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Amy Nguyen joins the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture as the new Public Art Program Manager

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The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture is excited to announce Amy Nguyen as the new Public Art Program Manager. Amy leads the dynamic team charged with overseeing the City’s investments in generative artmaking in the public realm. She joined the office full time in January 2021.

“I see public art as culture mapped on physical space,” says Amy. “I’m thrilled to build upon the rich legacy of the Public Art program and to forge new opportunities to invest in art that truly reflects the artistic expression of those most impacted. I believe through community-driven public art, we have the power to envision the City we want to live in.”

The Public Art Program integrates artworks and the ideas of artists into a variety of public settings, advancing Seattle’s reputation as a cultural center for innovation and creativity. The program specifies that 1% of eligible city capital improvement project funds be set aside for the commission, purchase and installation of artworks in a variety of settings. The Civic Art Collection currently includes more than 400 permanently sited and integrated works and nearly 3,000 portable works. 

Amy’s work as an administrator and urban planner is rooted in participatory process and she brings with her the understanding that public art is central to how we construct public space in cities. By providing opportunities for individuals to encounter art in parks, libraries, community centers, on roadways, bridges and other public venues, the Public Art program simultaneously enrich our daily lives and give voice to artists.   

Prior to joining ARTS, Amy spent over 10 years as a public servant and nonprofit leader that includes serving in management roles at the Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and as a Legislative Aide for a Seattle City Council member. Beyond that, her experience in policy analysis, nonprofit management and community organizing spans New York City, New Orleans and Seattle. Amy received a Master’s degree in Urban Policy and an undergraduate degree in Urban Studies from the New School in New York. 

Poetry in Pandemic Times

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by Alicia Craven, Director of Education, Seattle Arts & Lectures

In this year of remote learning, support from The Creative Advantage has allowed schools to provide essential creative outlets for students to process and respond with vibrancy and curiosity to a world outside that can feel alternatingly both rapidly changing and static.

One example is through Writers in the Schools, (WITS), a program of Seattle Arts & Lectures. Founded in 1994, WITS brings professional writers—in poetry, prose and comics— into public school classrooms throughout the Puget Sound Region for extended creative writing residencies.

During this year of remote learning, the program has continued with writers beaming into elementary through high school classes for creative writing lessons to help students develop and strengthen their authentic writing voices and become authors of their own lives.

To the Moon by Stella Hoffman Logan, age 10, Dearborn Elementary School, Fourth Grade Dear Moon, where do you go when you disappear you aren't fiery like the sun but you are beautiful in all your serene glory how can you stand all that darkness that surrounds you chasing you following you wherever you go isn't it sad? all that darkness? no light? Dear Human, I disappear into darkness when the sky wraps me in its cool yet warm presence I fade away I know I'm not fiery and darkness is my home that's how I stand it but how can you stand all that light chasing you wherever you go isn't it so bright? All that light, no darkness?

When in-person schooling was paused last spring, WITS moved their annual Year-End Reading event to an online format, and celebrated student work through recorded videos and both a digital gallery and printed posters of student writing. We are all grateful to be part of a creative constellation of youth arts programming in this city!

Learn more about WITS and the sister program, Seattle Youth Poet Laureate.

Register now for March April online arts classes

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Classes are FREE but advance registration is required.  Enrollment begins February 16th

Building on our successful December 2020 pilot program with Seattle Parks & Recreation, The Creative Advantage is expanding the Creative Advantage ALL ACCESS Arts Stream (CAAAAS). This March we’re offering FREE, high-quality, accessible, *synchronous* out of school time arts classes for young people. 

This collaboration maximizes the community arts education power of the City’s Parks and ARTS offices, Seattle Public Schools,  The Vera Project and teaching artists and youth facilitators from 5 different arts partners: Pacific Northwest Ballet, Arts Corps, TeenTix, Seattle Arts & Lectures Writers in the Schools, and KUOW’s RadioActive.  

Check out the class information and registration links below and spread the word to the young artists you know! 

Virtual Classes for Elementary Grades 

Dancing our Natural World  

Ciara stands on one leg, arms out and leans to the side. A class of young students copies her.

Wednesdays, 3 – 4 pm. Starting March 3  
Great for students in grades 2-4  
Register here 
Pacific Northwest Ballet presents movements to share and express what you know, think, and feel. Join teaching artist Ciara McCormack of PNB in using nature and our physical world as inspiration for movement. . A link to Webex for the class will be in your email, 2 days prior to class. 

Poetry: Magic Words and Magic Powers 

Alpaca, by Yu Zeng, age 11, Lowell Elementary School, Fifth Grade: You are an alpaca. You are found in a desert, mountain, or South America. You are like slow dripping honey falling in a jar. You are beige, burnt sienna. You are screeching like a flamingo. You are soft and fluffy. You are long necked and different colored. You teach me how to be peaceful but still be yourself. You make me feel calm and peaceful. If this animal wanted a gift, it would ask for humans to treat them better because they are only a limited animal. How are you so peaceful? You are slow dripping honey falling in a jar.

Wednesdays, 4 – 5 pm. Starting March 3 
Great for students in grades 2-5  
Register here 
In a time of disruption and confinement, poetry can be a great tool for grounding youth in the power of imagination and language and inviting them to find new magic in everyday life. Teaching artist Jay Thompson of Seattle Arts & Lectures’ WITS program will invite students to use their five senses, explore their homes, play with words, and delight themselves with their poems. A link to Webex for the class will be in your email, 2 days prior to class.  

Pop-up Books and Paper Magic

A blue duck in the middle of a pop-up with an open beak and a long tongue: hello!

Saturdays, 10 – 11 am. Starting March 6
Great for students in grades 3-6.  
Register here 
Learn how to cut and fold paper to create 2D and 3D shapes with teaching artist Jiéyì Ludden of Arts Corps. Together, you’ll explore design strategies, crafting, and storytelling in an inclusive environment.  A link to Webex for the class will be in your email, 2 days prior to class.  

