By Tina LaPadula, Arts Education Manager

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) in its partnership with Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is pleased to welcome Rayna Mathis, the new SPS Creative Advantage project manager. The Creative Advantage Initiative is focused on putting artists in SPS to work with teaching artists and teachers to support equitable access to arts and arts education for every student in SPS. 

Mathis will be responsible for the implementation of The Creative Advantage vision and action plans for SPS. Currently ARTS, in partnership with SPS, is in 81 schools that have implemented The Creative Advantage program. She will also act as the liaison for partnerships between schools and community-based arts organizations, artists, and teaching artists and support SPS’s partnership with ARTS.  

Ashraf Hasham, ARTS Partnerships, Education, and Grants Manager, and Tina LaPadula, ARTS Arts Education Project Manager are responsible for ARTS’ Creative Advantage partnership with SPS. This new position lives within SPS’s Curriculum, Assessment & Instruction’s Visual & Performing Arts Program, and the School & Community Partnerships Department. It is an integral part of SPS’s partnership with ARTS and The Creative Advantage Implementation Team which includes, Gail Sehlhorst, SPS Visual + Performing Arts Manager, and Pam Ivezic, SPS Instructional Music Coach. 

About Rayna Mathis

Rayna Mathis is a graduate of the University of Washington with a BA in History. Her career has been dedicated and in service to Seattle’s arts and culture scene. She is committed to pushing the arts to be more equitable, empowering, and unapologetic. In 2018, she was awarded The Washington Art Education Association’s 2018 Outstanding New Art Educator of the Year.  

Join us in welcoming Rayna Mathis to The Creative Advantage Team!