On Thursday, August 1, we celebrated the opening of FRESSSSSH! at ARTS at King Street Station! FRESSSSSH! is the culmination of our intensive summer program, Fresh Perspectives, that offers a deep dive into the world of arts curation and administration to BIPOC young adults/youth. All pieces in the exhibition were… [ Keep reading ]
What is art curation? That’s the question that ten young adults (ages 17-20), led by teaching artist Hasaan Kirkland, are working to understand during this summer’s Fresh Perspectives program. Coordinated by The Office of Arts & Culture and funded by Seattle City Light’s 1% for Art Fund, this intensive summer… [ Keep reading ]
In 2021, we selected Kate Clark as Seattle City Light’s Artist-in-Residence. She was tasked with learning about the utility to develop a Seattle City Light Art Plan (16.9MB PDF) that would guide and inform public art projects into the future. The goal of the project was to create a long-term… [ Keep reading ]
We spoke with artist Abraham Awalom about his experience being on the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture’s Public Art Artist Roster! An Eritrean-born artist, Abraham came to the U.S. in 2014 as an asylee; an experience that informs much of his work. He maintains a connection through his work… [ Keep reading ]
Seattle, WA – Today, Gülgün Kayim was sworn in as the Director of the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS). ARTS staff, wearing Director Kayim’s favorite color as a surprise, crowded the chamber in shades of red, joking that they should arrange themselves from cool to warm tones. This… [ Keep reading ]
As we pause to reflect on the events and work of the last year, I am incredibly grateful to be directing Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture and to be surrounded by a dynamic and inspiring team. Despite many challenges and a tremendous amount of change, I’m proud of the… [ Keep reading ]
Toka Valu, an artist currently on the existing Public Art Artist Roster, shares some encouraging words for fellow artists to apply.
The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) has successfully directed $2.56 million in federal recovery funding for the City’s arts and cultural sector to mitigate the economic impacts of COVID-19. In August, the City released the Seattle Rescue Plan: 2023 Performance Report (Aug. 1, 2022 – July 31, 2023)…. [ Keep reading ]
The Seattle Youth Employment Program (SYEP) increases youth and young adults’ ability to pursue careers that pay well and are meaningful to them. This year, two interns joined us for six weeks: Bemi Hailu worked with our Partnerships, Education, and Grants team, and Brittney Ramirez-Osorio worked with our Communications team…. [ Keep reading ]
by Dr. James R. Gore The artwork tribute to August Wilson behind the Seattle Repertory Theater on the Seattle Center campus by Mindy Lehrman is a red door with Wilson’s image. A red door has cultural and historical significance. According to the online magazine, Doors and More (Berry, 2020), “In… [ Keep reading ]