Virtual Classes for Teens 

SoundBites: Exploring storytelling and radio journalism with RadioActive Youth Media 

Two young Black girls with radio equipment—mics and headphones, interviewing near the waterfront.

Saturdays, 5 – 6:30 pm. Starting March 13
Register here 
Join teaching artist Kelsey Kupferer and KUOW’s RadioActive Youth Media for a deep-dive into audio storytelling. Each session will focus on a different topic, including narrative storytelling, interviewing like a broadcast journalist, and hosting a podcast. These sessions are geared toward youth who are interested in writing, storytelling, journalism, podcasting, and amplifying youth voice.

You can attend each session, or choose just the sessions you’re most interested in. Learn more about RadioActive at kuow.org/radioactive.  

March 13: Storytelling with a narrative arc

What makes a great story great? In this interactive workshop, you’ll learn three tools for finding, structuring, and focusing any type of story. We’ll talk about the elements of a great story, and draw story idea maps to identify stories in our own lives and communities. This workshop is great for teens interested in journalism, creative writing, fiction and nonfiction filmmaking, and all types of storytelling. All are welcome, and no experience is necessary. 

March 20: Interviewing like a broadcast journalist

Journalistic interviewing is all about asking great questions and listening closely to the answers. In this interactive workshop, you’ll identify what makes a great interview question, and practice by interviewing a partner. Interviewing skills are useful in almost all professions—you don’t have to be interested in journalism to benefit from this session. All are welcome, and no experience is necessary.

March 27: The power of voice in audio storytelling

Want to start your own podcast? In this workshop, you’ll learn how writing for radio is different from other types of writing, and how to record your voice so it sounds like you. Throughout this session, we’ll focus on the unique power of your voice. This workshop is especially great for folks who are eager to record their own audio stories. All are welcome, and no experience is necessary. 

April 3: Creative audio listening session

What makes audio storytelling different from other types of storytelling? In this listening session, we invite you to kick back, relax, and listen to some of our favorite creative audio stories. This session is great for people who love podcasts and audio stories, or people who want to learn more about them. All are welcome, and no experience is necessary. 

April 10: Becoming a critical news consumer 

Journalists aim to create and serve a more informed public. But news outlets can perpetuate racist narratives by centering whiteness and not addressing structural inequity in their stories. In this interactive media literacy workshop, we’ll talk about how to be critical news consumers. We’ll look at the ways white supremacy and racist narratives show up in the news, why it matters, and three questions you can ask to think critically about any story. All are welcome, and no experience is necessary.

Teen Night with TeenTix for High Schoolers

Two dancers, one Asian, one Black, wearing tall beehive wigs, move with their arms entwined.
When the Wolves Came In by Kyle Abraham/Abraham In Motion at On the Boards

Saturdays, 7 – 8:30 pm.  Starting March 13  
Targeted for High School Teens  
Register here 
An evening for high school ages teens with young folx from Teen Tix and teaching artist Alethea Alexander, this virtual Teen Night includes a screening of a performance from a local arts organization and a facilitated conversation and reflection activity on what you just saw. An opportunity for teens to continue to experience amazing local performances and connect!  A link to Webex for the class will be in your email, 2 days prior to class.  

See below for class details.

Teen Night with TeenTix for Middle Schoolers  

A young girl clings to a metal fence, looking downward. People are all around her.
Still from GHAZAAL

Saturdays, 7 – 8:30 pm. Starting March 20  
Targeted for Middle School Teens  
Register here 
An evening for high school ages teens with young folx from Teen Tix and teaching artist Alethea Alexander, this virtual Teen Night includes a screening of a performance from a local arts organization and a facilitated conversation and reflection activity on what you just saw. An opportunity for teens to continue to experience amazing local performances and connect!  A link to Webex for the class will be in your email, 2 days prior to class.  

March 13 – High School
March 20 – Middle School

Screening and discussing NFFTY Films:

  • Joychild by Aurora Brachman – A young child tells their mother “I’m not a girl” for the first time.
  • Yellow Cards of Equal Pay by Maia Vota – Members of the Burlington, VT High School girls soccer team recount the launch of their viral #EqualPay movement, inspired by Megan Rapinoe and the U.S. women’s national soccer team, from its humble beginnings to national media coverage.
  • GHAZAAL by Ragini Bhasin – A 13-year-old feisty Afghan refugee hustles around in a refugee camp as she experiences her period without having access to any sanitary napkins.

March 27 – High School
April 3 – Middle School

Screening and discussing an OtB.tv performance:

When the Wolves Came In by Kyle Abraham/Abraham In Motion at On the Boards: Award-winning choreographer and performer Kyle Abraham presents a program of new work inspired by jazz great Max Roach’s We Insist Freedom Now.

April 10 – High School
April 17 – Middle School

Screening and discussing 17 Minute Plays from Macha TheatreWorks

  • Ancestral Trauma and Healing for Dummies, Co-written by Maddy Nibble and Christine O’Connor performed by Maddy Nibble: A tragicomic trauma-romp through the ages exploring the consequences of White Supremacy and Internalized Capitalism on a perfectly well intentioned, deeply abusive Irish-Italian immigrant family. Co-writers Maddy and their actual real-life mom, Christine O’Connor, travel across time and space to delve deep into the origins of false ideologies, shame-based addictions, and other bewildering heirlooms — and all in just 17 minutes!
  • In the Crosshairs, Written and performed by Roz Cornejo. The story of a mixed chick untangling her relationships with her hair, her skin, and her identity.

Solar Utopias Premiere Screening!

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Here is the playlist from our YouTube Channel of the entire Solar Utopias screening, including an introductory video by curator Britta Johnson, all twelve films by local artists, and the Q&A with most of the artists after the program.

