Art Beat Blog Office of Arts & Culture

Art Beat

Office of Arts & Culture news and events

Join the Seattle Arts Commission, Nominations now Open

by Leave a Comment

The Seattle Arts Commission is looking for new members. The Seattle Arts Commission supports the City by advocating for arts policy, creating access for equitable participation in the arts, and fostering enriching arts engagement for all residents. If you or someone you know is a champion of the arts and wants to help shape policy to create a thriving arts sector apply now. 

The 16-member Seattle Arts Commission is comprised of community member-volunteers appointed by the mayor and City Council and supports the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS). Commission members include artists, arts professionals, and other community members with diverse backgrounds and strong links to Seattle’s arts community.  

Nominations: 

The City of Seattle is committed to inclusive and diverse boards and commissions. We encourage people with disabilities, sexual and gender minorities, young people, older adults, people of color, and immigrants to apply. To nominate yourself or others for membership to the Seattle Arts Commission, please complete this nomination form. This nomination process will close at 11:59 pm on Nov 22, 2021. 

Apply

Commitment:  

Arts Commissioners commit to participating in monthly Commission meetings (every 2nd Tuesday of the month from 4pm-5:30pm) in addition to at least one monthly subcommittee meeting, plus additional preparation and work outside of scheduled meetings. Commissioners serve 2-year terms and can serve up to 3 consecutive terms with reappointment, for a total of 6 years. Meetings currently take place virtually. 

The Arts Commission committees include:  
The Facilities and Equitable Development Committee advises the work of ARTS around issues of cultural space and its impact on equitable development. 

The Public Art Advisory Committee (PAAC) serves to review and recommend public art projects and programs, develop and amend the Municipal Art Plan, and advocate for percent-for-art projects in public/private partnerships. 

The Cultural Investments Committee, comprised of Arts Commissioners, ARTS staff, and community advocates, supports and guides ARTS’ racially equitable investment strategies in Seattle’s cultural sector that address structural racism in support of a fully thriving artistic and cultural community. 

City of Seattle and NFFTY to host Film Career Day on November 6

by Leave a Comment

Registration now is open for this free virtual event for teens and young adults ages 13-26 interested in turning their passion for film into a career.

The National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY), Seattle Office of Economic Development (OED), and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) will host a free day of workshops and networking opportunities for the next generation of film professionals from the Greater Seattle Area.

Taking place on Saturday, November 6, Film Career Day will offer a streamlined curriculum that includes panels, industry networking opportunities, and connections to local resources — including media arts programs and other educators that offer training, independent filmmakers who have worked to find their niche in the local filmmaking scene, and Northwest-based film industry employers.  

This year, Film Career Day will facilitate a hybrid experience offering virtual participation options and two in-person ​​locations at the Northgate Community Center and at El Centro de la Raza (Beacon Hill). Free registration for both virtual and in-person activities is online:

Register for Film Career Day

Program Highlights

10:30 am: Virtual + In-Person Venues Open

11 am: Opening Remarks + THE PAPER TIGERS Keynote

Join The Paper Tigers crew — writer-director Bao Tran and producers Al’n Duong and Dan Gildark — in a facilitated conversation with Vivian Hua, Executive Director of Northwest Film Forum. Their exciting journey has grown from an unapologetic, independent feature filmed in Seattle into a national and global kung-fu sensation that champions a diverse cast, crew, and stories. Learn about the importance of finding your team and working with those who understand your vision, as well as key takeaways about how to evolve your own filmmaking career.

Haven’t checked out the film yet? It’s currently streaming on Netflix!

12pm: Panel: Where’s the Work?

The beloved Film Career Day panel returns! Learn about the state of film (and creative industries) in the Seattle area from working pros. Who’s hiring for film or media projects, and where do you look for those opportunities? Should I get a job at a production house or go it solo? Learn about how and where to find work in the region from producers who are hiring as well as from self-starting freelance directors.

