As a small awards program, the smART ventures grant encourages innovation and widens cultural participation, particularly by individuals, organizations, and communities that may not qualify for other funding programs. Accepting applications year-round, smART ventures is flexible, inclusive and simple. It provides funding ranging from $500 to $1,000. The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) encourages small active investments that can have big impacts.
ARTS is excited to announce the 46 projects that smART Ventures funded in 2022.
2022 smART Ventures Awardees
These Whispers – An online virtual panel discussion event around the making of this collaborative film
$825
Momentous Gesture – An exhibition at SOIL Gallery
$1,000
Reckoning – A print-based installation and community collaborative performance piece at Seattle Central College’s M. Rosetta Hunter Gallery
$1,000
2 – A one-night-only performance of 7 individual dance artists
$975
Camp Read-a-Rama – Native American Read-In
$1,000
Global Visionaries – A workshop on Music and Social Justice Movements
$1,000
Arami Walker – Revitalizing BIPOC retail spaces with live music
$1,000
Raúl Sánchez – Poetry in the Park
$1,000
Coriolis Dance Collective’s The Art of Seafaring
$875
Louisa Yardley’s U District Community Box Wrap
$950
Aaron Asis – Belltown Mural
$850
this is concrete II – A performance ritual at the Georgetown Steam Plant by MALACARNE and choreographer Alice Gosti
$800
It’s All a Circus – A dance performance by Alana O. Rogers Dance Company as part of the Seattle International Dance Festival
$1,000
Neighborhood Whimsy Walks
$900
Ballard Pop-Up Gallery
$1,000
Grasses Grasses Grasses: poetry and healing with 6 Indigenous poets at Hugo House
$1,000
Bloom FR – An exhibition at Common Area Maintenance
$1,000
Carpathian Mountain Villages of Ukraine – A photography exhibition at Spark and Thread Gallery
$1,000
Seattle City Flag
$1,000
The Art of Music Series in West Seattle during 2nd Thursday Art Walks
$1,000
Ode – K’an, an evening length immersive dance performance created for Mini Mart City Park
$1,000
SHOW FACE – A site-specific performance at Dr. Martin Luther king Jr. Civil Rights Memorial Park
$1,000
E.P.I.C. Fest at North Seattle College
$1,000
Monologue of n Women – A devised theatre piece at Theatre Puget Sound
$1,000
The Yusephinum Project – A multimedia installation at Cornish’s 9th Avenue Gallery
$1,000
Let the Water Flow – A graphic novel
$1,000
Homegrown: A Work-in-Progress Memoir Reading – A reading from Susan Lieu’s upcoming memoir The Manicurists Daughter
$1,000
Vinyl JP Music Fest in SoDo
$900
People in the Square at Skid Road Theatre
$800
Vietnamese Senior Association’s Moon Festival
$700
Seattle Stories – An exhibition by Kerry D. Sutton in Georgetown
$800
Columbia City Beatwalk Meets the Seattle Design Festival
$1,000
Sacrament and Gluttony: The Last Potato by DAIPANbutoh Collective
$1,000
The Application of Harm Reduction – An illustrated journalism piece for Real Change News
$1,000
Stephanie Simek: tied to the moon, tide to the moon – An exhibition at Veronica Arts Space
$950
Sorry Clover – A solo dance piece at YAW Theater
$1,000
West Seattle Junction Association’s Gorgeous Lights of Winter (GLOW)
$1,000
Real Change Zine
$1,000
Ballet Rituals at Aether Seattle
$1,000
REWORK HAUS Open Sewing Studio
$950
The Feels Foundation PIECES Vendor Market
$1,000
BIPOC Children’s Book Day at Town Hall Seattle
$1,000
Filipino Holiday Festival at Dr. Jose Rizal Park
$1,000
Flight / An Evening of Dance at Lagunitas Brewery
$1,000
Purrdie Burrdie and Friends – A Black and Brown children’s book
$1,000
Two Goldfish (Who Became Heroes) by Yun Theater
$1,000
Here’s What Awardees Are Saying
“After both SHOW FACE events, the dancers expressed how deeply grateful they were for the opportunity to freely dance and connect with their community in a low-pressure performance setting. Many expressed how anxious they had been feeling about returning to performing and how relieved they were to have connection and celebration be the focus of their first performance since the Covid-19 pandemic began. Audience members expressed being touched by the joy and excitement that the dancers created in the park and by the physical closeness they witnessed the dancers having with each other. Several audience members said they had never seen a performance of this kind before and looked forward to seeing more dance community events in city parks.”
Audrey Rachelle Stanley, SHOW FACE
It was a great success – both the workshop and the live concert . . . Sin Fronteras brought a beautiful and educational opportunity to our students and our community through the power of their resilient music and stories . . . They also spoke about how powerful music can be (and is) in today’s social justice movements – relating the topic to what students feel and experience right now. Students were able to gain insight into many facets of life in Latin America and were able to authentically connect with the powerful stories and spirits of the three members of Sin Fronteras. After the workshop Sin Fronteras played live music that set the tone for an incredible evening, with traditional instruments that added an exciting flair for guests to enjoy while the strong flow in general made for a night of unforgettable music and a deeper connection to Central American music and the messages behind their songs.”
Sarah Popelka, Global Visionaries
SmART Ventures accepts applications on a rolling basis. You can learn more and apply here. work to eliminate institutional racism in our programs, policies, and practices. The Office is supported by the 16-member Seattle Arts Commission, citizen volunteers appointed by the mayor and City Council.
