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Student murals honoring the history of Rainier Beach High School

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by Eboni Wyatt, excerpted by Tina LaPadula

A group of students outside on a sunny day, lean over a mural with paintbrushes.

The Creative Advantage student residencies are flourishing at many Seattle Public Schools this spring. This spotlight focuses on a cool project collaboration with Urban ArtWorks, who is also a Community Arts Partner Roster.

This March Urban ArtWorks piloted a new program at Rainier Beach High School, working with three of their Theory of Knowledge (TOK) classes. Teacher Steven Miller reached out to Urban Artworks, through the Community Arts Partners Roster, with this project idea, wanting to provide his TOK classes with the opportunity to create actual art and produce 3-6 murals at Rainier Beach High School.

Close up of a mural painted by a black student wearing rubber bands and bracelets on their wrist.

The purpose of these murals is to say good-bye to the campus and honor the history of this school community. Rainier Beach High School will be in a new building in 2 years. Miller saw this as a unique opportunity to liven up the current campus with student-led art. With a focus on storytelling, exposing students to BIPOC artists and muralists and honoring RBHS students’ unique voices, Teaching Artists Dovey Martinez and Carlos Martinez are working with these classes to research, design and install these murals. Each class will also create hallway exhibits, giving the students the opportunity to create individual pieces expressing their feelings about the mural theme.

Urban ArtWorks School-Based Programs provide opportunities for students in grades K-12 to work alongside teaching artists to install murals at their schools. They explore themes and issues that are important to their community, create a design, and bring that design to life. Each project is tailored to fit the needs of the individual school or classroom and can be integrated within the standard grade-level curricula.

Urban ArtWorks seeks to engage youth and communities in the creation of public art that inspires connections and honors their voices. They envision a world where all people have access to the transformative power of creating public art. Urban ArtWorks is excited to continue growing their In-School Programs and curriculum and hope to serve more schools in the 2022-23 school year. If you’d like to learn more about their program offerings, check out Urban Artworks’ The Creative Advantage Roster profile.

2022 CityArtist Awardees

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The CityArtist program supports Seattle-based individual artists/curators in the research, development, and presentation of their work. The 2022 cycle accepted proposals in Literary (including Screenwriting), Media/Film, and Visual Arts. Requested amounts available are $2,000, $5,000, or $8,000. All projects and public event(s) will be produced within two years of being awarded.

A total of 215 applications were received. The 2022 CityArtist panel selected 25 awards with total funding of $185,000.

Meet the 2022 CityArtist Artists

roldy aguero ablao 
Create four regalia/wearable garments for a 7-minute fashion film that express and celebrate the queer CHamoru experience featuring nine artists. This work will culminate in a live/virtual public screening. 
$8,000 

Ebo Barton 
Rehearse, present, and record an hour-long mix of original spoken word performances by three artists focused on Insubordinate, Ebo Barton’s first collection of work. 
$8,000 

Kamari Bright 
Research, film, edit, and complete a 5-minute narrative poem video with three artists that speculates on the effect of societal trauma on land connection/stewardship. This work will culminate in a live public preview with a discussion. 
$8,000 

Dakota Alcantara-Camacho 
Produce three short dance films with six Matao/CHamoru artists detailing their healing process centered on storytelling and their practices from a history of oppression. This is part of a larger project with many iterative components that will culminate in a public screening and talk. 
$8,000 

Brian Dang 
Complete and present a manuscript of 20 poems and letters – three of which will be in Cantonese — exploring how to bridge intergenerational distance via language. Two collaborating poets with common dual language barriers will create poems that culminate in a public group reading. 
$5,000 

Calvin Gimpelevich 
Research, write, and complete the first draft of queer historical fiction of 50,000 words about Queen Christina of Sweden that culminates in a public reading with two artists. 
$8,000 

Emily Holt 
Complete a final draft collection of 10 essays from five artists about loss/grieving for all ages with five artists that culminates in a group reading and public workshop. 
$5,000 

June Ivers 
Research, shoot, and produce one 5-minute multimedia video with four artists using abstract visuals that trace an ancestor who was a revolutionist during Japanese occupation in 1950s. This work will culminate in a public screening and talk. 
$8,000 

Michelle Kumata 
Create, install, and present 15 small to large-scale new acrylic/mixed media pieces that commemorate the 80th anniversary and legacy of Executive Order 9066. This order resulted in the forced removal and incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans form the west coast of the U.S. This work will culminate in a solo public exhibition and college class tour. 
$8,000 

Fulgencio Lazo 
Produce six large-scale wooden/metal sculptures to display in celebration of the Day of the Dead public festival with a bilingual artist talk. 
$8,000 

Morgan Madison 
Design and create three medium-sized sculptural pieces using materials ubiquitous to built environments like concrete, glass, wool, steel, and bricks. These sculptures will create an accessible and engaging visual architectural language that diverges into the fantastical realm. This work will culminate in a public exhibition. 
$5,000  

Natasha Marin 
Curate, publish, and present “BLACK POWERFUL”, a book with over 200 pages about Black liberation featuring 20 local artists/voices and global intersectional, intergenerational Black folks/artists from the diaspora. This work will culminate in a multi-disciplinary event featuring local artists. 
$8,000 