1pm: Speed Mentoring (+ Lunch at in-person venues)

2pm: Panel: What Streams May Come

With the pandemic keeping millions of filmmakers and content creators inside, more people started streaming than ever before. But how do you get the right exposure and find the right audience? And is it possible to make some money? Hear from founders and leaders of various Seattle-based online platforms of how they built a following and refined their processes, what content they are looking for, and how to get involved in front of and/or behind the camera.

Meet the Panelists & Mentors

In-Person Venues

North Seattle

Northgate Community Center
10510 5th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98125

Site opens at 10:30am on Saturday, November 6th

Transit Options:

  • Close to Northgate light rail station (New! Will be open!)
  • Bus routes 41, 67, 75, 320, 347, and 348 drop off right in front of the building

South Seattle – El Centro De La Raza

El Centro De La Raza
2524 16th Ave S
Seattle, WA 98144

Site opens at 10:30am on Saturday, November 6th

Transit Options:

  • Building is on same block as Beacon Hill light rail station
  • Bus routes 36 and 60 drop off one block away

“I look forward to saving the youth from a world of pain by sharing our successes, failures, and lessons learned in this crazy journey of filmmaking. I will also teach the finer arts of making instant ramen, an essential diet for screenwriters.”

– Bao Tran, keynote speaker and filmmaker

The third annual Film Career Day is part of NFFTY’s 2021-22 programming season, which is produced with the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts, ArtsWA, 4Culture, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, ArtsFund, and The Norcliffe Foundation, with additional support for Film Career Day from King County Creative.  

Seattle Arts Commission 2022 Budget Priorities Letter

by Leave a Comment

Dear Council Members,

The Seattle Arts Commission wishes to express our collective gratitude for your commitment and support for creative communities and workers, given the economic hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe that now is a critical time to invest in the recovery of our sector, by making meaningful investments in sustainable infrastructure which will ensure that arts and culture will thrive for years to come.

The Seattle Arts Commission, as a body which represents the community and supports the work of the Office of Arts & Culture, is committed to economic recovery in a way that centers and champions the arts, as well as equity and inclusion of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities that have historically been disenfranchised. As outlined in our budget letter addressed to Mayor Durkan and the Seattle City Council on August 3, 2020, the Seattle Arts Commission’s goal through the continuation of 2021 is to ensure that as little harm as possible come to the arts and cultural ecosystem, especially to the communities and economies that are highly represented, by BIPOC individuals.

Thank you all for your support of previously outlined priorities and for helping support the Office of Arts & Culture through 2022 with estimated admissions taxes, given the devastation of the COVID-19 year. We are pleased to see that the Mayor’s budget draft for funding the Office of Arts and Culture incorporated$1.5M in funding for Hope Corps, which will serve to create meaningful job opportunities for artists and organizations as we move forward in our recovery efforts. We are also pleased by the incorporation of Cultural Education work via the Equitable Communities Initiative, and ask that you protect these important investments as the budget process progresses.

While there are many worthy inclusions in the Mayor’s budget, there are several critical investments in Arts & Culture that have been left out. The following are areas of concern where we urgently request your support:

Financial Support for the ARTS Office
As it stands, the Office of Arts & Culture will experience a 10-15% budget reduction in 2022, which puts on hiatus important legacy programs such as the Cultural Facilities Fund, which supports space-related projects by local arts organizations. Even with limited resources, the ARTS Office makes high impact investments that strengthen the arts community and ensure the well-being of artist communities. It is important that the office’s budget be back-filled to pre-pandemic levels, so that it can continue to offer critical support for artists and arts organizations on the road to economic recovery. Please consider an additional $2M be allocated to ARTS, which will restore cuts currently in place for notable programs and increase capacity within the Office.

Rent Forgiveness for Arts Organizations
The City currently houses 40 organizations and had previously provided rent forgiveness which has now expired. No funding for rent relief has been allocated in the budget for 2022, but we ask for your support in providing $2M in rent relief to arts organizations, in order to provide short-term stop-gap solutions as they recover from the pandemic. Many organizations still operate under limited hours and capacity, and the actual cost to the city is lower.