The City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture is excited to share a few more peeks at some of the videos represented in Solar Utopias, a series of art film/videos made by twelve local film and video artists responding to the question: What is a solar utopia?

The online screening premiere of Solar Utopias is scheduled for February 12, 2021 at 7pm via the Northwest Film Forum. The screening will include all 12 films as well as a live streamed artist Q and A. Tickets are free with an RSVP at https://bit.ly/solarutopias

This second teaser features excerpts from the following artists’ videos:

Tracy Rector

Grandma’s Baskets
In Grandma’s Baskets, the shared knowledge of intergenerational teachings reveals itself on a carefree afternoon of berry picking, in a sweet moment between two cousins.
@tracyrectorart

Inye Wokoma

Reverie
Reverie is the story of a young girl who confronts a moment of hardship faced by her family and through this experience is thrust into the deeper secrets of the Universe connecting her to the vast possibilities of abundance hidden between the Earth and the Stars.
Website: http://inyewokoma.com/blog/
@inyewokoma

Satpreet Kahlon

transverse orientation
transverse orientation is a visual love poem for the Sun – who we only experience through reflection, refraction, or mediation. the video explores how the impossibility of a more direct encounter, and the relentless desire for one, mirrors the search for lost generational history, ancestral knowledge, and utopian ideals that were lost through colonization.
@itssatpreet

Wynn Greenwood

Untitled
A series of constructed scenes explore the emotional transformation from manipulation to collaboration.
@wynndow_sill

Clyde Petersen

When Home was a Blue Sky
A guide to building an Artist Residency in the Pacific Northwest forest in the middle of an Apocalypse.
@clyde_petersen_studios

D.K. Pan

an excerpt of Resilience (Suns)
an excerpt of Resilience (Suns) is a meditation on time, spheres, and parabolic journeys.
@dk_pan

This project is commissioned with Seattle City Light % for Art funds and administered by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.

This first teaser features excerpts from the following artists’ videos:

Susan Robb

Seven Suns
Seven Suns is a poem about the nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma at the center of our solar system.
@susanrobb

Webster Crowell

Solar Forests
For Solar Forests, I utilized my skills as a carpenter and fascination with wood as a living medium to explore the inner workings of a tree. Utilizing a portion of a responsibly harvested tree, I animated growth rings to illustrate the passage of time in the life of one of these solar powered behemoths.
@webstercrowell

Brent Watanabe

Crest Crown
Crest Crown is a short animated video sculpted and animated in VR, following a baby bird’s transformation in a junkyard.
@b_watanabe

Stefan Gruber

Sphere of Influence
The filmmaker’s family business in the 1970s was a solar powered water heating company called Suncor that had an optimistic start until government subsidies were removed. This animation imagines a deep future where such programs had been allowed to thrive. It samples colors from the Seattle overcast sky, and voyages near the sun where future dwellers in golden suits communicate through unicorn horns and live in satellites made of fruit.
@stefangruber

Coley Mixan

7th sun of the 11th sun
7th sun of the 11th sun is a sonic collage building space for utopia to smell, taste, look and feel right now. Spaces to rest and be still, green rainforests, arm-reaching saguaros, fresh baked cookies, dancing the way one’s body wants to move, deep breaths, bitter gooseberries, pierogies on the beach, grandmother’s rainbows, forgiving yourself, radio prairies, solar consciousness–all right now, all at once & always/all ways.
@astro.ooze

C. Davida Ingram

As Yet Untitled (of fire & water)
Taking a peripatetic view of liberation via glimpses of life pre-pandemic and during the historic 2020 lockdown, this is a meditation on freedom dreams. Taking long pauses and short glimpses, different realities merge here including that of archive, documentary, and imaginings. Vocalists Johnaye Kendrick and Momma Nikki furnish freedom songs to help settle the score in this imaginary. Along the way, portraits of 21st century abolitionists, local youth, artists, and organizers shift and shape this elliptical untitled experimental video diary.
@idebelle76

February 12, 2021; 7pm PT
Northwest Film Forum (online)
Tickets are free with an RSVP here.
#SeattleSolarUtopias

The online screening premiere of Solar Utopias will include all 12 films as well as a live streamed artist Q & A. Solar Utopias is a series of art film/videos made by 12 local film and video artists responding to the question: What is a solar utopia?

The artists creating work for this project include Brent Watanabe, C. Davida Ingram, Clyde Petersen, coley mixan, D.K. Pan, Inye Wokoma, Satpreet Kahlon, Stefan Gruber, Susan Robb, Tracy Rector, Webster Crowell, and wynne greenwood. Britta Johnson, the project’s curator, has made introductory and closing videos for the compilation.

The COVID-19 pandemic, uprisings for racial justice, and growing climate emergency have thrown many of our societal systems into question; now more than ever, it is necessary to envision possible futures.

The project takes into consideration the limitations set by the current “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order – work was created on a small scale, with available gear and resources, using a variety of live-action and animation methods. Each artist brings their own unique perspective in answering “What is a Solar Utopia?” and interweaves themes from Seattle City Light’s mission into the work: sustainability, environmental stewardship, and renewable energy.

This project is commissioned with Seattle City Light % for Art funds and administered by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.

About the artists

BRITTA JOHNSON is a Seattle-based artist. She makes stop-motion animated video installations and initiates and participates in community projects. Her animations often explore natural phenomena; space, light, texture and movement are the main events.

She also makes short films, and has directed music videos for bands including Laura Veirs, Lusine, Andrew Bird, and Minus the Bear. Her projects and collaborations with musicians (Mirah and Spectratone Int’l, Robin Holcomb, etc.) have shown in venues including Greg Kucera Gallery, the Lawrimore Project, Gallery4Culture, Bumbershoot, the Henry Art Gallery, and Giant Magnet; the RedCat festival, the PICA’s TBA festival, the Walker Art Center, MassMoCA, the Kennedy Center, and the Boston MFA. 