Ricki Mason 
Develop, rehearse, and present a 25-minute virtual and 45-minute live country/western music performance with five artists. It will mirror The Judds and explore themes of homophobia (externalized/internalized), racism, American nostalgia, patriotism, “tolerance,” and what it means to be “good” through country parody songs. This work will culminate in live and virtual events. 
$8,000 

Kate Miller 
Research, develop, and present a new medium-scale, mixed media work exploring mining extraction processes and their socioecological impacts. The work aims to raise awareness about raw materials used in our daily lives and related uses for rapid growth and technology via a public exhibit. 
$8,000 

Haruko (Crow) Nishimura 
Film, edit, and act in a 20-minute film with four artists focused on cultural sensibilities, Shinto, and the natural world. The work will culminate in a public screening. 
$8,000 

David Quantic 
Complete an hour-long podcast and a 5-minute documentary focused on queer coming-of-age/ways queer people discover their sexual preferences. The work will culminate in a hybrid, public and virtual screening. 
$8,000 

Tivon Rice 
Complete and present a  multimedia installation related to digital communication in collaboration with five artists using sound, text-based art, video, and performance for a public event and workshop. Recognizing many A.I. and machine-learning tools are based on English datasets, the installation is designed to prevent exclusion of non-English speakers from Spanish-speaking countries. 
$8,000 

Sudeshna Sen 
Complete the post-production phase of a 90-minute film including 50 artists with themes of loss and grief focused on multiple generations, strength of community, and sweetness of childhood friendships. The work will culminate in a community presentation and public screening. 
$5,000 

Lynne Siefert 
Develop and film an hour-long experimental documentary with three artists in Arizona that envisions and explores a near-future world where night becomes a place of natural refuge while adapting to extreme heat. The work will culminate in a live public/virtual screening of film with a closing Q&A session plus a second and longer installation screening at a gallery. 
$8,000 

Ellen Sollod 
Complete and produce an edition of 50 small-scale, approximately 80-page-length, hardbound artist books titled “The Book of Small Regrets” with drawings, photographs, and text. It was conceived in response to the forced isolation of COVID when small slights seem catastrophic. The work will culminate in a community presentation and a public event. 
$5,000 

Francine Strickwerda 
Film and edit the closing 10-minute segment of an hour-long feature documentary with three artists about Seattle school counselor Jamshid Khajavi who coaches immigrant/refugee children in the world’s largest Ultimate Frisbee tournament. The work will culminate in a work-in-progress public screening including a Q&A session. 
$8,000 

Shann Thomas 
Photograph and produce eight large portraits of homeless LGBTQ+ youth using artificial/strobe lighting. Images will be informed by and will reflect rapport-building sessions with youth and agency staff that convey their individuality. The work will culminate in a public exhibition. 
$8,000 

Timea Tihanyi                   
Research and develop a new multidisciplinary installation with a performance/digital artist comprised of medium-to-large ceramic pieces, digital art, 3D printing, textile practices, and movement. The installation focuses on an embodied, human-centered approach to coexisting with technology. The work will culminate in a public gallery exhibition with Spanish subtitles. 
$8,000 

Adrienne von Wolffersdorff 
Film and edit five videos consisting of 5-minute conversational interviews with a graphics/digital artist and women experiencing miscarriages. The work will culminate in a podcast, website, and one public screening. 
$8,000 

Christopher Woon-Chen 
Design and complete two 7-minute animation components as an opener for a feature documentary film with three artists. The film focuses on a 5-year-old son’s survivor’s grief and remembrance of the 1995 murders of his Filipina mother and two friends, who were shot by her estranged husband during divorce court proceedings. The work will also be combined with immigrant women’s stories. The work will culminate in a public screening of the animation and film clips with an artists talk. 
$8,000 

April: Grants, Gigs, and Opportunities

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Curated by Ashraf Hasham

It’s time for the monthly roundup of community grants, job openings, opportunities, and resources! View the list below to find the following resources: artist grants & opportunities, grants for organizations, grants for youth-serving organizations, food equity grants, participation opportunities, gigs, opportunities for employers, resources for parents, and resources for arts educators.