Funding for the Cultural Space Agency
COVID-19 has illuminated the critical need for long-term space for arts organizations both small and large, in order to secure a future for the creative community. The Cultural Space Agency has been intentionally designed to build community wealth, especially within BIPOC communities and historically disinvested neighborhoods, through a community-led process that places decision-making authority into the hands of impacted community members. It is an especially groundbreaking entity and one solution that community members often reference as a long-term solution to keep the local arts community thriving. The Cultural Space Agency has already received viable cultural space site acquisition and development proposals from 20 BIPOC-led community organizations. However, the current budget proposal does not include funding for the Cultural SpaceAgency, which needs seed funding to succeed. We request consideration of $5M in critical seed funding to activate this innovative program and support its initial projects.

Your support is vital to our art and cultural communities, especially in times of trial and hardship. We invite you to stand with the Seattle Arts Commission as we work to create a community of support for those who are experiencing incredibly difficult challenges. This is our moment to declare unequivocally that we value arts and cultural workers, institutions, and organizations who have helped make Seattle a culturally rich tourist destination and economically thriving city.

Thank you for your shared interest and values in creating a vibrant arts and cultural sector that addresses historical inequality while prioritizing artistic and cultural sustainability. We are so grateful for your ongoing commitment to this work, and we would love to continue this important conversation with you.

Co-Chairs James Miles and Vivian Hua 華婷婷
Seattle Arts Commission

Recovery Funds for Cultural Organizations: Apply for Three Grants via One Application

by Leave a Comment

We’ve teamed up with 4Culture to create a single application process for several grants in King County and the City of Seattle. 

About the Grants:

Eligible organizations only need to fill out one application to be considered for funding from the following programs:

  • 4Culture 2022 Sustained Support
  • 4Culture Recovery Fund
  • City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture Recovery Fund

The deadline to apply is Friday, November 5, 2021 at 5:00 pm PDT. 

Who Can Apply?

King County cultural organizations with a minimum 3-year operating history should submit an application. Organizations of all budget sizes will be considered for 2022 Sustained Support.
 
4Culture and Seattle ARTS will also consider organizations with 2019 revenue of $1 million or below for Recovery Funds. To receive these funds, you must have experienced a drop in revenue from 2019 to 2020 due to the pandemic. Please read the guidelines and an FAQ for Seattle Funds for more details on eligibility and criteria.

Note: if you are a cultural organization with pre-pandemic revenue of more than $1 million, please refer to King County’s Revive and Thrive Together program for federal COVID relief funds. If you’re not sure where to apply, start with our screening tool.

Come to a Workshop

We know navigating multiple funding opportunities can be confusing and overwhelming! We’re here to help. Staff from both 4Culture and the Office of Arts & Culture will be available to answer all your questions about these funding programs.

Apply Today

This project was supported by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Reflections on The Creative Advantage 2021 VIRTUAL Summer Institute

by Leave a Comment

by Tina LaPadula, Arts Education Manager, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture

The transition “back to school” for The Creative Advantage arts education community kicked off at the Virtual Summer Institute on August 19, 2021. Traditionally hosted by the Seattle Art Museum at their downtown location, this year’s version was virtual and combined the familiar combination of inspiration, updates, and art-making.

More than 100 teachers and teaching artists registered to explore these foundational questions:

  • How does self-care support culturally responsive teaching?
  • How can arts learning cultivate a culture of care?

Recent Franklin HS graduate, Savannah Blackwell, set the stage with a snippet of her awe-inspiring rendition of Lift Every Voice And Sing (Black National Anthem) and a personal message for educators about the power of arts learning, especially as we navigate the trauma of the past year.

Award-winning speaker, teacher, researcher, coach and healer, Dr. Bre, gave this year’s dynamic keynote and laid the groundwork for the day with an interactive workshop focused on the critical need for honest self-reflection. She reminded us of the love and care we need to give ourselves as educators so we can love and care for our students.