She is the founder and a co-curator of The High Wall.
Website: http://www.thekmpi.net/
Instagram: @thekmpi

BRENT WATANABE is an artist combining a background in traditional materials and practices (drawing, sculpture) with emerging technologies (computer programming, electronics), exploring an artistic field still being defined and discovered. 

Since 2006, he has been creating computer controlled installations and experiments driven by an obsession with systems that regulate themselves. They are slapstick tragicomedies that have featured an animatronic crow streaming itself live on YouTube, a pneumatic cat attacking holographic rodents, and an open world video game played on acrylic paintings (and the surrounding wall and floor).

One of his recent projects, San Andreas Deer Cam (2016), was presented live on the Internet, had over 800,000 visitors in the first three months, and was written about in dozens of publications, including New York Magazine, the BBC, and WIRED. 

Watanabe is a three time MacDowell Colony fellow (2011, 2013, 2016), and among his awards and residencies has received an Artist Fellowship from Artist Trust Foundation (2011), the Catherine Boettcher fellowship from MacDowell Colony (2012), and a“Visions of the U.S.”award from American Film Institute (1997).

He has participated in numerous group shows and screenings nationally and internationally, most recently at NEoN Digital Arts Festival (Dundee, Scotland, 2016), and NTT InterCommunication Center (Tokyo, Japan, 2018-19) . He has had solo exhibitions at Jack Straw New Media Gallery (Seattle, WA, 2009), Gallery 4Culture (Seattle, WA, 2011), Anchor Art Space (Anacortes, WA, 2013), and Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival (Seattle, 2016).

Website: http://bwatanabe.com/
Instagram: @b_watanabe

C. DAVIDA INGRAM is an award-winning artist and civic leader based in Seattle, Washington. Her artwork, curatorial projects, and writing discuss race and gender via lens-based media, social practice, performance art, lyrical essay and installation art. Ingram has exhibited at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, Northwest African American Museum, Bridge Productions, Intiman Theater, and Town Hall in Seattle, Evergreen College and more. Her writing has appeared in Praxis Center for Social Justice, Arcade, Ms. Magazine blog, The James Franco Review, and The Stranger. In 2014, Ingram received the 2014 Stranger Genius Award in Visual Arts. In 2016, she became a Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Fellow and was one of the finalists for the Neddy award in Visual Arts. In 2018, she was awarded the Jacob Lawrence Legacy Residency at the University of Washington. Seattle Magazine has voted Ingram both one of the 20 most talented people in Seattle (2016) and one of Seattle’s most influential people (2017). Her art is part of the collections of the City of Seattle, the Tacoma Art Museum, the Frye Art Museum and several private collectors

Instagram: @idebelle76

CLYDE PETERSEN  is a transgender Northwest artist, working in film, animation, music, installation and fabulous spectacle. He is the director of Torrey Pines, an autobiographical stop-motion animated feature film about schizophrenia and transgender identity. Clyde established and runs The Fellow Ship Artist Residency on Guemes Island and is currently working on two new feature films  He has been the recipient of the Artist Innovators Award, The Neddy at Cornish, The Stranger Genius Award, Amazon Artist Residency, the NEFA Touring Artists Grant, and various project grants from 4Culture, Seattle Office of Arts &Culture and Artist Trust throughout the years. His work has been featured around the world in museums, galleries and DIY venues. 

Website: https://www.clydepetersen.com/
Instagram: @clyde_petersen_studios

COLEY MIXAN  is a trans musician, public library educator, pastry/prairie enthusiast and performance artist.

Website: http://coleymixan.rocks
Instagram: @astro.ooze

D.K. PAN is an artist investigating the intersection of place and memory – exploring the interstices and histories of site; the personal and collective body.

Website: http://www.dkpan.com
Instagram: @dk_pan

INYE WOKOMA is a visual artist, journalist and filmmaker. He received his B.A. degree in journalism and filmmaking from Clark Atlanta University. He is the recipient of two photojournalism awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, a 2004 National Council on Crime and Delinquency PASS Award for criminal justice reportage, a 2012 Telly Award for his film ‘Lost and (Puget) Sound’, a 2019 Americans For The Arts Public Art Year In Review Award as a part of the groups show ‘Borderlands’ and a 2019 Neddy Award Winner in the Open Medium category. His work explores themes of identity, community, history, land, politics and power through the lens of personal and visual narratives. A commitment to social practice prioritizes the utility of his art to the collective welfare of his community. Four of his most recent projects, A Central Vision, An Elegant Utility, This Is Who We Are, and Wa Na Wari represent a prismatic exploration of the history, current experience and future of Seattle’s African American Community in the Central District. Inye’s family has lived in the Central District since the 1940s.

Website: http://inyewokoma.com/blog/
Instagram: @inyewokoma

SATPREET KAHLON is a Punjabi-born artist, curator, and educator based in Seattle, WA. Through her work, which has been featured in Hyperallergic and Artforum, she is interested in creating visual language and immersive encounters that express and explore intersectional cultural experiences as well as the manufactured systems of inequity that dictate their boundaries. 

In addition to her studio practice, which most recently includes a solo show at Brown University, a body of work shown at the Wing Luke Museum, and a large-scale public commission at the new Washington State Convention Center, Satpreet is a co-curator of yəhaw̓, as well as the managing editor of New Archives, a non-profit arts journal covering the Northwest Coast. She has also designed and taught youth programming all over the US, most notably running the Design Your Neighborhood program in partnership with the Seattle Art Museum and the Parks and Recreation Department between 2015 and 2017.

In 2019, Satpreet graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, where she received a full-fellowship to pursue her MFA in Sculpture, and was named one of 35 most influential people in Seattle by Seattle Magazine.

