On Exhibit in Taproot’s Kendall Center Lobby
March 13–April 25, 2026
The Joint is Jumpin’: Photographs by Robert Wade
People have captured each other’s likenesses on film since the mid-1800s. Processes and materials have evolved, but our fascination with our own images remains eternal. Seattle photographer Robert Wade has expressed his fascination with the human image over the last six decades through portraits both posed and candid, in black-and-white and color, and in groups and individually. Throughout his work, Robert finds the heart of his subject and manages to surface a complex reflection of who we think they might really be.
The works in this exhibition were selected for their connection to music and its intrinsic value to us. In the same way that Ain’t Misbehavin’ honors Fats Waller and his connections to his community and humanity, the singers in Robert’s photos are presented with respect and admiration as they bring their lived experience to the stage of the Monterey Jazz Festival. Similarly, his image of Seattle’s own Sir Mix-A-Lot performing at Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park, reflects the photographer’s excitement for the artistry of the performer and the essential nature of the performance.
The Monterey Jazz Festival weekend is almost always the best and most enjoyable three days on my calendar for the year. Imagine a place where everyone is positive, the weather is typically perfect, and you get to watch some of the finest musicians in the world perform. That’s the Monterey Jazz Festival.
— Robert Wade
In the tradition of 20th-century photographers like Gordon Parks, Robert Capa, and Elliott Erwitt, Robert Wade shows us our community in a way that makes us feel like we know them, like they’re singing to us, and like we all belong together.
Robert Wade’s commercial photography has been published in magazines such as Art Forum, Art in America, The Seattle Times, SF Gate, and GQ. His nonprofit clients include Taproot Theatre where he typically photographs our Jewell Mainstage productions and annual Gala. His fine art practice has been featured in group and one-person exhibitions since the 1970s. The Seattle Art Museum recently added one of his early works to their permanent collection.
View more works by Robert Wade at Avery Barnes Gallery in Pioneer Square or online at robertwadephoto.com. Works in the exhibition are for sale unless marked by a red dot. Please contact the artist at robert@robertwadephoto.com to purchase.
—Gina Cavallo, Curator & Director of Development