“We can either transform trauma or transmit it. Teaching artists have a special role to play in this healing. Art and creativity is a tool for that.”

Dr. Bre

We took a break to celebrate the resilience and creative brilliance of our students with a special highlight reel of student work from the virtual Regional Arts Festivals at the end of last school year.

Splitting into discipline-specific groups, we explored culturally responsive and anti-racist arts through Seattle Public School’s (SPS) new The Roots Arts Framework and participated in sample lessons in music, visual art, and theatre with the teachers and teaching artists of the SPS Antiracist Education Task Force who created it: Naho Shioya, Donte Felder, Jessica Staire, Chris Mena, Carina del Rosario, and Maribel Gonzalez.

We wrapped up with important back-to-school updates for community arts partners from SPS representatives. Click here to see SPS Back-to-school info for partners.

As we move into this new school year, please:

Savannah Blackwell is featured on Lift Every Voice: Responding to Lawrence’s Struggle Series, a video created by Seattle Art Museum in partnership with Donte Felder, South End Stories, and Jeff Santos.

Mayor’s Office Appoints royal alley-barnes as Interim Director of Office of Arts & Culture

by 1 Comment

Elevating Black Artists and Recovery With Appointment of
royal alley-barnes

Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced that royal alley-barnes will be appointed to be the Interim Director of ARTS and the first Black woman to hold the position. Director alley-barnes will lead ARTS during this critical time in recovery while the next administration seeks a new permanent director.  

“I am incredibly excited that royal alley-barnes has agreed to serve as the acting director of the Department of Arts and Culture. I am confident that royal is the right person to lead ARTS as we focus on helping BIPOC and underrepresented artists recovery from the significant impacts of COVID-19,” said Mayor Durkan. “royal is not only incredibly accomplished, but also a devoted community member and public servant. We could not be more grateful that she has agreed to lead one of Seattle’s most treasured City Departments.” 

Read more here

How Creative Strategies Can Build Relationships and Awareness within Racial Equity Learning Cohorts Focused on Environmental Justice

by Leave a Comment

By Diana Dvora Falchuk

How can individuals use arts, culture, mindfulness, and embodiment to help transform systems and institutions toward racial and environmental justice? One potential approach is through learning cohort models.

Our office (ARTS) partnered with the Seattle Office for Civil Rights, the Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment, and Seattle Public Utilities to offer the racial equity learning program, Turning Commitment into Action for Environmental Justice (TCA for EJ), for 29 policy influencers, a third of whom were BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) working in historically white-led organizations and municipal agencies.

Those involved included:

  • City of Seattle
  • King County
  • University of Washington
  • Washington State University
  • The Nature Consortium
  • Stewardship Partners
  • Delridge Neighborhood Development Association
  • Earth Corps
  • Seattle Urban Forestry Commission
  • Northwest Harvest

The cohort culminated in final project presentations in 2019 and the qualitative impacts are documented in this final report. Guided by artist-facilitators, these individual policy influencers learned frameworks and developed practices to build and sustain environmental justice. The project revealed critical lessons for supporting such a learning community in the context of a mainstream environmental movement that still lacks consistent leadership from BIPOC communities and others who are most impacted by environmental injustices.

Three circles in a Venn diagram labeled: Racial Equity and Social Justice, Creative Strategies, Environmental Justice.
Venn diagram from the report,
illustrated by Otts Bolisay

TCA for EJ infused racial equity learning with arts, culture, mindfulness, and embodiment. This helped participants develop the relational, emergent, and adaptive decision-making processes and ways of being that the work of equity and justice requires. By normalizing vulnerability, interconnection, bravery and belonging as fundamental components of strategic, outcomes-focused work, participants were able to see themselves and each other in more holistic and humanizing ways. The program deliberately created environments that were radically different from the typical policy conference room or office environment (spaces which often are normalized to keep the broader system of white supremacy in place).

