what is wug?

The walk up gallery, or WUG, is nestled in the two storefront windows that surround the main door of The Grocery Studios on North Beacon Hill. Originally display windows for the Ulovitch Grocery in the 1930s, the windows of WUG provide a simple way for passers by to engage with art exhibits for free, day or night. Exhibits rotate roughly every six weeks throughout the year. Information about the featured artist is provided, and viewers can scan a code to learn more or purchase the artworks.

Exhibiting artists are paid a modest stipend to recognize their labor in imagining and creating art that enlivens the neighborhood. WUG does not take a cut of sales—all proceeds go to the artist.

What kind of art can I see at WUG?

WUG serves our neighborhood community of families, students, and children. It shows art in a variety of genres, styles, moods, and mediums. As you walk by and decide to take a closer look, we hope that you’ll see art that makes you think, strikes a memory, brings a smile, raises thoughtful questions, or tells a story in a new way. 

We can show flat artwork such as paintings, drawings, and collage, three-dimensional works like sculpture or hand-crafted objects, as well as video, animation, or films with sound. Each window has a small enclosure, so objects and art tend to be small to medium sized. 

Who curates, and how do you decide what art and artists to show?

WUG is operated by Janet Galore and Demi Raven, co-directors of The Grocery Studios. We welcome local artists, especially those working in the south end of Seattle/Beacon Hill, and from historically underrepresented communities including BIPOC and LGBTQIA+. We partner with guest curators to bring different points of view to WUG. 

Land acknowledgement 

We acknowledge that we live and gather on the unceded lands of the Coast Salish Peoples, specifically the Duwamish (Dkhw Duw’Absh). We honor the land we occupy and resist the erasure of Indigenous past, present and future.