Artist Grants & Opportunities 

  • 4Culture’s Project Grants: Supports both individuals and groups and are awarded in three disciplines: arts, heritage, and preservation. Visit each page for eligibility information, workshop dates, contact information, and how to apply. The deadline for all projects is April 20, 2022.  
  • NWFF’s Collective Power Fund 2022 Grant Cycle is Open! Spring 2022 grants will distribute $68,000 in increments of $2,000 – $5,000 – $10,000. Individual artists, who live in unincorporated or incorporated King County, will be eligible to self-select into either the $2,000 or $5,000 tiers and the $10,000 tier will be exclusive to artist teams or artist-run collectives within the county. Deadline April 26. More info & info sessions here. Direct application link here. 
  • Apply for the 2023 CityArtist Grant: Seattle Office of Arts & Culture’s CityArtist program supports Seattle-based individual artists/curators and the research, development, and presentation of their work. The application is open to dancers/choreographers, musicians/composers, or theater-makers (including playwrights). Awarded artists will need to offer a public presentation within Seattle city limits. Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture supports a broad range of artistic and cultural expressions reflecting Seattle’s diversity. See guidelines for details. Applications close on April 27. 
  • The Harpo Foundation’s 2022 Grants for Visual Artists is open now until April 29. Costs $15 to apply, but you can submit for a waiver. More info here. 
  • Public Art Boot Camp 2022 – 2023: Are you a visual artist who’s interested in the public art realm, but have limited experience? We’ve got you! We’re now accepting applications for this year’s Public Art Boot Camp, a paid opportunity that offers professional development and mentorship within the public art realm. Up to 12 artists will be selected to participate in a series of monthly workshops/seminars, which will culminate in a commission for a temporary public artwork. Deadline: Wednesday, May 4, 5pm Pacific.
  • The Seattle World Tour Musician Relief Fund is open to all WA-state-based musicians. All applicants must have a current WA state address to qualify (a check will be sent there). The inaugural grants will be $500 each awarded on June 15, 2022. Thank you to Rain City Relief and those who supported the RCR campaign for making this inaugural launch possible! Apply here. Applications will be open until May 15. 

Grants for Organizations 

  • The City of Bellevue is accepting applications from human service providers in the community for 2023-2024 funding. Proposals can be submitted until 4pm, Thursday, April 28. Bellevue funds programs that address the full spectrum of human service needs, including food security, housing stability, homelessness prevention, health, behavioral health, youth services, domestic violence services, childcare subsidies, and many others. Learn more here. 
  • The City of Federal Way, similarly, will be seeking applications from non-profit and public agencies for human services. As a member of the Human Service Funders Collaborative, Federal Way is participating in this joint application process with fifteen (15) other King County cities. Approximately $536,000 will be available in Human Services General Fund grants and $116,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Public Services funding. Available amounts are dependent on final budgets. Deadline 4:30pm on April 28. Learn more here. 
  • Seattle Foundation’s Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) Grant: Supports grassroots efforts that increase engagement, power, and influence of community members affected by poverty and racial disparities. Serving community-based organizations in South Seattle, White Center, and Kent and focused on organizations with small budget sizes. The deadline for submission is April 30.  
  • Seattle Information Technology is excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for their 2022 Digital Equity Grants. The deadline for submitting proposals is May 13. This year, there are two grant opportunities:  
    • Technology Matching Fund 
      • The City will award grants up to $25,000. 
      • Projects must be completed within one year or less. 
      • Applicants must match at least 25% of their funding request. 
    • Digital Navigator Cohort Grant 
      • The City will award grants up to $50,000. 
      • Projects must be completed within 18 months or less. 
      • No community match is required. 
      • Learn more here. 
  • Request for Proposals Open for Equitable Development Initiative: Community-based organizations working on anti-displacement efforts in high displacement risk neighborhoods are encouraged to apply for funds to support capacity building, property acquisition, and capital expenses. Applications are due June 5. For more info including guidelines and the RFP application, click here. 

Grants for Youth-Serving Organizations

  • The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture is now accepting applications for the 2022 Youth Arts Grant. Youth Arts Grant supports equitable access to arts and cultural learning opportunities for Seattle’s middle and high school-aged youth. Programs occur outside of school hours in person and online and are led by experienced teaching artists working in communities to increase arts and cultural opportunities for young people from diverse racial and socio-economic backgrounds. Recipients will receive a total of $12,000 distributed over two (2) years of Youth Arts funding support for programs in 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. Deadline April 18, 5pm. 
  • School’s Out Washington (SOWA), in partnership with Best Start for Kids (BSK), is seeking proposals for the 2022-2025 King County Best Starts for Kids Expanded Learning Initiative. The RFP and application are now available on SOWA’s website. Proposals are due on Wednesday, April 27 by 11:59pm.
    • Investments in the BSK Expanded Learning Initiative will strengthen and increase expanded learning opportunities for King County young people (ages 5-13) who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and/or living in poverty. Expanded learning provides young people with high-quality programming through a range of activities including academic enrichment, cultural and social development activities, physical activity and health promotion, arts education, and leadership development. Applicants must meet one of the two eligibility criteria: BIPOC-Led Organizations or Place-Based Collaboratives.
  • The Best Starts for Kids Youth Development request for proposal (RFP) is now open! This funding opportunity closes on May 16 at 2pm. Best Starts for Kids is seeking to partner with organizations that support young people through programs that develop youth leadership and engagement opportunities, mentoring, positive identity, and/or healthy and safe relationships.
    • The focus populations for the programs are children and young people in elementary school, middle school, high school, and/or ages 18 to 24. Approximately $12,000,000 is available through the estimated contract period of July 2022 – June 2023 through Best Starts for Kids to support the work described in this RFP. The maximum award amount proposers may request is up to $375,000 for a three-year contract. Pro tip: Bookmark the BSK funding calendar! 
  • Seattle’s Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) just announced their 2022 Funding Opportunities: View their 2022 Notice of Funding Availability to view a description of each opportunity (such as Summer Learning Enhancement, Youth Leadership, Educator Diversity, etc.), who is eligible to apply and anticipated release dates. More information will be posted on DEEL’s funding opportunities page near each release date.