A large group of people kneel around a long sheet of paper, drawing and writing on it. Someone hands a crayon to a woman who stands nearby.
Photo by Zorn B. Taylor

TCA for EJ is one of the first projects of the Creative Strategies Initiative (CSI), launched in 2017 as a partnership between ARTS and the Office for Civil Rights. CSI uses arts, culture, mindfulness, and embodiment to build transformational, anti-racist practices throughout City government and our work with community. CSI projects position artists, cultural organizers and healers as designers and leaders of strategies that interrupt structural racism and move the needle toward racial justice. CSI is a component of the Race and Social Justice Initiative’s culture shift strategy and an outgrowth of nearly eight years of partnership between ARTS and the Office for Civil Rights.

We are grateful to artist-facilitators Sonali Sangeeta Balajee, Alan Wong, and Jéhan Òsanyìn, program co-designers Sudha Nandagopal and Sara Cubillos (also a curriculum designer and facilitator), and program partners Steve Hamai, Sharon Lerman, Pam Emerson, Lylianna Ayala, and Ximena Fonseca-Morales for their many contributions the program and report beginning in 2017. Diana Dvora Falchuk was the ARTS and Office for Civil Rights staff lead on this project. Additional gratitude to Mytoan Nguyen-Akbar, PhD, ARTS Impact and Assessment Manager, for designing and leading the evaluation and report.

‘Two Different Somali Perspectives: Hawo Ali and Abdi Ibrahim’ Now On View at ARTS at King Street Station

by Leave a Comment

Soomaali

ARTS at King Street Station is proud to present, Two Different Somali Perspectives: Hawo Ali and Abdi Ibrahim. On view from September 7 – October 23, 2021.  

Join us on Tuesday, September 7 for the launch of Two Different Somali Perspectives: Hawo Ali and Abdi Ibrahim with a special opportunity for guided tours with the artists! Guided tours are free and open to the public with registration. Tours will be approximately 30 minutes long and take place at the top of each hour from 2 – 6pm.

Register for Free

MEET THE ARTISTS

HAWO ALI

Hawo Ali is a Seattle-based Somali-American artist and community activist. Centering on the flowers and scenery of her home country Somalia, her art is inspired by her arrival to the United States and the new flora of the land. 

Hawo’s paintings often include abstraction and strong colors to accentuate her portrayal of traditional Somali practices, artifacts, and narratives on Somali culture. These diverse narratives represent vivid depictions ranging from the resourcefulness of the native nomadic people to the native lions, tigers, and hyenas that make up the land.   

Spring Flower in Somalia, Hawo Ali, Acrylic, 2019
  • Purple Roses, Hawo Ali, Acrylic, 2018
  • Inside of the Somali Indian Ocean, Hawo Ali, Acrylic, 2019

ABDI IBRAHIM

Abdi Ibrahim is a Somali-American photographer based in Los Angeles. Raised in Seattle, Abdi is the son of two immigrants. Since his start in film photography at the age of 17, his work has been featured in numerous publications including New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Billboard Magazine. 

Abdi also works as a film and commercial director, where he has worked on campaigns for Apple Music, REI, Subaru, and The Fader. Abdi shoots his subjects in what feels like abstract worlds — creating an image that tells a story and a surreal aesthetic that is meant to be imaginative but rooted in reality; a cross between documentary and conceptual. 

Happy Sad, Abdi Ibrahim, Digital Photograph; Inkjet on Epson Premium Luster, 2019
  • Band Practice, Abdi Ibrahim, Digital Photograph; Inkjet on Epson Premium Luster, 2020
  • Workout, Abdi Ibrahim, Digital Photograph; Inkjet on Epson Premium Luster, 2020

ARTS at King Street Station is free and open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 6pm. In accordance with the statewide indoor mask mandate, all visitors — regardless of vaccination status — are required to wear masks while in the gallery space.

Two Different Somali Perspectives: Hawo Ali and Abdi Ibrahim is organized and presented by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) and is curated by Ricky Reyes and S Surface in partnership with ARTS at King Street Station Advisors. Support for the installation is provided by Benjamin Gale-Schreck and Blake Haygood.    