Website: https://www.satpreetkahlon.com/
Instagram: @itssatpreet

STEFAN GRUBER (born December 8, 1975) is an American experimental animator and performance artist from Seattle, Washington. They create hand-drawn, digitally finished experimental animation shorts and are Animation Department founder and teacher at The Nova Animation Project and the founder of Seattle Experimental Animation Team (SEAT)

Website: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan_Gruber
Instagram: @stefangruber

SUSAN ROBB is an artist and creative consultant. Her work is an ongoing investigation of our emotional connection to place and takes its form as sculpture, photography, video, and the orchestration of temporary, site responsive, and socially engaged projects. She has exhibited work in museums and galleries worldwide and created public art for Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle Department of Transportation, King County Parks, and Recology King County. Robb has received numerous awards and fellowships including a Creative Capital grant, a Pollock Krasner Fellowship, two Artist Trust Fellowships, and a Stranger Genius Award. In 2016 Robb worked with Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and Seattle Department of Transportation to write the Public Art Master Plan for Center City Seattle where she centered racial justice and equitable use of public space. In 2017 she was the Artist in Residence for the city of Tacoma, WA where she offered creative solutions around issues of homelessness and site activation. In 2019 she was a Creative Consultant for the City of Redmond, WA and Friends of Youth Foundation where she developed an arts and nature pilot program for teens experiencing homelessness that centered their personal stories as a means to create transformative, narrative-based video.

Website: https://www.susanrobb.com/
Instagram: @susanrobb

TRACY RECTOR has a passion for amplifying and empowering Indigenous and BIPOC voices. She brings forward three decades of experience as a community organizer, educator, filmmaker, film programmer, and arts curator, all infused with her deep roots in plant medicine. For the last 18 years she has directed and produced over 400 films including shorts, features, music videos, and virtual reality projects. Her work has been featured on Independent Lens, ImagineNative, National Geographic, and the Smithsonian’s Museum of the American Indian, as well as at international film festivals including Cannes and Toronto. Tracy is the managing director of storytelling at Nia Tero, sits on the board of the Mize Foundation, is the co-founder of Longhouse Media and founder of Indigenous Showcase and is a mother of two sons – one a media activist and the other an emerging community farmer.

Website: https://www.indigenousshowcase.org/
Instagram: @tracyrectorart

WEBSTER CROWELL  is a muti-diciplinary Filmmaker, Animator and artist based in Seattle Washington. His films are tactile, utilizing found objects, clay, classic animation armatures, and interactive performers. His own films include the Web series ‘Rocketmen’ as well as short films, a feature film, and multiple collaborative projects including work with Dina Martina, Frye Art Museum, NW Film Forum, Artist Trust, Consolidated Works, and more. In addition, Webster has an extensive history working as an art fabricator and installation expert with contemporary artists, curators and art institutions.  His awards include the Stranger Genius award for film, as well as support from Artist Trust, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, 4-Culture, NW Film Forum and the Washington Film Innovation Lab.

Website: http://www.panicbuttonpictures.com/
Instagram: @webstercrowell

WYNNE GREENWOOD  is a video artist and song-maker who also often brings those things together with objects, installation, and performance. Her practice grows from making dialogues with versions of self and the worlds those versions live in/are of. Her work has been included in exhibitions at a variety of spaces including the New Museum, NYC; the Cooley Gallery, Reed College, Portland; Fanta, Milan; Crush Repeat, Seattle; the Whitney Biennial, NYC; The Kitchen, NYC; Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, LA; the Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle; and Soloway, Brooklyn. Her work is represented by Fourteen30 Contemporary.

Website: https://wynnegreenwood.bandcamp.com/releases
Instagram: @wynndow_sill

Art Kits for Seattle Public School Students

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While in a remote learning setting, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) and partners across the city have been persistent in getting art supplies to schools and students. SPS and The Creative Advantage led a massive effort to ensure students have the art materials they need.  

SPS has worked with many partners to make this possible, including the National Endowment for the Arts, Seattle Department of Education & Early Learning, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, and the Seattle Seahawks through the donation they made to The Creative Advantage last spring. 

“It’s critical that students are validated and affirmed through art materials that allow them to express, explore, connect, and deepen their learning,” Gail Sehlhorst, Visual and Performing Arts Manager for SPS said. “This pandemic is rough on all of us and this project has brought so many institutions and people together — it’s been a bright spot — and we are so very grateful.” 

In some schools, our amazing visual arts educators also collected and distributed supplies from their own classrooms to make sure their students had what they needed to continue learning in a remote setting. As a result, the district will be able to purchase art materials for every school with students enrolled in visual arts courses. 

“Access to high quality arts materials is a matter of equity,” said Ashraf Hasham, Youth Arts Manager for the Office of Arts & Culture. “I’m so proud of this City and all of its players for coming together to meet this need, and that these ‘arts kits’ can be incorporated with the Teen Hubs, our Online Arts videos we created this past Spring, and our synchronous after-school arts education opportunities we’re cooking up for this coming Winter.” 

This effort will serve approximately 25,000 students across the district with art kits. Providing important invest in the of arts and creativity so that students can to continue learning with quality art materials while at home. 

“One of DEEL’s top priorities during this period of remote learning is to support students’ social-emotional needs and ensure that they are able to connect and engage in meaningful ways while learning remotely, especially for our students of color and those furthest from educational justice.” said DEEL Director Dwane Chappelle. “We are thrilled to be partnering with the Office of Arts and Culture in this effort to enhance student engagement and participation through the arts. Supporting the Creative Advantage at our SBI schools and providing arts materials to students participating in Teen Hubs are great ways to encourage student creativity and care for their social and emotional wellbeing.” 

The art kits may include a variety of materials, depending on the school or course, such as markers, erasers, pipe cleaners, colored pencils, sharpies, sketchbooks, scissors, paints and paintbrushes, glue sticks, crayons, and different papers like colorful construction paper, card stock, non-lined paper, and more. At one school, local restaurant Pagliacci Pizza even donated pizza boxes to hold all the supplies for students. 