Food Equity Grants 

  • Tier Two of the city of Seattle’s Food Equity Fund is open now! This new grant program prioritizes projects led by and for communities most affected by limited access to healthy, affordable, and culturally relevant food: Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), immigrants, refugees, low-income individuals, families with young children, youth, and elders.
    • Tier Two grants have a maximum award amount of $150,000. During the Tier Two cycle, approximately $2 million in funding will be available for community-led projects that seek to advance food equity. Deadline April 30. More info here, including types of projects sought and technical assistance sessions. 
  • 2022 Farm to Table Support Services RFP: The Youth and Family Empowerment (YFE) Division of the City of Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) is seeking applications from organizations and farmers interested in food equity for Seattle Preschool Programs serving low-income children and families.
    • This Farm to Table Support Services RFP invests in healthy, local, sustainable, culturally relevant food access and education in approximately 50 Seattle Preschool Programs located across the City of Seattle serving 2,000 children ages 3-5 years old. This RFP is investing approximately $839,815 from the following sources: $766,158 in Seattle Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT) funding and $73,657 in City of Seattle General Fund. Initial funding will be for the period of January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023. Completed application packets are due by 4pm PDT, on Thursday, May 5.

Participation is Power 

  • Provide Feedback on Seattle Transportation Plan: Help the Seattle Department of Transportation establish a renewed vision for the future of our streets and public spaces by participating in a public survey. 
  • SoundTransit’s Seattle and Ballard Link Extensions (WSBLE) project is in the formal public comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). This is an especially important time to get involved and tell them what you think! Learn more here. Open until April 28. 
  • The Seattle Redistricting Commission has begun the process of examining how to redraw the boundaries of Seattle’s seven City Council Districts and is inviting community members to learn about the process and provide feedback. You can review drafts of proposed maps and offer your feedback at the Seattle Redistricting Commission website. The designated public comment period is open from February 16 to July 31. Learn more here. 

Gigs

  • Coyote is still seeking a new Executive Director and just upped its base salary range to $85k-110k/annually. Learn more here. Open until filled. 
  • Seattle Arts & Lectures continues its search for a Marketing Manager ($56k-62k annually) The posting is here. Deadline April 18. 
  • FEEST is hiring for an experienced Community Organizing & Training Manager, ($68k-73k annually) to train and supervise organizing staff to organize, build power, and win policy changes in their school district with student leaders. The priority deadline is April 18. 
  • TeenTix is hiring for both a Deputy Director ($60k annually) and a Communications Specialist ($21/hr, 25 hrs/wk). Read about them both here. Open until filled. 
  • Friends of Children are looking for both a Development and Communications Director ($80k-90k/annually) and a Coordinator ($43-48k/annually). Learn more here. Open until filled. 
  • King County Dispute Resolution Center is looking for a Project Manager ($28/hr, 32-40 hrs/week) and Program Coordinator ($25/hr, 32-40 hrs/week) for their Public Housing Services division. People with lived experience in public housing or similar programs are encouraged to apply. Open until filled. 
  • YMCA Social Impact Center is hiring a Technology & Civic Engagement Facilitator (Min. $24/hr, F/T) in their Employment & Training division. It is a unique role teaching technology classes to Opportunity youth in Seattle, plus facilitation of two civic engagement programs.  

Opportunities for Employers

Resources for Parents

  • Looking for a preschool? Apply Now for 2022-2023 Seattle Preschool Program: The program offers high-quality, affordable preschool programming to help children living in Seattle prepare for kindergarten. In-language applications and assistance are available. Learn more here, and apply here. Tuition is free for most Seattle families, with higher-income households paying on a sliding scale based on household size and income.
  • The Creative Advantage ALL ACCESS Arts Stream Spring Classes: These free online classes are led in real-time by master-level teaching artists for elementary-aged youth. Classes available:
    • Virtual Poetry – Magic Words & Magic Powers (Wednesdays, 4/20 – 5/18, 5-6pm)
    • Virtual Dancing Our Natural World with Pacific Northwest Ballet (Thursdays, 4/21 – 5/19, 5-6pm)
    • Virtual Pop-up Books and Paper Magic (Saturdays, 4/23 – 5/21, 10 – 11am)

Resources for Arts Educators

  • Artful Solidarity for Arts Education with The Creative Advantage: Saturday, April 30, 2022, 10am – 1pm. After two long and challenging years, how can the community come together to better support arts educators and arts education? The Creative Advantage is carving out space for teachers and arts partners to reconvene and reboot. This in-person event at the Seattle Art Museum is a celebration of creative resilience, a call to action, and a time to seed new possibilities. Engage in collective learning, then tour the museum on your own time. This event is free to all educators. Three Washington State Clock Hours are available. Click here to register. 

New Public Artwork: Connected Community by Julia Harrison 

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Bringing together themes of community and the power of solar energy, artist Julia Harrison, installed a new public artwork Connected Community at the Miller Community Center located on 19th Ave. E on Capitol Hill in mid-March 2022.  

Connected Community, courtesy of artist Julia Harrison

Seattle City Light and Seattle Parks and Recreation recently installed a rooftop solar array and a solar microgrid at Miller Community Center. The microgrid will provide backup power to this important community center during electrical outages.    

