Seattle Public School students asked for it, and it’s happening! Regional Arts Festivals are an opportunity to celebrate the arts learning taking place in Seattle Public Schools, highlighting visual and performing arts from schools in K-12 Creative Advantage Pathways in the Central, Southeast and Southwest K-12 Pathways.

• Southwest Festival – Thursday, February 6th at Chief Sealth High School
• Southeast Festival – Thursday, March 19th Rainier Beach High School
• Central – TBD

General Format

Festival-style celebrations open to all grades in the school pathway and all arts disciplines. In school work and community partners supporting work after and out of school time in that pathway. While a full slate of performances will happen in an auditorium, there will also be displays, hands-on activities and smaller ensembles or individual performances in other spaces. Adult and student emcees will manage the flow of the evening.

Community Arts Partners can be involved by:

• Signing up to bring students for a 3-4 minute performance (performances can be choral/singing, instrumental, dance, theatre, spoken word, poetry, story-telling, visual art, projected visual art, short films or documentaries)
• Bringing students as audience / attendees

Creative Advantage will support with:

• Pre-festival planning and prep
• Day of event logistics + running order
• Tech and stage management (general mics, lighting and sound) – with support from high school students
• Parent letter templates
• Event marketing + communication / flier templates
• Transportation
• Stipends for teachers and adult mentors supporting participating youth.

If you would like your students to be celebrated in the Regional Art Festivals or know of students who would be interested in joining the student youth committee please contact our RAF Manager, Masao Yamada, at masao.yamada-c@seattle.gov

Huge thanks to Paul G. Allen Family Foundation for supporting this new endeavor.