Soomaali

Noogu imow kulankeena “Labo Ra’yi ee kala duwan oo Soomaali ah: Hawo Ali iyo Abdi Ibrahim,” Kulanku wuxuu dhaciyaa September 7 ilaa October 23, 2021 Waxaana lagu qabaiyaa ARTS at King Street Station.

laga bilaabo 2 duhurnimo ilaa 5 galabnimo markay tahay Talaado, Sebtember 7.Labaduba waxay qaban donaan kulamo 30-daqiiqo ah ee loogu talagalay in dadka la tuso shaqada ay qabtaan. Halkan iska diwaangeli.

Xaawo Cali waa farshaxanley Somali-American ah oo joogta Seattle, bulshadana way u doodaa. Farshaxankeedu wuxuu u badanyahay ubaxyada iyo muuqaalka dalkeeda hooyo, Imaanashaha maraykankana iyo dhirta cusub ee dhulka ayaa dhiirrigeliyay inay sii wado. Sawirada Xaawo inta u badan waxaa ka muuqdo midab xoog iyo tayo leh. Midabkaas ayaa ka caawiyay inay xoojiso sawirkeeda, dhaqanka Soomaalida, farshaxan -yahannada, iyo sheekooyinka dhaqanka ee Soomaalida.

Cabdi Ibraahim waa sawir qaade Soomaali-Mareykan ah oo deggan Los Angeles. Wuxuu ku soo barbaaray magaalada Seattle waxaana dhalay labo somaali ee soo -galooti ahaa. Cabdi wuxuu dadka ku sawiraa adduunyo qurxoon – wuxuu qaadaa sawiro ka sheekeynaya sheeko iyo bilicsanaan dhab ah oo loola jeedo inay noqoto riyo ku jirta xaqiiqda hada; Tani waa talaabo u dhaxaysa dokumenteriga iyo fikirka guud.

ARTS -ka ee ku yaal Saldhigga Tareenka ee wadada King waa lacag la’aan wuxuuna u furan yahay dadweynaha, Talaadada ilaa Sabtida, 10ka subaxnimo ilaa 6 da fiidnimo. Waxaan tixraacaynaa waajibaadka gobolka ee waji xirka gudaha, iyadoon loo eegin heerka tallaalka dhammaan booqdayaasha waxaa laga rabaa inay wajiga xirtaan inta ay ku jiraan goobta dhexdeeda.

New ‘UNION’ Art Exhibition Creates Opportunities for Public Art in Capitol Hill

by 1 Comment

SeaLevel Properties (“SeaLevel”), Capitol Hill Arts District (“CHAD”), and Sensebellum have partnered to showcase public art in Capitol Hill through the ‘UNION’ project. Located on the corner of 10th Ave. and E Union St., this new public art installation will feature a rotating, 60-foot tall projected art show curated by revolving guests on SeaLevel’s new Woodworth Apartment Building. The first art show will be held on Wednesday, July 14 at 9:45 p.m. and will continue every night at dusk throughout the year. You can RSVP for this event on Facebook.

Woodworth Apartment Building, courtesy of The Capitol Hill Arts District

The first ‘UNION’ exhibition highlights local photographer and artist LeLeita McKILL. Selected by Capitol Hill Arts District, McKILL will display her photographs taken during the COVID-19 pandemic for Essentially Seattle, (originally commissioned by ARTS) along with her other work.

About Essentially Seattle:

Essentially Seattle is a Public Art Project featuring 25 artists who document essential city services in the time of COVID-19 and mandated restrictions on physical movement and gatherings. Partners for the project include Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle City Light, Seattle Fire, Human Services Division, and Arts & Cultural districts. The photographs highlight City frontline employees, at work, along with community essential workers, artists, and neighbors.   

