from 6-8pm.
If you are an artist looking for more exhibition and grant opportunities, follow me on IG @webelongseattle. One of my missions is to amplify opportunities for our emerging artist community. Also, follow me even if you’re not an artist but enjoy art and care about creating a community that is inclusive and where everyone can feel belonging. Art is for everyone!
Thank you for sharing your Seattle Snapshot, Judy! I’ll be back in your inboxes next week 🤗
- Hannah
📆 This weekend’s events
Sign-a-raoke - Love is Love | Thursday, 2/15 | Capitol Hill | Free
Black History Month Keynote | Thursday, 2/15 | Central District | Free
Tech Roast Show 2042 | Friday, 2/16 | Downtown | $54-66
Feist | Friday, 2/16 | SODO | $44.95
Seattle Central Community Dinner | Friday, 2/16 | Capitol Hill | $20
Club Saltburn | Friday, 2/16 | Belltown | $15
YEAH! : 90s/2000s R&B and Hip Hop Jams | Friday, 2/16 | Fremont | $15
Genealogy Live Interactive Workshops | Saturday, 2/17 | Central District | Free
Oysters + Bubbly Pop-Up | Saturday, 2/17 | Madrona | $30
Black History Month Soirée | Saturday, 2/17 | Bainbridge Island | Free
Multi-day:
The Book of Will | 2/15 - 2/17 | Greenwood | $25-62
Northwest Flower & Garden Festival | 2/15 - 2/18 | Downtown | $13-27
Circa: Humans 2.0 | 2/15 - 2/18 | U District | $54-69
BE Great Celebration at Occidental Square | 2/16 - 2/17 | Pioneer Square | Free
What’s next:
3/23 - 3/24 | My boyfriend played some Delicate Steve for me recently and I’m a new fan of his jammy songs. Lucky for us, he’s playing two shows at The Sunset Tavern in March.
🚨 ICYMI
Another Capitol Hill restaurant bites the dust: Machiavelli shut its doors but will open tonight for a final night of service. Howdy Bagel is now open again. La Dive is opening a second location in Queen Anne and adding a speakeasy.
🧰️ Seattle Toolkit
A few of my favorite resources to stay tuned in to what’s happening around the city:
What Do - Seattle’s aggregated event list
Everout - Events & things to do
SEAToday - Daily Seattle newsletter
The Nudge Seattle - Text-based event planner
The Intentionalist - Discover + support local small businesses
Your turn!
What are you seeking this week? What do you already have planned? Share it with us in the comments ⬇️
Judy these are all GEMS. Thank you for sharing!!