Thank you to all of our partners that worked together to make this possible and for our visual arts educators for assembling and distributing the kits to their students. It truly was a team effort to serve all SPS students, especially those furthest from educational justice. During this time of uncertainty, it’s important to give students ways to express themselves through the arts, even while learning from home. 

Learn more about visual and performing arts at Seattle Public Schools. 

THE AMP: AIDS MEMORIAL PATHWAY SEEKS AUGMENTED REALITY APP DEVELOPER FOR CAPITOL HILL ART INSTALLATION

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The AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway, a Seattle-based public arts installation is seeking a provider to create an Augmented Reality (AR) mobile application that will work in conjunction with the artworks. The application will be an installed app that should work on iOS and Android platforms. The RFP can be downloaded and viewed here. Submissions are due January 22, 2021 by 5pm PST.

Set in the heart of Capitol Hill, on the plaza above the Capitol Hill Light Rail station and into the north edge of Cal Anderson Park, The AMP will be one of the most significant public art installations in the region. The AMP will have four physical artworks as well as a website and the app, which will collectively create a pathway inspired by the history of the AIDS crisis and remind us to take action for a world free of AIDS and discrimination.

Interested applicants are also encouraged to attend an online information session held on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. PST. This is an opportunity to learn more about the project and review the RFP. Questions can be submitted in advance.

To attend the information session, please send an email RSVP with subject line “Add me to the webinar” to: Info@theAMP.org

Submissions:
Please use this form to apply: Submission Form
Deadline for submission is Friday, January 22, 2021, 5pm (Pacific Time)

Mayor Durkan Signs Cultural Space Agency Charter to Create First Public Development Authority in Nearly 40 Years

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New Public Development Authority to Develop Real Estate Projects in Partnership with Cultural Communities 

Mayor Jenny A. Durkan signed the Cultural Space Agency Public Development Authority (PDA) charter to create the first new PDA in nearly 40 years. The Cultural Space Agency is a first-of-its-kind cultural real estate development company, chartered by the City of Seattle and guided by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) leaders from across the cultural, community development, and commercial real estate sectors.   

“The Cultural Space Agency is central to our work to ensure an equitable recovery from COVID-19 for our artists, non-profits, and cultural organizations. Our artists and community have been on the frontlines of the slew of crises we’ve faced this year, and the pandemic, an economic downturn with job losses, and civil rights reckoning have laid bare and further magnified our region’s inequities,” said Mayor Durkan. “We can choose the City that we want to be as we recover from COVID-19. The Cultural Space Agency will lead with equitable development strategies, and center our artistic and cultural communities as a central strategy to rebuild civic health and wealth.”   

“BIPOC communities seeking to create generational wealth through cultural spaces and art institutions often highlight the lack of affordable commercial space as a major barrier. The City wants to be a partner in solving this problem, and to create new art and cultural spaces for the BIPOC community and underserved neighborhoods. I’m hopeful this PDA, coupled with allocated funding, will create new spaces that will last in community for generations to come,” said Councilmember Tammy J. Morales (District 2, South Seattle and the C/ID)

The purpose of the Cultural Space Agency is to develop cultural space real estate projects in a way that reflects the needs and desires of communities that have borne the burden of institutional racism; build community wealth through investment opportunities in cultural real estate projects; and partner with commercial real estate developers and cultural community stakeholders to create real property projects that reflect the interests and priorities of both.   

“Eight years ago when I came to the city, my goal was to create opportunities for our arts and cultural sector, especially our incredibly talented and underinvested communities of color to thrive,” said ARTS Director Randy Engstrom. “Creating the first public development authority designed to facilitate affordable, locally-controlled, culturally-focused community space is an incredible accomplishment. The Cultural Space Agency is the best mechanism for applying the City’s values to the commercial real estate market, in partnership with and on behalf of vulnerable residents in our rich cultural communities. It is a game changer for our city.”   

The Cultural Space Agency will seek long-term site control on behalf of and in partnership with community cultural organizations representing communities of color. The organization will acquire properties and create property ownership opportunities in communities historically denied ownership options. The City of Seattle has dedicated $500,000 each year for two years for initial operating costs and anticipates leveraging philanthropic investments to secure millions of additional dollars in capital investment in community-based projects.   

“Racial equity is at the center of the Cultural Space Agency, from its initial inception to the robust community engagement processes through the Build Art Space Equitably cohort, supporting communities of color is embed in the foundation of the PDA,” said Cassie Chinn, Deputy Executive Director, Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience. “Through its governance structure and decision-making processes and its accountability to historically marginalized communities through its Constituency, the PDA creates a tangible local tool and national model to transform structural racism within the public realm.”  

The newly formed Public Development Authority will be paired with the nonprofit Cultural Space Agency, working together, they will support the mission and vision of affordable, locally-controlled, culturally-focused community space. The PDA will be primary in stewarding inter-governmental relationships and in executing commercial real estate transactions, while the nonprofit will take the lead on philanthropic and community relationships.    

In 2013, Seattle became the first city in the United States to invest in a body of work dedicated to the protection of cultural space. That work, led by Cultural Space Liaison Matthew Richter, quickly expanded  to include a broad range of new projects. The Cultural Space Agency was first proposed in The CAP Report, a groundbreaking and nationally-recognized report on the City’s developing cultural space work.  To learn more about the Racial Equity Toolkit that led to the creation of the charter visit here. To learn more about the Office of Arts & Culture’s Cultural Space program that formed the basis of the Cultural Space Agency along with other arts and cultural space policies and interventions please visit this website.  

City of Seattle and Community Partners Launch ‘Shop Your Block’ Holiday Campaign to Support Small Businesses

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City develops new small business map to connect the public to local retailers for the holiday shopping season

The City of Seattle launched the new Shop Your Block retail map as part of the larger public campaign—Shop Your Block—that aims to support small businesses throughout the holiday season. Shop Your Block connects consumers to local small retail businesses throughout Seattle using the new retail map and online neighborhood marketplaces. This campaign is
the result of partnerships between the City, Comcast, small business owners, business district organizations, and community partners. Shop Your Block celebrates Seattle’s unique character and encourages the public to support local retailers in their neighborhood —in person or online— this
holiday shopping season.

