This week, 39 artists around Seattle that work in dance, music and theater arts (including scriptwriting) received over $160,000 collectively through the CityArtist Projects annual funding program.

This funding supports individual artists in the creation of new works, works-in-progress, or works taken to the next stage. All projects must be completed within the year, and must have a public presentation at the culmination of the project. Keep updated with the Office of Arts & Culture’s Facebook & Twitter, which will highlight CityArtists, projects and events over the year.

A broad range of projects and artists were selected, including:

Tikka Sears to collaborate cross-culturally and explore birth, re-birth stories, trauma, near death experiences and being alive through physical theater, storytelling and puppetry;

Zoe Scofield to create and present a new, evening-length choreographic work with an original Sacred Harp score in Southern Baptist a capella traditon;

Wayne Horvitz to complete a new 15-minute piece in three movements for full orchestra with improvising soloist to be performed by the Seattle Symphony;

Angelique Poteat to compose and present new music for orchestra with a girl’s choir addressing pressures girls face from popular culture and society from their own perspectives;

And Codjo Etienne Cakpo-Gbokou to develop and present a new body of solo and group choreographic work exhibiting styles from both East (Zimbabwe/So Africa) and West (Togo/Benin) Africa for two public performances.

To see the other 34 CityArtists and projects for 2015, visit the Office of Arts & Culture website:  http://www.seattle.gov/arts/funding/individual_partners.asp

Congratulations to all the 2015 CityArtists!