Art Beat » Art Beat

Seattle rocks your phone

Lori Patrick — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:11:45 +0000

The new Seattle OnHold music mix features hot Seattle talent. You can sample the music if placed on hold while calling city of Seattle offices, or you can sign up for the podcast and receive a few songs a month from local artists including guitar whiz Omar Torrez, sultry singer Courtney Fortune and reggae-rockers Kore Ionz.

The director goes to the other Washington

Jeff Pierce — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:22:25 +0000

In late January, I wrapped up my tenure as president of the United States Urban Arts Federation (USUAF) at its annual meeting in Washington, D.C., which ran concurrently with the United States Conference of Mayor’s meeting. Events included annual awards for public leadership in the arts and a special award presented by the nation’s mayors to Americans for the Arts in recognition of its 50 years of service and the essential contributions that arts and culture make to the health and vitality of American cities. As part of its action agenda on arts and tourism, the U.S. Conference of Mayor’s also reaffirmed its call on the White House to establish a cabinet-level position for arts and tourism.

The first National Arts Index was released at the National Press Club. Using 76 indicators, the report collected a wide range of data over an 11-year period to track activity and chart trends in our field. The report covers both nonprofit and for-profit arts and cultural data. Not surprisingly, the arts follow the nation’s business cycle. The index fell 4.2 percentage points in 2008, reflecting losses in charitable giving and declining attendance at larger cultural institutions—even as the number of arts organizations grew. Nonprofit organizations have grown dramatically, from 73,000 in 1998 to more than 104,000 today. Yet due to declining philanthropic support, the nonprofit arts model is struggling.

The report shows demand for arts education is up, particularly among college-bound high school students. Another piece of encouraging news is the way the public participates in and consumes the arts is expanding. Personal arts creation is growing steadily (making art, playing music), yet attendance at mainstream nonprofit arts organizations is in decline.

The report also formed the foundation for a meeting of USUAF members with key House Appropriations Committee leadership, including our own arts champion Congressman Norm Dicks. I reported on the impacts of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding in Seattle and thanked the congressman for making a strong case to ensure arts jobs were included in the final stimulus package. We are hopeful that a second round of stimulus funding will also include arts jobs.

I am pleased to report Seattle will be among a list of cities that will develop a local profile of the National Arts Index in the coming year. The localized data will allow us to meaningfully compare local trends and performance against national trends. A Seattle arts index will serve as a valuable advocacy tool in addition to our own Creative Vitality Index , Arts & Economic Prosperity Report (which we have committed to update in 2011) and Creative Industries Report. All of these studies contribute to a better understanding of our cultural ecosystem and will help us better serve the field.

Sincerely,

Michael Killoren

Director

Office’s February eNews now available online

Jeff Pierce — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:05:58 +0000

Seeking artists for reservoir park projects

Lori Patrick — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:31:08 +0000

We’re partnering with Seattle Parks and Recreation and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) to issue a call for two artists to complete public art projects at two new reservoir parks: West Seattle Reservoir at Westcrest Park and Maple Leaf Reservoir Park. The artists will be selected from a single pool of applicants, and each will work on one of the park projects.

The artists will collaborate with design consultants and city staff to create engaging areas or installations that are integrated into the parks’ design, enhance the experience of visiting the parks, and promote discovery or define a space or activity within the parks.

The call is open to professional artists residing in the United States. Application deadline is 11 p.m., Thursday, March 11. The budget for each project is $150,000, all-inclusive. To preview the call and link to the online application, click here. The projects are funded with SPU and 2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy 1% for Art funds.

Image: John Young, The Fin Project, 1998, permanently sited at Warren G. Magnuson Park North loop trail below Sand Point (Kite Hill). Gift to the city from a consortium of corporate, agency and private donors, including the U.S. Navy.

John Young, <i>The Fin Projecti>, 1998, permanently sited at Warren G. Magnuson Park North loop trail below Sand Point (Kite Hill). Gift to the city from a consortium of corporate, agency and private donors, including the U.S. Navy.

Councilmember Godden on arts funding

Lori Patrick — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:59:31 +0000

Jean Godden, a member of the Seattle City Council and chair of its Budget and Finance Committee, writes about the Great Recession’s impact on Seattle’s arts organizations in a recent Crosscut column, “Struggling to keep the stage lights on.” Godden asks, “What can be done to keep the lights on, to preserve our rich cultural traditions?”

