In 2025, we built a strong foundation for a more sustainable future by completing our five-year strategic plan. This living document positions us to lead in a rapidly evolving cultural and civic landscape and grounds us for the important work of developing Seattle’s first citywide Cultural Plan, starting in 2026.
We also created a Creative Placemaking division that streamlines our work in art-based community development. Much of our Downtown activation efforts was shouldered by this new division in 2025, which lifted up the arts and culture sector as a critical part of revitalizing downtown.
The opening of Waterfront Park was enriched by the installation of new public art that creates and enhances a sense of place. And our community-engaged processes for grant selections ensured our stewarding of public funds remain fair and transparent.
Read on for our 2025 Year in Review. Please note: all data is accurate as of this posting.
Arts Education
The Creative Advantage is a partnership between our office, Seattle Public Schools (SPS), the Seattle Foundation, and community arts partners. Together, we are working to ensure every Seattle student receives the high-quality arts education they deserve.
In the 2024-25 school year, 11,204 SPS students received arts education and we awarded $218,000 to arts partners through this program. 54 SPS schools hosted teaching artists in a total of 64 school day residencies. We also increased the number of schools eligible to access Creative Advantage funds to 104, meaning that just over half of eligible schools hosted a teaching artist in the past school year. In addition, we provided over 290 educators with professional development training in music, visual arts, and theater in partnership with major Seattle arts and cultural institutions.
ARTS at King Street Station
ARTS at King Street Station is a dynamic space for arts and culture in the heart of the city, dedicated to increasing opportunities for communities of color to generate and present their work.
In 2025, we welcomed 14,661 visitors to the gallery, an 18% increase from the previous year. We had a total of 13 gallery exhibitions, showcasing local artists in a variety of mediums. Outside of exhibitions, we hosted 149 artists to produce 31 days of programming. Our busiest day of 2025: Nov. 6 for the First Thursday opening of Welcome to Paradise: ¡Viva Puerto Rico Libre! with 433 guests.
The ARTS at King Street Station residency had a significant impact on my practice by making it possible to balance multiple roles—artist, parent, educator—without having to step away from them… It offered the space and support I needed to prioritize my practice without compromising my other responsibilities, which has been both grounding and empowering.
– Shruti Ghatak, 2025 ARTS at King Street Station Artist in Residence
Thank you to the ARTS at King Street Station Advisors, who work with our staff to ensure that the gallery programming centers racial equity, represents and welcomes diverse communities, and showcases many creative disciplines.
Creative Placemaking
- Produced more than 30 activations at ARTS at King Street Station.
- Distributed $3.6M to more than 120 grantees.
- Supported 23 grantees who produced dozens of activations throughout Downtown via the Hope Corps grant program.
- Designed and launched an open call for the new and unique PIVOT program (Pathways to Innovation, Vitality, and Organizational Transformation), which received 115 applications.
Financials
We have two primary funding sources:
- 1% for Art – This ordinance requires capital construction departments to allocate 1% of the total cost of their construction projects for art. This funds our Public Art division. We steward this money through the commission, purchase, and installation of public art.
- Admission Tax – 5% of your ticket price for certain cultural venues or events in Seattle. We re-invest this money back into Seattle’s arts and culture sector: in our grants, offering arts education to all Seattle Public Schools students through The Creative Advantage, maintenance of the Civic Art Collection, and more.
Grants
We put thousands of artists, cultural workers, and arts educators to work by awarding $4,774,275 in grant funding to 494 artists and organizations in 2025. And received a combined 901 applications for our 8 open grant opportunities. This represents a 38% increase in the overall number of grant applications compared to previous years. We continue to see significant increases in demand for our grant programs across the board.
Receiving this grant from the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture was a powerful validation… It reminded me that this city believes in experimentation. That Seattle values artists who are bridging mediums and re-imagining how stories can be told. This is truly the spirit of our great city.
– Jeff Leisawitz, 2025 CityArtist Grantee
Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute
Over 16,000 visitors attended events produced by non-profit programming partner, LANGSTON, and rentals.
Public Art
106 artworks were accessioned into the Civic Art Collection, a monumental increase from our typical annual count of 2-4 artworks annually. Of these new artworks, there were:
- 90 portable works, 87 of which were curated by Fresh Perspectives youth cohort
- 16 publicly-sited across Seattle, putting the City’s 1% for Art dollars to work, simultaneously enriching the lives of Seattle residents and visitors by providing opportunities for individuals to encounter art in parks, community centers, on roadways, bridges and other public venues.
Public Art also played an important role in the opening of Waterfront Park, including nine site-specific artwork projects and two fountain re-installations.
Seeing people’s enthusiasm about celebrating the University Bridge and supporting public art in Seattle has filled me with so much joy and newfound confidence.
– Vivan Cho, 2025 SDOT Bridge Artist in Residence
New Staff
Grants Management Systems Administrator, Michael Allen (He/Him), started his career in production design for theatre and film. He’s been an interdisciplinary artist, and designed and built technology projects for non-profits most of his adult life.
From 2002-2005, Michael worked with OAC as a Community Development and Outreach Technology Liaison. Since 2018, he’s worked as a contractor as our primary Fluxx Systems Administrator. Michael is excited for this next phase in working for OAC!
Panel Operations & Data Specialist, Sara Bateman (She/Her), comes to OAC with a professional background that ranges from federal grant and contract management to working on community-based arts and culture projects. Most recently, she worked for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as a Program Analyst. In this role, she contributed to the management of Division of Preservation and Access grants, primarily working with the Cultural and Community Resilience and Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions grant programs.
Outside of work, Sara loves spending time engaging with craft and traditional arts, with a particular passion for fiber arts.