Organized by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS), Julia Harrison’s work Connected Community is a joyful wall sculpture created out of bent, riveted, and painted steel that includes symbols and designs connecting two main inspirations – the patrons and activities of the Miller Community Center and the solar microgrid. The artwork combines and celebrates these two powerful, complementary, and renewable resources: solar energy and community.  

“Artist Julia Harrison understands connecting community to art. Her approach to integrating the Miller Community Center neighborhood into her artwork and design signals the depth of her engagement. Art exposes us to new experiences that we carry out into the world – art impacts our world view and Connected Community directly forges relationships between communities, businesses, and organizations in Capitol Hill.”     

royal alley-barnes, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture Acting Director

A close-up view of the work reveals familiar shapes, including a set of hands, a volleyball, a book – while other symbols and shapes relate to community-identified references, such as a marigold flower for the center’s important Day of the Dead celebration, a rainbow referencing the LGBQTA+ community, and a ribbon representing the annual holiday gift exchange that occurs onsite. In developing this artwork, the artist’s intent was to create a piece that Miller staff and visitors could find something to identify with and discover new elements each time they engage with the sculpture. 

Connected Community, courtesy of artist Julia Harrison

“This project celebrates the Miller Community Center’s array of community services, and perhaps in some way also strengthens that community by encouraging patrons to linger thoughtfully in the heart of the building. I hope that I’ve made a piece that Miller staff and patrons will enjoy visiting again and again, and that each and every visitor will find something to identify within the design.” 

Julia Harrison, Artist

Inspired and funded by the Seattle City Light % for Art Fund, Julia’s work also references the role of the solar microgrid. Throughout the day, sunlight from the windows above casts shadows that are continually in motion changing the artwork. The rainbow colors of the artwork are the prism spectrum of color, showcasing again the incredible power of light.   

A closeup of Connected Community, courtesy of artist Julia Harrison

You are invited to see the work in person at the Miller Community Center, located at 330 19th Ave. E., with the open hours listed on the center’s website. 

Julia Harrison recently relocated from Seattle to North Carolina, where she is a Resident Artist at the Penland School of Craft. Her focus as an artist and educator has long been on jewelry and sculpture, with an emphasis on low-tech carving processes. Julia is fascinated by the challenges and opportunities public projects represent; her new work in metal strapping explores influences, including Mexican filigree jewelry and antique cookie cutters on a magnified scale. Julia’s previous public sculpture can be seen at the Sacajawea Playfield in Seattle’s Maple Leaf neighborhood. 

Register for The Creative Advantage ALL ACCESS Arts Stream SPRING Classes 

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The Creative Advantage ALL ACCESS Arts Stream Spring Classes are now open for registration. A continued collaboration between Parks and Recreation, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Seattle Public Schools, and Creative Advantage Arts Partners, this program started as a pilot program in December 2020 and grew into virtual classes last spring.   

These free classes are led in real-time by master-level teaching artists for elementary-aged youth and take place virtually after school and on Saturdays. Students must enroll through the Seattle Parks & Recreation online ActiveNet registration system to receive the secure class Webex links to participate from their homes, community centers, and housing sites.   

Register the young artists you know through the links below  and help us spread the word about this free arts learning opportunity. 

Virtual Poetry – Magic Words & Magic Powers

Wednesdays, April 20 – May 18, 2022, 5-6 p.m.
Ages 7–11

Poetry can be a great tool for grounding youth in the power of imagination and language. Jay Thompson of Seattle Arts & Lectures’ WITS program invites students to use their five senses, explore their homes, play with words, and delight themselves with their poems. A link to Webex for the class will be in your email 2 days prior to class. 

Learn More

Virtual Dancing Our Natural World with Pacific Northwest Ballet 

Thursdays, April 21 – May 19, 2022, 5-6 p.m.
Ages 7–10

Movement can share and express what you know, think, and feel. Join a teaching artist from Pacific Northwest Ballet in using nature and our physical world as inspiration for movement. A link to Webex for the class will be in your email 2 days prior to class. 

Learn More

Virtual Pop-up Books and Paper Magic 

Saturdays, April 23 – May 21, 2022, 10 – 11 a.m.
Ages 8–11 

Learn how to cut and fold paper to create 2D and 3D shapes with teaching artist Jiéyì Ludden of Arts Corps. Together, you’ll explore design strategies, crafting, and storytelling in an inclusive environment. A link to Webex for the class will be in your email 2 days prior to class. 

Learn More
A poem is my sweet tree of happiness 
A poem is like a warm onion 
A friend is an uproar of content 
A story is a flowing cloth 
Music is like a sightless color 
Dancing is a great wave 
A friend is like a cool morning

- Ivan, Virtual Poetry Winter Quarter 2022

 

Jazz As Part Of The African American Cultural Diaspora

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By 

Dr. James R. Gore, Executive Director, Jackson Street Music Program 

Jazz can mean many things to many people musically; however, for the purpose of this article, the African American cultural perspective is from the focus of Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, who in his book, “Entertaining Race” states:

Jazz for instance, was born in irreverence, expressing the unrespectable thoughts, outlaw perspectives, and outside-the-box beliefs of Black life. It eventually came to represent Black genius and humanity in the battle over the cultural status of Black art. It is now widely viewed as the quintessential American art form to which other Black art is compared and often found wanting.”

