Thru Sept 4
Northwest Art Now
Art museums can sometimes get stuck in the past and forget that art is happening currently. That’s why juried shows like Northwest Art Now are vital. Visitors to Tacoma Art Museum can wander over from the Edvard Munch exhibit or the Western art collection and take in 47 works by 24 active Washington, Oregon, and Idaho artists, spanning mediums like photography, sculpture, painting, and quilting. Tacoma Art Museum, $14

Thru Sept 4
Posing Beauty in African American Culture 
Beauty isn’t a uniform concept. It’s a malleable idea that shifts between eras, cultures, and individual viewpoints. NAAM examines the construction and composition of African American beauty in the photographic exhibit Posing Beauty. With almost 70 photos depicting elegant simplicity, wild outfits, and an afro made of afro picks, the goal is to not define black beauty but show its multifariousness. Northwest African American Museum, $7

Tues, June 28
Julia Shapiro, John Atkins, and Jenn Champion
Julia Shapiro (Chastity Belt / Childbirth), John Atkins (764-Hero), and Jenn Champion (S) have all carved out spaces in the Seattle music scene with their respective bands, but occasionally a full band show on a weeknight can feel like a little much. When the three singer-songwriters come together in the Den at Chop Suey, it'll comparatively be a much more intimate, low-key affair. For a Tuesday night, that honestly sounds ideal. Chop Suey, $6

June 30–Aug 7
Scott Fife: Esto Perpetua
Everything’s going digital these days. Platform Gallery only further proves that point. At the conclusion of Scott Fife's sculpture exhibit Esto Perpetua, the 12-year-old gallery will cease brick-and-mortar existence and transition into an online-only entity. Make one final visit before Platform becomes another idea in the cloud. Platform Gallery, Free

Sat, July 2
KEXP Rocks the Dock
Waterfront Park might trend a bit touristy in the summer months, but KEXP Rocks the Docks offers something worth braving all of the out-of-towners to check out. On a stage nestled between the aquarium and the Great Wheel, the radio station offers up a day of free concerts from three excellent Northwest standouts. Seattle's Telekinesis brings its melodic indie tunes, Portland's Summer Cannibals delivers no-nonsense rock with a healthy dose of frontwoman Jessica Boudreaux's snarl, and local producer extraordinaire Erik Blood awes with his mysterious shoegaze wonder (though it might feel slightly out of place on an especially sunny day). Waterfront Park, Free