The majority of funding for the facility’s capital project must be in place before applying for the Cultural Facilities program. Eligible organizations must have at least a three-year operating history as a legally established not-for-profit organization, have control of the facility through ownership or a longer-term lease, and demonstrate a record of ongoing artistic or cultural accomplishments in Seattle. Projects must be able to take place and be completed between September 2012 and December 2013.

Go here for more information, the guidelines and online application. The application deadline is 11 p.m., Wednesday, June 20.

As this is a new program, applicants are encouraged to attend an information session. Advance registration is required. Go here for dates and locations.

For questions about the program and proposals contact Kathy Hsieh, (206) 733-9926 or Irene Gomez, (206) 684-7310. For technical support for the online application, call (206) 684-7171.

Hear findings and recommendations from last December’s two-day event Cultural Space Seattle, which focused on shaping policies to keep and create affordable space for artists and arts organizations in Seattle. Get updates on the Artist Space Assistance Program, a pilot program coordinated by Shunpike to provide relocation and placement services for artists and arts organizations; Storefronts Seattle, a program for artists to create artwork for vacant storefronts; and Square Feet Seattle, an online guide to acquiring cultural space.

The Office will also provide information on the new Cultural Facilities Program, awarding one-time funding for renovations and repairs of arts and cultural facilities. Applications will open in mid May and are due June 20.

Click here to RSVP.

Limited parking is available. The site is accessible by bus or bike.

For more information, contact Tamara Gill, (206) 733-9591.

Here’s Mayor Mike McGinn’s statement: “This is a great day for arts in our city. Governor Chris Gregoire’s signature on SB 6574 today preserves hundreds of thousands of local dollars for Seattle arts organizations this year to help support our city’s diverse communities. Fighting for the ability to continue to collect these funds at Husky football games was a priority in our legislative agenda this year. I would like to thank Councilmember Nick Licata for his leadership on the City Council on this effort, Senator Kohl-Welles for prime-sponsoring the bill, and the entire Seattle delegation for their work and support.”

The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs receives 75 percent of city admission tax revenues. Our 2012 allocation is just over $5 million.

SB 6574 addressed an unintended consequence triggered by the UW Husky football team’s temporary move this year to CenturyLink Field. The team’s move could have resulted in a potential loss of up to $900,000 in estimated admission tax revenue to the city, jeopardizing a projected $675,000 designated for the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs’ funding programs.

Check out our March eNews, with information about upcoming arts education community meetings, funded CityArtists, opportunties to join our team, a new exhibition documenting family homelessness,  and more.

Check it out here.

“Individual artists are the foundation of a creative community,” said Mayor Mike McGinn. “By investing in artists’ work, we help bring their visions to life and engage and inspire the community in a range of topics, from the changing character of our neighborhoods to race and identity.”

The 2012 program received 134 applicants. Twenty-three of the 45 artists funded are first-time recipients, representing 51 percent of the awards. Award amounts are set at $2,000 or $4,000 and projects must be realized between May and December 2012. A peer-review panel evaluated the project proposals based on criteria including artistic merit and public access or impact.

CityArtists supports new works, works-in-progress or works taken to the next stage. All projects must incorporate a public presentation. Funding is offered to different artistic disciplines in alternating years. In 2011, CityArtists awarded $200,000 to 44 individual artists working in the performing arts. Applications will open in May for 2013 awards in the performing arts.

Our director talks about investing in the arts and preserving admission tax funding. We joined with Mayor Mike McGinn and a few of our funded partners in announcing more than $1.6 million in investments in 137 Seattle arts organizations through our Civic Partners program.  Join in a lively panel discussion and community forum about arts education, creative learning and student success. Storefronts Seattle seeks artists to develop art projects for vacant storefronts in various Seattle neighborhoods.

Artist John Fleming will serve up a side of sidewalk art at the Bitter Lake Community Center’s Annual Pancake Breakfast, Feb. 26. The 2013 Youth Arts funding program applications are due Feb. 15. And our office and 4Culture present ceramic artworks from their public art collections in the exhibition Enduring Clay: Four Decades of Collecting Ceramics by the City of Seattle and King County.

Read about these stories and more here.

Image: Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) principal dancers Maria Chapman and Jeffrey Stanton with PNB Company dancers in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, choreographed by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust. PNB is one of the 137 organizations funded through the Civic Partners program in 2012. Photo © Angela Sterling.

Read the Mayor’s blog post about it here.

The varied slate of neighborhood events includes BeatWalk, Columbia City’s monthly music festival; All 4 1 dancepalooza, a contemporary dance festival presented by DASSdance; Honk! Fest West, a marching street band that will perform across the city; Celebrate Little Saigon, a Vietnamese cultural festival and night market; and dozens of neighborhood festivals celebrating various cultures, including, Asian, African American, Hawaiian and Latin art forms.

“Seattle’s neighborhoods are home to a range of cultural events that help forge connections among diverse communities,” said Vincent Kitch, director of the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs. “By investing in these events we hope to support creativity at a grassroots level and help build community through arts and cultural participation.”

NCA supports neighborhood groups that produce recurring festivals or events that promote arts and cultural participation, build community and enhance the visibility of neighborhoods through arts and culture.