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Art Beat

Office of Arts & Culture news and events

Get in on Arts Day action, Feb. 2

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Tuesday, Feb. 2 is Arts Day in Olympia. The annual event is hosted by our friends at the Washington State Arts Alliance. It’s a great opportunity to meet with your state legislators and tell them how the arts are making a difference in their communities. Arts Day Team Captains have already scheduled appointments with legislators and are standing by. Check out the appointment schedule posted on the arts alliance’s website, and let your area Team Captain know if you are available to attend a meeting with your legislator(s). 

Arts Day is also a great place to network with colleagues from across the state. Join legislators and colleagues for a $10 buffet lunch and noon program in the Capitol Building’s Columbia Room. Register for the lunch program by Monday, Jan. 25. You can RSVP here. And don’t fret if you can’t make it to Olympia on Feb. 2, you can still participate.

First National Arts Index measures health of the arts

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Americans for the Arts announced the National Arts Index at a press conference this morning. The Index is a single-number score measuring the the health and vitality of the arts in the United States. Think of the national consumer confidence score.

The 2008 score of 98.4 is down 4.2 percentage points from 102.6 in 2007, “reflecting losses in charitable giving and declining attendance at larger cultural institutions — even as the number of arts organizations grew,” according to Americans for the Arts.

The Index is a highly distilled annual measure based on 76 indicator categories. It covers a span from 1998 to 2008 and is set to a base score of 100 in 2003.

SAM panel on art and environmental advocacy, Jan. 28

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What roles should artists play in championing environmental causes? How can environmentalists and artists collaborate to build public interest around sustainability?

We’re pleased to sponsor a free panel discussion presented by the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) and Cascade Land Conservancy that will explore these and other issues,
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 28 at Olympic Sculpture Park’s PACCAR Pavilion.

Titled Art and Environmental Advocacy: A Dialogue, the discussion is part of SAM’s Pivotal Perspectives: Conversations on Art and Culture, a series of discussions exploring the intersection of art, culture and the environment.

Moderated by Crosscut founding publisher David Brewster, the panel includes Grist writer and editor Jen Harper, artist Lorna Jordan, wildlife photographer Steven Kazlowski and John Marzluff of the School of Forest Resources at the University of Washington.

The event is free, but seating is limited. Advance registration is required.

Arts play starring role at mayor’s City Hall open house

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We were happy to help fill City Hall with music, dance and circus arts at Mayor Mike McGinn’s City Hall open house on Saturday, Jan. 9.

Here are some photos of the day’s festivities.


And check out The Seattle Times’ photo gallery of the event.

Art proposals sought for Pioneer Square park

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Artists are invited to submit proposals to ARTSPARKS — a  program designed to enliven Pioneer Square  this summer by bringing art in all its forms to Occidental Park  to create a public space where art and life entwine and art serves as a vehicle for positive and social change.

ARTSPARKS is a collaboration between the Office, 4Culture and Seattle Parks and Recreation and is part of the Downtown Parks Renaissance Initiative, an effort to make downtown Seattle parks lively, safe and welcoming public spaces. Home to a high concentration of art galleries and artist studios, the Pioneer Square neighborhood has a special role in the cultural life of Seattle. 

All creative proposals are sought including, but not limited to, street theater, dance, temporary sculpture, environmental installations, music and visual art.

Applicants must have demonstrated experience in producing public arts events or installations. Maximum available funding is $2,000 per week for a 10- to 15-week program (June to September) that features multiple temporary art projects.

Application deadline is Friday, March 12. Download the application and guidelines here.

Mayor’s inaugural events feature arts

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We are pleased to bring arts and culture to Mayor McGinn’s inaugural festivities this weekend at City Hall. We hope you can join us Saturday, Jan. 9, when the mayor will host an open house from 1 to 5 p.m. to celebrate the city’s commitment to openness, transparency and the spirit of service in Seattle.

Come on down to meet the mayor, tour his office and Council offices and connect with city departments. We will also lead tours of public art at City Hall. Here’s the lineup of afternoon performances:

Main Lobby
1 p.m. Victor Noriega Trio, jazz piano inspired by Filipino folk music
2 p.m. Recess Monkey, kiddie-pop rock for the young and young at heart
3 p.m. Mayor McGinn’s inaugural address
3:30 p.m. Seattle Symphony Brass Quintet, top brass perform classical and pops
4:30 p.m. Quinton Morris, classical violinist with pianist Kevin Kaukl
Mayor’s Office, 7th Floor Lobby
1 p.m. Warren Chang, world-renowned master of the erhu (Chinese two-string fiddle)
2 p.m. Quichua Mashis, Andean music by Quichua Indians of northern Ecuador
3:30 p.m. Northwest Tap Connection, modern and tap dance by young artists
Strolling through City Hall
1 to 3 p.m. Circus arts up close and personal, including acrobatics, juggling and stilt walking by performers from the former ensemble Circus Contraption

Public Art Tours of City Hall
Tours depart from the lobby fireplace nook
1:50 p.m.
3:30 p.m.

The Mayor’s Inaugural Music Festival will follow the open house. The free, all-ages event will feature Wheedle’s Groove, The Maldives, Hey Marseilles and Gabriel Teodros. The action gets underway, 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 9, at the Showbox SODO.

Image: Seattle City Hall. Photo by Erik Stuhaug.

Office’s January eNews now available online

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Check out the January issue of the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs eNews here.

In this Issue

Image: Marita Dingus, Woman As The Creator (detail), 2002, mixed media sculpture: 18′ x 5′.

City invests in neighborhood arts and cultural events

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We’re pleased to announce funding awards to 40 neighborhood events through our Neighborhood & Community Arts program.

The Neighborhood & Community Arts program will provide $48,000 ($1,200 per organization) to public festivals and events taking place throughout the city this year. Fifteen of the 40 funded projects are first-time recipients, representing 37 percent of the awards.
The varied slate of events includes BeatWalk, Columbia City’s monthly music festival; a national film festival for youth; Honk! Fest West, roving street bands performing across the city; The Edible Book Festival; Sounds Outside, a creative music festival at Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill; and dozens of neighborhood festivals celebrating various cultures, including Hawaiian, Asian, African American and Latin art forms.

The program supports neighborhood groups that produce recurring festivals or events that promote arts and cultural participation, build community and enhance the visibility of neighborhoods through arts and culture.

Image: Mairi Rankin of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, dazzles the audience with Scottish and Cape Breton fiddle tunes at the Mastery of Scottish Arts Concert. Photo by Dr. Gary Brown.

We’re hiring an accountant

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Have a knack for numbers? We’re hiring an accountant to track project budgets, analyze city financial reports, prep revenue and expenditure reports, assist in developing the department’s operating budget and more. The position is half-time, but additional hours above 20 hours per week may be required. Interested? Click here to read the job description and apply online. Deadline to apply is Tuesday, Jan. 5.

Seattle Center seeks programming for Fun Forest site

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image_ffSeattle Center is seeking proposals for “fun, imaginative and family-friendly” activities to enliven space once occupied by amusement rides.

Next month, Fun Forest Amusements (FFA), Inc. – which has operated at Seattle Center for 47 years – will consolidate its amusement rides in an area south of the Monorail station, freeing up 68,000 square feet of outdoor space.

Selected proposals will be for temporary attractions and events between May 2010 and December 2011. In January 2012, Seattle Center will start preparing its facilities and grounds for a six-month celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair.

The deadline to submit proposals is Monday, Jan. 18, 2010.  Download the Request for Proposals.

Image: Ferris wheel at night during Winterfest 2002. Photo by Erik Stuhaug.