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, “Entertaining Race” (2021, p.10)

Dyson’s statement is an understatement of the role of Jazz as an art, rooted in the African American experience.

JAZZ-DESIGNATION AN AMERICAN NATIONAL TREASURE
Whereas, jazz has achieved preeminence throughout the world as an indigenious American music and art form, bringing this country and the world a uniquely American musical synthesis and culture through the African-American experience

United States Congressional Act, H.Con.Res.57, (100th), Jazz Preservation Act of 1987

A cultural institution, Jazz gave African American artists a platform to communicate their worldviews. Art as part of cultural identities of all human beings, is especially important to African Americans whose unique culture in America has not always provided institutional platforms for self-definition. Yet Jazz as an original American art form, expresses a part of African American cultural identity, just as all human cultures illustrate their perspectives and philosophies through the Humanities. Amari Baraka provides the following insights to this fact in the “Anthology: The Jazz Cadence of American Culture”:  

We take for granted the social and cultural milieu and philosophy that produced Mozart. As Western people, the socio-cultural thinking of the eighteenth-century Europe comes to us as legacy that is a continuous and organic part of the twentieth century. The socio-cultural philosophy of the Negro in America (as a continuous historical phenomenon) is no less specific and no less important for any intelligent critical speculation about music that came out of it.”

(A. Baraka,1960/1998, p. 139). 

Therefore, Jazz music rooted in the Blues became an institutional platform of African American culture to tell their stories, self-define their identities and express their attitudes through music. 

Even so, the history of African Americans in America is complicated. As Jazz music became an element of American popular culture in the 20th century, due in part to technology such as, the invention of the phonograph and radio and exposure in films. Nevertheless, systemic, and institutional racism persisted, causing one of the world’s largest and longest migration of people. The Great American Migration witnessed six million African Americans leaving the Jim Crow South for cities in the Northern and Western United States. Many African American Jazz artists also migrated to Europe and experienced humanity not available in their own country. 

Jackson Street Jazz district entrepreneur Russell “Noodles” Smith and associates. Courtesy of the Black Heritage Society of Washington State, Inc.

Seattle, a destination of African American migration, became one of America’s Jazz epicenters in the early 20th century. The Jackson Street Jazz District, which encompassed 5th Avenue to 15th between Jackson and Yesler was Seattle’s primary Jazz eco-system which incorporated jazz performance and supporting economy such as: hotels and nightclubs. One of the city’s first Jazz clubs was the Alhambra Cabaret, named in tribute to the Moorish palace in Spain (Alhambra de Granada, The Red One). The African American business ownership of entrepreneurs like Russell “Noodles” Smith established the Jackson Street Jazz district as an important economic and artistic zone for the nurturing of Seattle Jazz artists and developing audiences. Located in a cultural pluralistic neighborhood, the Jackson Street Jazz District was a result of the City’s red-lining housing statues; however, it was ideally located near Seattle’s two main train stations in downtown Seattle. This meant accessibility to audiences and touring artists which is important for business regarding supply and demand. 

Jazz has flourished in Seattle for over One Hundred years. The Jackson Street Jazz District no longer exists; however, its musical influence on Seattle is still relevant. Likewise, the institutional status of Jazz has risen from its humble beginnings, its foundation of inclusive self-expression is still its artistic core value, “an indigenous American music and art form” which has become a global tool for diplomacy! 

Artists bring life and design to Downtown Seattle

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The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) in partnership with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and King County Metro, commissioned three artists from Public Art Boot Camp alumni to create temporary art in the downtown corridor using out-of-service Real-Time Information Sign kiosks. Artists Angie Hinojos, Baso Fibonacci, and Naoko Morisawa transformed the decommissioned kiosks into art installations that line Third Avenue downtown. SDOT is working with King County Metro on longer-term plans to replace and update bus stop infrastructure in this area. There is potential to expand this project to a kiosk in Pioneer Square. We are working with the Preservation Board to determine interest. 

“This project, reimagining transit infrastructure as art installations, illustrates how public art interprets and contributes to civic life. Artists bring vitality into our environment as they express our shared identities and histories.”  

royal alley-barnes, ARTS Acting Director

This innovative public art project uses existing infrastructure as canvases for the artists to create personal and distinctive artworks giving viewers alternate perspectives on the urban environment. Each artist created one design that is installed at eight different locations. The three artists explored their heritage and histories in their artworks.  

Angie Hinojos’ The Five Creations

Angie Hinojos drew from traditional Aztec beliefs for her installation, The Five Creations, 2022. It is a story of birth, destruction, hope, and the passage of time that illuminates our past and orients us toward the future. 

Colorful Aztec patterns and imagery of corn and creatures.
The Five Creations by Angie Hinojos on the west side of 3rd Ave, north of Pike. Photo by Rebecca Johnson.

Naoko Morisawa’s Target Forever II

Naoko Morisawa’s installation Target Forever II, diptych, 2021, originates from her recent series of works, Target Forever, that is inspired by personal Target’s to live better and Major League Baseball Player and MVP star, Shohei Otani. The original works are created out of handcrafted, oil-stained wood and paper mosaic painting, including acrylic and washi. 

