Overview
Bumbershoot '77
Artwork by William T. Wiley (b. 1937), an artist known for paintings that incorporate sketch-like drawings and handwritten notations. This work was commissioned for Bumbershoot through the City of Seattle's 1% for Art Program.
By 1977, Bumbershoot had matured into a cornerstone of Seattle’s cultural calendar.
The festival’s identity, once scrappy and experimental, was now confidently established. Major institutions participated alongside grassroots artists, and the programming reflected a refined balance between spectacle and community-driven creativity.
Seattle historian Paul Dorpat captures the moment this way:
“Legendary dancer Merce Cunningham is the festival’s big name, Pat Metheny tops the music lineup, and Larry McMurtry is the highlight of the literary presentations… Labor Day weekend is established as Bumbershoot’s permanent play dates.”
— Paul Dorpat, Bumbershoot’s Formative Years (1971–1979), HistoryLink.org
The presence of choreographic innovator Merce Cunningham signaled Bumbershoot’s growing stature in the contemporary arts world. Guitarist Pat Metheny, already a rising force in jazz, brought national musical credibility. And acclaimed novelist Larry McMurtry underscored the festival’s literary ambitions.
Just as importantly, 1977 firmly established Labor Day weekend as Bumbershoot’s permanent home, transforming what had been a scheduling evolution into a defining civic ritual.
By the late 1970s, Bumbershoot was no longer simply an arts festival. It was a cultural summit point for Seattle, where dance met jazz, literature met public spectacle, and institutional excellence coexisted with the joyful unpredictability that had defined the early years.
The umbrella had grown larger, but the spirit remained open.
Source & Credit
Portions of this history are quoted and adapted from: Paul Dorpat, “Bumbershoot’s Formative Years (1971–1979),” HistoryLink.org Essay 10027, posted September 1, 1999.
Available at: https://www.historylink.org/File/10027
