Due June 27, 2023
The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) and Seattle Center created Artists at the Center to present emerging and established artists and celebrate their talent on a revitalized Seattle Center campus. Artists at the Center is a multi-year collaboration between ARTS and Seattle Center, with support from Uptown Arts & Culture Coalition and the communities adjacent to Seattle Center campus. The project is made possible by a 10-year grant from Climate Pledge Arena and Seattle Kraken, starting in 2021.
Artists at the Center grant provides funding and production support for pop-up performances on the Seattle Center campus. The program connects artists with new audiences and displays their talents across an iconic campus. Visitors to the campus and the surrounding neighborhoods experience surprising and delightful free performances throughout the year. Artists are selected with an equity and social justice lens, ensuring equitable representation for underserved and emerging artists. Artistic genres include music, dance, theater, demonstrations, and multi-disciplinary work.
“This innovative program showcases the incredible talent that flourishes here in Seattle. From theatre to dance, Jazz and Hip Hop to music from around the world, Artists at the Center welcomes diverse creative spirit and artistic brilliance. Climate Pledge Arena’s investing in our local artistic communities helps the arts flourish.”
royal alley-barnes, Interim Director, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture
The current 2022-23 season of Artists at the Center features music, dance, theatre, and multi-disciplinary performances, presented by 26 individual artists and performance groups based in the Puget Sound region.
Eligibility
- Performing arts disciplines of all genres may be considered, including music, dance, theatre, spoken word, cultural exhibitions, hands-on learning experiences, and multi-disciplinary projects.
- Visual art exhibitions are not the intended use of this grant, however, may be an element if included as part of a larger performance.
- A successful pop-up performance is nimble, eye- and ear-catching, requiring minimal or low-tech needs, and can be loaded in and out swiftly. Works can be pre-existing or generated new for this opportunity.
- This program is best suited to solo, duo and small group performing acts. Groups larger than 8 or 10 people may be considered, but there is limited availability of slots for groups of that size.
Funding
Applicants can apply for the following levels of funding:
- $2,000 award (typically 1-2 performers), plus $600 in-kind production support
- $4,000 award (typically 3-5 performers), plus $1,100 in-kind production support
- $6,000 award (typically 6+ performers), plus $1,600 in-kind production support
Hybrid Information Sessions
Session 1
Thursday, June 1, 1 – 2 p.m.
In-Person: Seattle Center Armory
Virtual: Webex
RSVP
Session 2
Saturday, June 17, 10 – 11 a.m.
In-Person: Seattle Center Armory
Virtual: Webex
RSVP
Due Date
Tuesday, June 27, 2023, 5 p.m. (Pacific)
What the Artists Are Saying
“This program helps make local, avantgarde art accessible to all populations, and helps foster a general appreciation for all arts among all strata of the city.”
Kole Galbraith; musician, and 2022 awardee
“Having this grant and being able to produce this show was a dream come true.”
Merri Ann Osborne, The Mahogany Project, and 2022 awardee
About Seattle Office of Arts & Culture
The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) manages the city’s public art program, cultural partnerships grant programs, the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, ARTS at King Street Station and The Creative Advantage initiative in the effort to foster a city driven by creativity that provides the opportunity for everyone to engage in diverse arts and cultural experiences. In alignment with the City’s Race and Social Justice Initiative, we work to eliminate institutional racism in our programs, policies and practices. The Office is supported by the 16-member Seattle Arts Commission, citizen volunteers appointed by the mayor and City Council.
About Seattle Center
Connect to the extraordinary at Seattle Center, an active civic, arts and family gathering place in the core of our region. More than 30 cultural, educational, sports and entertainment organizations that reside on the grounds, together with a broad range of public and community programs, create thousands of events on the 74-acre campus and attract over 12 million visitors each year. At Seattle Center, part of Uptown Arts & Cultural District and home to Climate Pledge Arena, our purpose is to create exceptional events, experiences and environments that delight and inspire the human spirit to build stronger communities. Activities at the Center generate $1.864 billion in business activity and $631 million in labor income.