Loose circular patterns radiating outward.
Target Forever II by Naoko Morisawa on the east side of 3rd Ave, north of Pine. Photo by Rebecca Johnson.

Baso Fibonacci’s Hop On

Baso Fibonacci based his installation, Hop On, 2022, on his own past growing up in the 90s and 00s downtown when Seattle was a ‘ride free’ area. The colors in his artwork are based on the color schemes of the buses he rode as a kid and young adult. 

Geometric shapes in a limited palette of golds, oranges and black.
Hop On by Baso Fibonacci on the east side of 3rd Ave, north of Pine. Photo by Rebecca Johnson.

Freely accessible, public art humanizes our built environment, defines our space, elevates our communities, illustrates our history, and creates a sense of ownership and belonging. During the past two years, we have also seen how public art builds community and combats feelings of anxiety and social isolation. 

The three artists selected for the installations are graduates of ARTS’ Public Art Boot Camp. 

Public Art Boot Camp is a professional development and mentorship program for visual artists who are interested in the public art realm but have never done work in the field before. The upcoming 2022-23 Public Art Boot Camp will be a cohort model of 12 artists that will be paired with a staff mentor and participate in monthly lectures, workshops and meetings on a variety of topics throughout the year. Stay tuned for more information on how to apply for the 2022-23 Public Art Boot Camp cohort in the coming weeks. 

The reimagination of the Real-Time Information Sign kiosks is a temporary public art project funded by SDOT’s 1% for Art Funds and administered by the Office of Arts & Culture. 

The Creative Advantage: Community Arts Partnership Report Highlights Powerful Arts Education Through Two Challenging School Years

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By Tina LaPadula

In March 2020, schools across the nation closed their doors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report examines the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, and captures all the ways The Creative Advantage community of teachers and teaching artists persisted, problem-solved, and innovated to keep arts partnerships afloat despite unprecedented challenges.

The Creative Advantage has worked with local evaluation company, The BERC Group to provide a comprehensive annual report on the implementation and impact of the initiative on student and community outcomes. The implementation team is proud of our many successful programming pivots, including CA Online Arts and ALL ACCESS Arts Stream; that the initiative was able to manage even more arts partnerships in 2020-21 than in the previous year; and that The Creative Advantage reached more than 1,000 educators through our virtual professional development offerings.

“The 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years presented unique challenges and opportunities for The Creative Advantage. Program leaders, district, and organizational partners needed to quickly pivot and adjust programming in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to these changes, BERC researchers and program leaders worked together to determine the best way to proceed with an evaluation that would highlight efforts The Creative Advantage team took to continue supporting students and community members despite pandemic related challenges.

One program leader shared, “the pandemic puts us all in a community in a different way, where we are focused on the students and the adults.” New research questions were conceived, and program leaders and researchers developed a plan to conduct a qualitative case study evaluation of The Creative Advantage community partnerships, one of the goals of The Creative Advantage, and an area of targeted investment during the pandemic response.”

– Stacy Mehlberg, Ph. D The BERC Group

The Creative Advantage implementation team is digging into the recommendations section and prioritizing all the ways we can support the students and educators in our community better, as schools jump-start paused arts plans and partners line up for new residency opportunities.

The Creative Advantage Community Arts Partnership Report

TCA-Partnership-ReportDownload

About The Creative Advantage:

The Creative Advantage is a city-wide initiative to establish equitable access to arts education for every student in Seattle Public Schools (SPS). It is a collective impact partnership between Seattle Public Schools, Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture, Seattle Foundation, and 100+ community arts organizations and individual teaching artists.

Since 2007, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) Visual and Performing Arts Program and Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) have collaborated to increase student access to quality arts learning in high-need schools. In 2012, with funding from The Wallace Foundation, the district conducted a needs assessment on the state of arts education in SPS. The report showed access to an arts education is predictable based on race and ethnicity, Free and Reduced Lunch, Special Education, and English Learner status.

To address these inequities, the Seattle K-12 Arts Plan was created, which laid out specific strategies for all students to receive a comprehensive, sequential, and predictable arts education. To realize the plan, The Creative Advantage was born — solidifying the collective impact partnership between SPS and ARTS as the “backbone” management structure, The Seattle Foundation as the fiscal agent, and high leverage partners to support essential goals of the arts plan. As of 2020-2021, the initiative is in 81 schools (out of 106) and will expand to the entire district over time, supporting a total of 55,000+ students.

Courtesy of The Creative Advantage

The Creative Advantage approach includes prioritizing increased arts access in the schools, addressing issues of racial equity, engaging in regional and school arts planning with K-12 pathways, building community arts partnerships, providing comprehensive professional development, and conducting rigorous evaluation of the program to address emerging promising practices and continuous improvement. The goals of The Creative Advantage are to ensure that every student in every school receives:

  • High quality arts instruction that teaches sequential arts skills and techniques, develops 21st Century Skills, and is culturally responsive
  • Instruction from certified arts teachers
  • Integrated arts instruction
  • Arts partnerships with community-based organizations and teaching artists
  • Opportunities to connect arts to careers in high school

Want to get involved? The Creative Advantage Arts Partner Roster Application is open now through March 7. More info here.

