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Pacific Northwest Ballet Turns P.E. Teachers into Dance Instructors 

The Creative Advantage, Seattle Public Schools’ Visual & Performing Arts and Physical Education (P.E.) Program, and the Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) are partnering on the Dance and Quality Physical Education Professional Development Project! Through this arts integration program, P.E. teachers are trained to teach dance units for grades K-2 in alignment with the Quality Physical Education Curriculum. Meeting state standards in P.E. and dance, they focus on creative movement concepts, choreography… [ Keep reading ]

Amy Nguyen’s Vision for OAC

On Jan. 21, 2026, Mayor Katie Wilson announced Amy Nguyen as the acting director of the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. Amy returns to us after working as our Public Art Director and Interim Deputy Director. Below is her vision and priorities for this new role. Seattle’s arts and… [ Keep reading ]

2025 Year in Review

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…. [ Keep reading ]

City Departments Join Forces to Support Youth Mental Health

The City of Seattle is proud to provide access to free mental health care for young people in Seattle. Call or text 988 to receive help any time. In response to the City of Seattle Innovation & Performance team’s 2024 Youth Mental Health Report, three City departments joined forces to co-create an innovative youth… [ Keep reading ]

Goodbye and Thank You, Gülgün

Gülgün Kayim joined our staff as director in July 2023 and concluded her role in January 2026. Here are some words of appreciation and gratitude from our staff: Gülgün, you brought your respectful “Yes, and…” willingness to listen and collaborate. You helped build bridges between people and ideas. I’m so grateful… [ Keep reading ]

Our 2025-2030 Strategic Plan

One of our proudest accomplishments in 2025 was the launch of our new strategic plan, published at the beginning of the year and created by and for the people who make this work possible: our staff. After years of disruption caused by the pandemic across Seattle’s creative sector and multiple… [ Keep reading ]

New Year, New Learning!

Last year, more than 290 educators participated in Creative Advantage trainings and workshops. We’re kicking 2026 off with The Seattle Music Education Coalition’s Professional Development Day on Saturday, Jan. 31 at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute! The event is produced by Seattle Public Schools (SPS) Visual & Performing Arts Program and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, with collaboration… [ Keep reading ]

2026 Grants and Funding Opportunities 

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture supports organizations and individual artists to keep Seattle vibrant and spur economic growth. See our open opportunities for 2026 below! Be sure to sign up for our email list and make sure “Calls for Artists/Grants” is checked to get notified as grants open…. [ Keep reading ]

An Epic Day Exploring Creative Careers

Over 500 attendees flooded into McCaw Hall at Seattle Center on Tuesday, October 14th for the 2025 Creative Economy Career Day, a free, annual, one-day educational program hosted by The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and the Office of Economic Development. The morning featured panels, presentations and live demonstrations… [ Keep reading ]

Reflections from The Creative Advantage Institute

Youth leaders were the center of a day of learning for Seattle’s arts educators. The 2025 Creative Advantage Institute kicked off with passionate speeches from Speak with Purpose scholars seeking to raise awareness of students with disabilities. Sam Martin, a 7th grader from Aki Kurose Middle School, spoke directly about… [ Keep reading ]