The new Shop Your Block map allows users to find local retailers across the City. Users are able to search for retailers near them, or search for businesses by name, address, neighborhood, or product keywords.
The map will also display operation days and hours per business, identify if a business is open for in person shopping, online shopping, curbside pickup, or appointment only. Businesses are also able to display if they are BIPOC, Woman, LGBTQ+ or Veteran owned. Business owners can add themselves to the map by completing a short questionnaire here.

“The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic downturn have impacted so many small businesses and workers. People are hurting. The necessary new COVID-19 restrictions will have a particularly profound impact on our small businesses as we head into what normally would be a busy holiday
shopping season,” said Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan. “The Shop Your Block campaign is central to the City’s commitment to creatively support our small businesses during this challenging time. As we head
into the holidays, I encourage all Seattle residents to mask up, shop their block and support Seattle’s incredible small business community.”

“Small businesses are crucial to our city’s economic recovery, and they serve as the lifeblood of our communities. If you are able, consider shopping at a small business this holiday season, for everything
from gifts to groceries for your family’s holiday meals. Between outdoor merchandise displays, curbside pick-up, online options and more, there’s no reason to not shop your favorite local stores,” said Councilmember Tammy J. Morales (District 2, South Seattle & the C/ID).

“Spending your money at locally owned businesses ensures your dollars stay in our community. You can protect public health and patronize your favorite neighborhood shops from the convenience of your
home by using Neighborhood Marketplaces. When you shop in your neighborhood you keep small businesses open, your neighbors employed, and you help our local economy recover,” said Councilmember Dan Strauss (District 6, Northwest Seattle).

Since the onset of COVID-19, local retailers have experienced severe economic hardships, navigated statewide closures, re-opening protocols, and changing consumer habits. According to the Workforce
Development Council of Seattle King County, from March 1 through October 24, 30% of the retail trade industry has been impacted by layoffs, shutdowns, etc. as a result of COVID-19. Retail also ranks as the third highest industry of continuing unemployment insurance claims at 9.5%. Retail salespersons have the third highest continuing unemployment insurance claims in King County. As many retail businesses began ramping up for the holiday shopping season, new restrictions were announced by Governor Inslee in response to a surge of COVID-19 cases in Seattle and statewide, reducing in-person shopping capacity to 25% for retail stores.

“2020 has been a hard year, but here’s a chance for all of us to come together and give back in a positive way during the upcoming holiday season. Shop Your Block is a new effort we created with the Mayor’s
Small Business Advisory Council and other business and community partners to celebrate and support our neighborhood small businesses who are struggling to get through this unprecedented economic crisis.” said Bobby Lee, Director of the Seattle Office of Economic Development. “Many retail businesses are relying on this holiday season to re-coup some of their financial losses since the onset of this pandemic. Shop Your Block allows all of us to shop safely while showing our support for our small businesses. Join us!”

“The culture of our city depends on the unique and creative small businesses that offer diverse points of view, products and experiences.” says Amy Augustine, owner of Flora and Henry located in Pioneer Square that specializes in women, home and children’s goods. “This is the moment for Seattle to choose to protect its small businesses. Why not fill this holiday with local, artisanal, boutique shopping. We promise we can deliver the magic for this home for the holidays moment.”

In response to the initial stay at home orders, DEI Creative and neighborhood business improvement area district organizations (BIAs) and business districts —partners of the Seattle Office of Economic Development (OED)—began to develop online marketplaces for neighborhood businesses to pivot their in person operations to an e-commerce platform. To date, neighborhood marketplaces are available for Pioneer Square, Capitol Hill, West Seattle, North Seattle, Ballard, University District and Pike Place Market neighborhoods, with other Seattle neighborhood marketplaces expected to come online soon.

“The Ballard Marketplace is a virtual shopping experience designed to support our downtown Ballard businesses and adapt to the new economic environment we’ve all been thrust into. The Support Local – Ballard Marketplace provides Ballard businesses with a new, or additional method, to generate online sales and gives shoppers, who wish to do their holiday shopping online, a way to visit and support all their favorite Ballard shops and restaurants during this challenging year,” said Ballard Alliance Executive Director Mike Stewart.

OED is also partnering with Comcast to film and produce promotional videos for Shop Your Block that highlight small businesses, the retail map and online marketplaces, and encourage the public to take part in shopping local this holiday season. Comcast also contributed $50,000 to support the creation of a digital platform with HomeSight that supports South Seattle neighborhoods such as Othello, Rainier Beach, Beacon Hill, Hillman City and Columbia City—one of the online marketplaces participating in the
Shop Your Block campaign. In addition to supporting this campaign, Comcast has also partnered with OED to help small businesses and workers through the Small Business Stabilization Fund and Digital Bridge pilot program.

Most recently, Comcast announced a new nationwide grant program, Comcast Rise, which provides marketing, creative, media, and technology services to businesses owned by underrepresented groups, beginning with a focus on Black-owned businesses. The program aims to expand to other
small and diverse business owners. Visit http://www.ComcastRISE.com for more information on eligibility requirements, and the latest updates.

“Now more than ever small businesses need support from across the community. We recognize that creative programs like this are critical to helping them find successes in the coming months,” said Rodrigo Lopez, Regional Senior Vice President of the Comcast Washington region. “We are proud to support Shop Your Block with resources and continue to find new ways as a company to make an impact on small businesses and groups of people who have been adversely impacted by this global pandemic.”

