Lessons from the Institute of Empathy
Monday, August 31, 2026, All Day; additional 29 dates below.
Three Empathics have moved into Seattle Art Museum and are a central feature to the latest installation imagined in our African art galleries. The popular and immersive ChimaTEK: Virtual Chimeric Space by contemporary artist Saya Woolfalk was first shown in Disguise: Masks and Global African Art (2015). Now part of SAM’s permanent collection and installed in Lessons from the Institute of Empathy, the Empathics have surrounded themselves with works from our African art collection as a way to help visitors awaken their own empathy.
Upon entering you will experience a virtual space where you can step outside your normal, routine self and improve your ability to understand others. If you wonder about your empathic abilities, you are not alone. Empathy—the ability to understand the experiences of others—is a skill that’s said to have eroded in the modern world. The result is Empathy Deficit Disorder (EDD).
The Empathics display their trademarked process for transformation and ask you to consider the other artwork around you.
Upcoming Dates
All Day
- Mon, Aug 31, 2026
- Tue, Sep 1, 2026
- Wed, Sep 2, 2026
- Thu, Sep 3, 2026
- Fri, Sep 4, 2026
- Sat, Sep 5, 2026
- Sun, Sep 6, 2026
- Mon, Sep 7, 2026
- Tue, Sep 8, 2026
- Wed, Sep 9, 2026
- Thu, Sep 10, 2026
- Fri, Sep 11, 2026
- Sat, Sep 12, 2026
- Sun, Sep 13, 2026
- Mon, Sep 14, 2026
- Tue, Sep 15, 2026
- Wed, Sep 16, 2026
- Thu, Sep 17, 2026
- Fri, Sep 18, 2026
- Sat, Sep 19, 2026
- Sun, Sep 20, 2026
- Mon, Sep 21, 2026
- Tue, Sep 22, 2026
- Wed, Sep 23, 2026
- Thu, Sep 24, 2026
- Fri, Sep 25, 2026
- Sat, Sep 26, 2026
- Sun, Sep 27, 2026
- Mon, Sep 28, 2026
- Tue, Sep 29, 2026
- …and 61 more
Hours
SAM Downtown- Free on the First Thursday of Each Month!
Thursday: 10am-5pm
Asian Art Museum- Free on the Last Friday of Each Month!
Friday: 10am-5pm
Olympic Sculpture Park- Free Always!
Open daily
Opens 30 minutes prior to sunrise
Closes 30 minutes after sunset