Digital Media Specialist, Nina Dubinsky (She/They), is a Seattle-born and -based artist, writer, and digital content strategist with a passion for community impact and the arts. They hold a B.A. from the University of Washington, where they double majored in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts and Communication.
With over seven years in social media strategy, content creation, and storytelling in a variety of fields, Nina’s work is rooted in a commitment to amplifying marginalized voices and creating space for inclusive, community-driven narratives.
Outside of work, you can find Nina at your local boba shop doodling, reading, or beading.
Cultural Space Project Manager, Pinky Estell (He/Him), graduated from Cornish College of the Arts (BFA) and from UNCSA (MFA), in Technical Direction. Presently, he is the Director of Operations and Creative Space & Events Services at Cornish College of the Arts. Pinky serves as the President of the UpTown Arts & Culture District in Seattle, Washington and Tukwila Arts Commission.
Outside of his work in the performing arts and facilities, Pinky is an Iron Monkey artist, a metalworking collective that transforms heavy industrial steel into intricate, delicate designs. Creating large-scale, multi-faceted gathering spaces that often feature propane fire elements. He is also active with the regional Burning Man nonprofits as a Department of Public Works lead for Precipitation Northwest (Oregon), Ignition Northwest (Washington), and Artica staff for The Burning Man Project.
Operations Manager, Virginia Frances (She/Her), is excited to be back at OAC for the second time. The first was for a 1-year special project on loan from Parks & Recreation to lead OAC’s re-location to King Street Station and coordinate the opening of the public gallery and community space. Now as our Operations Manager she’ll be leading internal systems process improvements so that OAC can operate at it’s finest!
Outside of work, Virginia loves spending time outdoors (both land and sea), perusing thrift shops, and soaking up art spaces. Her creative expression often shows up through her passion for fashion — especially if it’s vintage!
Out of Class, Panel Coordinator, Delia Floor (She/Her), enjoys new challenges involving people, information, relationships, and good governance. She’s well-versed in facilitating collaborative decisions, healthy group dynamics, synthesizing information, and meticulous editing.
Delia is a Jane-of-all-trades (bookbinding, fiber arts, home renovation, gardener), mother of two adult sons, currently interested in deepening community, and friendships in these troubled times. She has worked for the City in various capacities over the past 10 years. Beyond the work day, she finds delight in color, texture, sound, and movement; believes art can save lives, and that re-use is the highest and best form of recycling.
Building Monitor, Aalijah Fulton (He/Him), spent several years working for Seattle Parks and Recreation and Renton Parks and Recreation, building relationships and creating positive spaces for youth and the community. His passion for mentorship and the arts began in 2014 while serving at the nonprofit Cryout!, where he discovered the power of creative expression through music.
Outside of work, Aalijah enjoys exploring new foods across the Pacific Northwest, gaming on both classic and modern consoles, staying active at the gym, and perfecting his signature fried chicken—a must-try favorite among friends.
Building Monitor, Bacchus Grenfell (She/Her), is a musician and visual artist that has worked with various art organizations and venues over the years. Prior to starting at OAC, she was an event programmer for Cafe Red, programs coordinator at Northwest Folklife, and co-curates at the Velvet Vapor lounge.
In her free time, Bacchus creates visual artwork primarily in acrylic and pen and ink. She also designs screen prints for the Concvss Creations clothing brand and has had her work displayed at Blue Cone Studios, Central Saloon, and the TK Artist Lofts during art walk events. Bacchus is an electronic music producer in the artist collective Alchemy Union, working primarily with vintage multitrack recorders and analog equipment that she repairs and restores herself.
Building Monitor, Renee Robinson (She/Her), is originally from Chicago and moved to Seattle with her family in 1978. She graduated from ASA Mercer Jr. High School, Cleveland High School, and Highline Community College. Wanting something more, Renee joined the United States Army and served for seven years as a Supply Specialist and Armorer. She continued her service in the Army Reserves and was stationed here in Seattle.
Renee also worked in Alaska as a commercial fisher for 20 years, enjoying providing for Washington as well as our Sister States. From there, she went to pipefitting school and learned how to install sprinkler systems throughout the city.
Public Art Project Manager, Robert Rutherford (He/Him), is an artist and cultural producer whose work moves between storytelling, music, poetry, and craft. His path has carried him through museums and community spaces, each a setting for connection between people, art, and curiosity. He’s taught at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, produced storytelling shows in Denver and San Diego, and oversaw film festivals, exhibitions, and youth artist programs at the Museum of Pop Culture. He also managed the Summer at SAM programs at Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park.
A musician, poet, and woodworker, Robert’s practice is rooted in care and exploration, in supporting and contributing to the collective work of building spaces where creative expression feels both personal and shared, both grounded and alive.
Downtown Activation Project Manager, Caitlin Truong (She/Her), is an architectural designer, artist, and educator born and raised in South Seattle. Her creative practice combines design, cultural memory, and community, focused on uplifting marginalized voices and creating spaces of dignity and belonging.
Her work spans affordable housing, public art in Chinatown’s Little Saigon, youth arts education, and founding grassroot initiatives that create pathways for BIPOC students and professionals in design.
Outside of work, you’ll find Caitlin doing ceramics, eating pickles, and driving around town in her 1998 kei truck
Out of Class Grants Project Manager, Morgan Young (She/Her), was born and raised in Seattle/Renton. She graduated from Seattle University with a Bachelors in Strategic Communications and Media Studies. During her undergrad, she broke into the Top 5 all-time records in the Triple, Long, and High Jump, and is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Arts Leadership.
Morgan has always been a creative person and is actively creating concepts to share with the world to build community through creative expression. Community, service, and the Arts have always been important principles in her life and she continues to put them into practice while building her career.