Bluesy songstress at City Hall Thursday

Lori Patrick — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:51:10 +0000

Get your groove on at City Hall with bluesy pop-rock songwriter Cristina Orbe, noon, Thursday, Feb. 4. The free concert is part of Seattle Presents, the year-round concert series at City Hall. Stick around after the performance for an artist reception, 1 to 2 p.m., honoring Seattle artists Roosevelt Lewis and Marita Dingus. Their work is featured in a joint exhibition titled Reflections, which celebrates Black History Month and honors the history of enslaved Africans in America. The exhibition is on view at City Hall through Feb. 26.

Image: Cristina Orbe, photo courtesy of the artist.

Connect at Ethnic Arts event, March 10

Lori Patrick — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:20:16 +0000

We’re proud to be a lead partner in the Ethnic Arts Connection – a FREE one-day gathering introducing Northwest performing and visual artists working in culturally specific traditions to presenters from around the region. Mark your calendar for a day of performances and networking, Wednesday, March 10 at Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion.

There’s still time for performing artists to apply for juried, 15-minute performance showcases. Visual artists can also apply to display their artwork. The showcase deadline is Wednesday, Feb. 3. Download an application here.

Artists can prep for the event at three, free pre-event workshops for artists in February. Topics include tips on touring, funding and marketing. Slots fill fast, so you must register in advance.

The Ethnic Arts Connection is a biennial conference. This will mark the third such gathering of artists and presenters. In March 2008, the one-day event brought together 225 artists with 75 performing arts presenters and featured 27 showcase performances.

The registration deadline for presenters and artists not applying to showcase is Friday, Feb. 26. Download registration forms here.

The Ethnic Arts Connection is a collaborative project of the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, Seattle Center, 4Culture, Washington State Arts Commission , Ethnic Heritage Council, Festál and Arts Northwest.

Image: Sohoyini West African Dance Group performing at the 2008 Ethnic Arts Connection. Photo by Robert Wade.

Artist sought for Chief Sealth Trail

Lori Patrick — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:40:52 +0000

Along with our partners at the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), we’re seeking an artist to create an artwork for the second phase of the Chief Sealth Trail, which connects the city’s Beacon Hill neighborhood with the Rainier Valley in Southeast Seattle.

Work to extend the trail west of Beacon Avenue South approximately two-thirds of a mile will begin this summer, with completion expected by the end of 2010.

The artwork – intended to mark the trail extension and enliven the streetscape – will be installed where the trail will cross Beacon Avenue South at South Dawson Street. The selected artist will work with staff from the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, SDOT and neighborhood representatives during the design phase of the project to create a three-dimensional, permanent outdoor artwork that responds to the site and takes into consideration visibility issues and the flow of vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.

The call is open to professional artists residing in Washington, Oregon, California, Montana or Idaho. The total project budget is $50,000 and includes design, fabrication and installation costs. The application deadline is 11 p.m., Tuesday, March 16 (Pacific Standard Time). A link to the online application and guidelines is available here.

Image: Chief Sealth Trail at Beacon Avenue South and South Dawson Street.

Get in on Arts Day action, Feb. 2

Lori Patrick — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:29:10 +0000

Tuesday, Feb. 2 is Arts Day in Olympia. The annual event is hosted by our friends at the Washington State Arts Alliance. It’s a great opportunity to meet with your state legislators and tell them how the arts are making a difference in their communities. Arts Day Team Captains have already scheduled appointments with legislators and are standing by. Check out the appointment schedule posted on the arts alliance’s website, and let your area Team Captain know if you are available to attend a meeting with your legislator(s).

Arts Day is also a great place to network with colleagues from across the state. Join legislators and colleagues for a $10 buffet lunch and noon program in the Capitol Building’s Columbia Room. Register for the lunch program by Monday, Jan. 25. You can RSVP here. And don’t fret if you can’t make it to Olympia on Feb. 2, you can still participate.

First National Arts Index measures health of the arts

Lori Patrick — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 23:58:37 +0000

Americans for the Arts announced the National Arts Index at a press conference this morning. The Index is a single-number score measuring the the health and vitality of the arts in the United States. Think of the national consumer confidence score.

The 2008 score of 98.4 is down 4.2 percentage points from 102.6 in 2007, “reflecting losses in charitable giving and declining attendance at larger cultural institutions — even as the number of arts organizations grew,” according to Americans for the Arts.

The Index is a highly distilled annual measure based on 76 indicator categories. It covers a span from 1998 to 2008 and is set to a base score of 100 in 2003.