Shop Your Block is also partnering with Intentionalist—an online platform that supports small businesses and diverse local communities through its online directory, guides, marketplace, and gift cards. The gift certificate marketplace is a one-stop-shop for gift certificates from restaurants and retailers throughout the Greater Seattle area. Intentionalist’s holiday gift guides highlight gift ideas available for purchase at small businesses owned by women, people of color, veterans, Indigenous people, and people with
disabilities.

“At Intentionalist, we believe that where we spend our money matters. Our Holiday Directory, Gift Guides, and Gift Certificate Marketplace make it easy to explore a variety of gift options that celebrate and support local businesses and the diverse people behind them. The small businesses at the heart of our communities are counting on all of us to #SpendLikeItMatters this holiday season,” said Intentionalist CEO, Laura Clise.

The public is encouraged to use the retail map and online marketplaces to not only shop local, but also shop early as this holiday season is expected to be very different from past years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Reduced in person shopping capacity will require retailers to limit the amount of people in the store, making online shopping the ideal option for many consumers. Shop Your Block supports users ability to safely shop online and maintain social distancing as the city continues to respond to COVID-19.
Users who wish to shop in person are encouraged to shop early, and are required to wear a face covering and follow safety protocols local businesses have in place to maintain a safe shopping environment.

“Shop Your Block keeps your favorite shops in business. Consider shopping locally online or purchasing a digital or in-store gift card that not only supports the shops you love but keeps everyone safe,” says Binko Chiong-Bisbee, owner of KOBO, an artisan shop and gallery located in Capitol Hill and the International District. “Remember there are more options than Amazon. It requires a little more research and digging, but when you come across a small local business, do what you can to support its efforts so it will survive until we can get on the other side of this public health crisis.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the City of Seattle has worked quickly to launch COVID-19 relief programs for businesses and workers.

How arts education made an impact at two alternative high schools serving BIPOC unstably housed youth in Southeast Seattle 2018-2020

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In The CYD Secondary Arts Project, a two year pilot program, Seattle Public Schools and The Creative Advantage specifically designed arts programming to reach and engage high school communities who were unstably housed or unsheltered. In 2018, ARTS received funding through the Human Services Department (and the endorsement of the Mayor’s Innovation Team) to provide high quality and culturally-relevant arts to chronicle the role of arts and creative youth development approaches to boost school attendance, classroom engagement, and matriculation.  

ARTS partnered with two schools, Southeast Interagency High School (87% BIPOC students and 30% of total enrolled students self-reported being unstably housed) and South Lake High School (where there are nearly 100% BIPOC students, of which 50% are unstably housed). Future iterations of the program will include the Seattle World School, which is 100% recent immigrant and refugee youths and at least 30% reported in recent years as being unstably housed.  

The program engaged a number of community arts partners including WeAPP, a speech writing and public speaking program, The Acting Lab (created and taught by Steve Sneed), where students learn the fundamentals of theater, and Print 4 Life (created and taught by Greg Thornton), a program that teaches students the mechanics of screen printing and gives students first-hand experience with entrepreneurship. Local government agencies beyond the arts sector are recognizing the importance of the arts in reaching harder to reach vulnerable communities. 

To tell the impact story of this partnership, we collaborated in the data collection to share the social impact that these programs had on aggregate with our young people, without stigmatizing the individual youth’s circumstances themselves. We conducted interviews at all levels of administration, teaching artists, youths; shared light anonymous paper surveys; and examined the creative works that emerged over the course of this two year pilot. In other words – we wanted to tell a story not just with GPA and graduate rates – but a more holistic account of what we observed, knowing that our programs allowed young people to tell their own stories, boosted their engagement in the classroom, and allowed them to access creative marketplaces with their wares. 

Young people also gained close knit relationships with their BIPOC teaching artists, brimmed with excitement over the culturally-relevant teaching and learning assignments, and used their artwork to channel grief and trauma that is an ongoing part of the circumstances of navigating economic uncertainty and houselessness, and at times, street violence and loss of life.   

The pivot to online learning due to COVID-19 during the Governor’s Stay at Home orders brought significant challenge to both teachers and our evaluation process, but all of this is documented to the best of our knowledge in our follow up addendum. To review other research on arts education visit our research section here.

This series of papers was written by Hannah Curtis, University of Washington, sociology doctoral student, who is currently also a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow hired as a consultant, with significant contribution from Mytoan Nguyen-Akbar, PhD, and Tina LaPadula, employees at the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. We are grateful to our SPS partners at all levels, community arts partners, and the young people for being so giving of their time. Thank you to HSD for their financial partnership and the Mayor’s Innovation and Performance Team, for support in arranging this pilot partnership.  

Seattle Civic poet Jourdan Imani Keith is offering six individuals a series of poetry workshops dedicated to protecting endangered womxn and endangered whales

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Womxn and Whales First, Poetry in a Climate of Change: A Call for BIPOC VOICES!

Seattle Civic poet Jourdan Keith has opened an opportunity for six individuals to participate in a series of workshops designed to create a BIPOC community and public art through poetry. The application is currently open and closes Dec. 18. 

“Endangered Womxn and endangered whales face a common threat yet we are united by a common beauty,” say Keith. “2020 has shown us that intersectionality of our social and natural ecosystems and the way they harm vulnerable people, their families and communities.” 

The series of free workshops centers the voices of Black Indigenous People of Color, specifically, cis and Transgender Womxn who recognize their vulnerability in the face of climate, health, and social justice concerns. Held virtually on Tuesdays, December 22 through January 12, the workshops have been designed to invite participants to create poetry and understand the intersectionality of our experiences alongside the experience of endangered Orca whales in the Salish Sea. The group will learn to write and perform poetry to share with the public so that more people know the value of interspecies and the intersectional risks and benefits that can save lives.  

Through community building, shared meals and reflection of cultural relationships to whales participants will create poems and visual accompaniment to share with the public to increase consciousness of others about our collective well-being. During this season when people are particularly vulnerable to the harms of isolation Keith will gather participants in a virtual living room to commune and write poetry about womxn and whales.