The Creative Advantage Community Arts Partner Roster Application Opens

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Applications to be included in The Creative Advantage Community Arts Partner Roster are now open through March 7.

Information Session:

The Creative Advantage Roster Application Information Session
Thursday, February 17, 2022  
4pm on Zoom
Free with Registration
Register here

Teaching artist Antonio Davidson-Gomez, courtesy of The Creative Advantage

What is The Community Arts Partner Roster?

The Creative Advantage Community Arts Partner Roster is a vetted list of teaching artists and community arts and culture organizations approved to work in Seattle Public Schools through The Creative Advantage. Arts partners provide integrated and cultural arts learning for students and teachers, and exposure to different methods of expression and viewing the world. 

Community arts partnerships with schools are valued in Seattle for their role in increasing student access to arts learning, broadening the arts disciplines students can explore, and for all the ways they create bridges between communities and schools. The roster is maintained by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture as a resource for schools seeking partners to meet their education and community goals.

Eligibility:

The Community Arts Partner Roster Application opens twice a year for new partners to apply. Applications are vetted and approved by a panel of Creative Advantage Advisors, made up of Seattle Public School teachers and current Roster partners. 

The roster is open to Seattle-based:

  • Teaching Artists
  • Community Arts Organizations
  • Cultural Institutions

2022 Roster opens twice a year

  • February 1 – March 7
  • August 10 – September 14 

Applicants can apply to provide student art residencies and professional development opportunities for teachers and will have the option to indicate on the application. 

Learn More

For questions about the program or for help with the online application please contact the Arts Education Project Manager, Tina LaPadula.

Beloved King County

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an arts driven anti-gun violence campaign 

Beloved is an anti-gun violence campaign made possible through a partnership between the community, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture Hope Corps program, and King County’s Zero Youth Detention/Public Health team. Beloved taps local creative talent to bring into focus the systemic causes of community-based gun violence and amplify the voices of those working on treatments and prevention. To learn more about Beloved and to get involved visit BelovedKingCounty.com. 

Recent data paints a clear and grim picture, King County has been experiencing a significant increase in community-based gun violence and homicide. Currently, firearms are the leading cause of homicide deaths among youth and young adults in King County. Similar to COVID-19, gun violence dramatically affects marginalized communities the most with Black Americans making up the largest share of those killed by guns, suffering nearly 10 times more gun homicides and 15 times more gun assaults than white Americans. As reported in King County census data, the Black community totals 6.56% of the total population but makes up over 50% of the lives lost to gun violence. 85% of all homicides are people of color. 

Beloved Project Kick-off meeting Monday Dec 21 2020 at the Seattle Office of arts & Culture. Captured by Erik Kalligraphy Wilson dba ContemporaryLoveAffair. 

“Between the pandemic and the protest I lost a countless amount of friends and family to gun violence. I was sad, I was angry, and I felt alone. I felt like I was losing everything. Once I took the moment to look past myself, I realized that it wasn’t just me, it was my whole community feeling this way. All of a sudden we were all in attendance at the same funerals, holding the same pain and holding back the same tears. In this moment I realized I can no longer stand on the sidelines. I can either be a part of the change, the problem, or a victim.” 

Erik Kalligraphy, co-creator of the Beloved campaign when asked why he started this partnership. 

Community leadership, by those most directly impacted, is fundamental to the elimination of the epidemic of gun violence. Through a partnership between Seattle Office of Arts & Culture Hope Corps program, and King County’s Zero Youth Detention/Public Health team with managerial oversight by ToyBox Consulting and Management LLC. and fiscal Sponsorship by Black Coffee Northwest Grounded in Excellence 501c3, the Beloved campaign utilizes creative activations to amplify those in community working on treatments and prevention, as well as spotlight the systemic causes of community-based gun violence.  

 Media shapes our perspectives about life and how we can/should or will not live it. Beloved champions a life narrative beyond gun violence awareness. It is open community power of innovative thought replacing pain points through advocacy and action. Its unassailable facts of systemic racism combined with public health truths reframe our opportunities for conversations. It looks to how we engage in our collective valuing of human life leading with Black Lives. Beloved’s collective local voices certify that gun violence, as an epidemic, is an abuse to humanity.” 

royal alley-barnes, acting director Seattle Office of Arts & Culture

“Gun violence is a public health epidemic. Treating violence as a public health issue calls on the de-stigmatization of those who are suffering and focuses on the “prescription” for treatment and cure, it means taking collective responsibility for the causes, the impacts, and the approaches to solving it.” 

Eleuthera Lisch, co-creator of the Beloved campaign. 

Over the course of 12 weeks beginning in February, Beloved will work in partnership with The Facts Newspaper and South Seattle Emerald to publish four special editions of the paper; Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) to create an in person exhibit; and Converge Media to host four town hall style live stream events, all exploring the causes of gun violence, treatment and prevention, as well as the restoration needed to eradicate gun violence. Beloved will also activate public spaces throughout Seattle and King County with pop-up public art installations and events in partnership with Creative Justice, Forever Safe Spaces, and Presidential Media Group. Many are working to cure the disease of gun violence, and many are affected by it. The goal of Beloved is to amplify the message: “Everyone lost to gun violence is someone Beloved.”