  • Diana Adams, owner of Vermillion Gallery
  •  Missy Berens, owner of Nomadia Creatives
  •  Laurie Kearny, owner of Ghost Gallery
  • Daniel Reveles, Manager of Facilities at Gage Academy
  • Rhonda and her father Henry Faison, owner of Juiced by Rojo
All photos by LeLeita McKILL as part of Essentially Seattle

As part of the inaugural exhibition celebrations, all are invited to join the CHAD Steering Committee Members and McKILL for an opening celebration at Optimism Brewing on Wednesday, July 14 at 8 p.m. The group will then walk a half-block away to witness the inaugural unveiling of the exhibition around 9:30 p.m.

The ‘UNION’ installation will rotate every two months, with the current curator joining a panel of artists to select the next artist. Stay tuned for future art shows!

The Mixer: New Media and Digital Arts – Next Steps and Funding Opportunities

by Leave a Comment

To The Mixer Community,

Thank you to everyone who attended our June 30 Mixer on New Media and Digital Arts! From playing with the definition of “New Media” to touching on NFTs, accessibility, and the wild world of the future we are making today in Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual (VR); we covered a lot of ground. We’re grateful to our panelists Abie Ekenezer, gome, Evie Powell, Julia Bruk, and Elizabeth Ralston — be sure to keep an eye on what they’re up to! 

Snapshot from The Mixer: New Media and Digital Arts on June 30

At the June Mixer, we also launched the New Media and Digital Arts survey that will guide our team in making new policies to include New Media in our awards and granting structures. If you or someone you know are New Media artists or dabblers, please make sure they/you add their voice below. We want to hear from you!

Take the New Media and Digital Arts Survey

While we are still working on finding a path to encompass the wide array of art forms under the umbrella of New Media, hearing from the participants also illustrated that: 1) many of us are in that same boat, 2) interest in incorporating modern elements like streaming was high, and 3) more information would be useful all around.

Our internal working definition of New Media is: any expression that uses “dot com technology” on any axis other than exclusively marketing or distribution. How does that resonate with you?

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Here’s a round-up of funding opportunities that were shared at The Mixer — keep these in mind for your new media and digital arts projects in the works:

CURRENT:

  • Artists Up: Focus on underrepresented artists; apply for mentorship scholarships (four on-hour online sessions with a mentor).
    • Application opens Sept. 1, 2021
  • smART Ventures: Up to $1k; funds personal or neighborhood projects; youth can apply.
    • Applications accepted on a rolling deadline
  • Neighborhood Matching Fund (Department of Neighborhoods): $5k available, funds a variety of unique and creative community projects; applicants must match their award with contributions from the community whether as volunteer time, donated materials, donated professional services or cash. Details in this virtual workshop recording.
    • Applications accepted on a rolling deadline
  • Open 4Culture (4Culture): Up to $1500; prioritizing projects within King County but NOT in Seattle (unless the project is heritage or preservation-based).
    • Applications accepted on a rolling deadline
  • 4Culture’s Round-Up of Other Opportunities: Various grants, calls and opportunities around the region and the country.

UPCOMING:

  • City Artist: $2k, $5k, $8k funding available; supporting specific, rotating disciplines each year.
    • Applications open again in 2022
  • Arts in Parks: $1300-$7800; currently on pause, check back for future opportunities
  • Artists at the Center (working title): Performance activations on the Seattle Center campus, funded by Climate Pledge Arena/Seattle Kraken. Pilot starts October 2021.
    • Open call for future years’ opportunities to come in 2022.
  • Public Art Roster: This roster of visual and public artists is used by the Office of Arts and Culture for various “fast track” projects. The roster is curated by a community selection panel that includes working artists, administrators and curators.
    • Opens every 3 years — next in mid-2022.
  • King Street Station Artist in Residence: artists/artist teams may apply for a residency award at ARTS at King Street Station. Each residency period is approximately two months long, and includes use of the studio space and a $2,000 stipend. Artists from historically under-represented communities, including communities of color, immigrant, and refugee communities are encouraged to apply.
    • Applications open again in 2022.

Please help us gather as many voices as possible so that we can help grow into the office that we know we can be. Give us your feedback by filling out the survey by July 23, 2021!

P.S. The Mixer is taking a break for the summer and is scheduled to return on September 29. See you soon!