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Office of Arts & Culture news and events

Seven Artists Selected for Art Interruptions 2020 along North Seattle Neighborhood Greenway

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2018 Art Interruptions, Black Teen Wearing Hoodie by Jasmine Brown, photo by Minh Carrico

The Office of Arts & Culture in partnership with Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has commissioned seven emerging public artists to create temporary art installations along the North Seattle Neighborhood Greenway in Licton Springs for Art Interruptions 2020. The artworks will inhabit city sidewalks and parks and offer passers-by a brief interruption in their day, eliciting a moment of surprise, beauty, contemplation, or humor. The artists selected are:

Eva Funderburgh

Hinojos & Jimenez Art, LLC

Naoko Morisawa

Shawn Parks

Forrest Perrine

Nichole Rathburn

Erin Shigaki

Artists were selected by a panel of artists, community members, and city staff. Art Interruptions is funded by the SDOT 1% for Arts Funds.

Image: 2018 Art Interruptions, Black Teen Wearing Hoodie by Jasmine Brown, photo by Minh Carrico.

Statement from ARTS on Recent Events regarding Black Lives

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To our arts and cultural community,

We are committed to centering racial justice in our everyday practices, and we believe art is a powerful agent for change in our culture.

As a city department whose values of anti-racism and transformation guide us, we work with many of you in community and share a common belief that art is a powerful agent for change in our culture.

In this moment, we as an arts and cultural community cannot afford to operate at a surface level. We cannot be silent.  A social media post is not enough.  A racial equity training is not enough.  We are living under two crises right now: first the pandemic and most recently, the continuation of racial warfare that has climaxed after 400+ years of hate inflicted on our Black community.  We must act now. 

There is so much work to be done to break down systems of oppression that are built specifically targeting the Black community. What is your commitment towards dismantling these structures? For non-Black and BIPOC orgs, what is your organization doing to support BIPOC staff during this time and beyond? What is your action plan for moving forward and staying accountable? How can we support you in your commitment, and what do you need from our agency to move this work forward?”

Our office is committed to continuing to address these questions through our daily practices, which are through a racial equity lens. We invite the entire arts and cultural community to think strategically and ethically about how they might do the same. Stand with our Office in solidarity for all Black lives, not only in the greater Seattle community, but nationally as we continue to fight for justice.

In solidarity,

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture

Statement from the Seattle Arts Commission on Recent Events regarding Black Lives

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In light of the recent protests that were sparked over the heinous murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade and the countless other Black lives across the United States; and the anti-Blackness act to weaponize Christian Cooper are all the result of racism, police brutality and white supremacy. We are wounded, angry and outraged that the Black community continues to be victims and targets of this violence.

In the Arts Commission, diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism are always in the front of our minds and play a large component in our policies, decision making and service that we provide to both the arts and cultural communities. We see and acknowledge the hurt and pain and stand in solidarity with our Black artists, Black leaders of organizations and Black arts and cultural administrators during this painful and egregious period.

We recognize that these acts of injustice will continue to surface unless we, the arts and cultural communities collectively unite to dismantle the systemic racism that continues to cripple the Black community. We must work together to find a legislative process that legalizes Blackness and is fair and equitable to all Black artists, organizations, cultural centers, and the Black community at large. We invite everyone to stand with us as we continue to battle these issues so that the Black community does not have to continue to be impacted by these repeated, painful experiences. Only then will we be able to stand united together once we have attacked and abandoned these unhealthy ways continue to hurt our Black community.

Standing in solidarity,
Priya Frank and Dr. Quinton Morris, co-chairs Seattle Arts Commission

Statewide Cultural & Creative Economic Survey

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Statewide Cultural & Creative Economic Recovery Survey

We know there have been many other economic impact surveys in our sectors, and that this is yet another one.

The difference now is that twelve local, regional, and statewide agencies including City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, 4Culture, King County Creative, ArtsFund, Artist Trust, ArtsWA, Humanities Washington, InspireWA, Washington Filmworks, Whip Smart, and Spokane Arts have collectively decided to combine efforts by designing together and using one survey that will go out to everyone.

Moving forward, this consortium will be working in a coordinated fashion to collect and share impact data for the arts and cultural sectors and creative industries, relevant to individual artists as well as organizations/businesses.

Timeline

There will be three surveys at different times throughout the year (June, August, October) to measure impact.

Purpose

We intend to use your feedback to design and fund relief programs and recovery/re-opening plans, inform elected officials and advocates, and to amplify your stories about the devastating impacts due to COVID-19. All questions asked are voluntary.

Guided by and honoring Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative and the King County Vision for Equity and Social Justice, we are using demographic questions towards the end of our survey to identify disparities in how our communities are experiencing this pandemic differently. The data will be reported in aggregate, to protect individual confidentiality.

Who should fill out this survey:

  • Artists
  • Creatives
  • Cultural workers
  • Creative small businesses
  • Large arts institutions
  • Everybody in-between and within the arts and cultures sectors.

The survey takes approximately ten minutes to complete and will remain open until June 15, 2020, 11:59pm, Pacific.

Outcomes

The data from each survey will be shared out to the agencies, who will communicate findings relevant to their jurisdictions. We have agreed to a 2- week window after each survey closes for sharing out high-level information, with more buffer time for comprehensive reporting and data analysis of qualitative feedback.

Button: Take the Survey

Past COVID-19 Related Data Results

Arts sector survey results/press releases from data collected during the early months of COVID-19 can be found here:

Data is forthcoming from the Office of Economic Development, City of Seattle and ArtsWA. Expect it this summer.

June 1: King County Will Apply for Modified Phase One

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Governor Jay Inslee recently announced updates to the Safe Start Washington reopening plan, and King County Executive Dow Constantine confirmed that the County will apply for modified Phase One on Monday, June 1, 2020. The updated Safe Start plan establishes a modified Phase One, which allows certain businesses, construction and manufacturing, and outdoor recreation activities to resume under strict public health and safety guidance.

The Mayor believes that Seattle and King County are ready to enter a modified Phase One approach to reopening additional businesses – click here to read Mayor Durkan’s full statement. Even as we apply for a modified Phase One, we all know that we aren’t out of the woods yet. This virus knows no boundaries and resurgence can happen quickly and exponentially if we don’t all do our part. As we begin to reopen our economy, businesses, and cultural institutions, we cannot relax all restrictions simultaneously.

Upon approval by the State Department of Health:

  • King County restaurants will be able to operate with no indoor service, but outdoor service is allowed at 50% seating capacity if they are previously permitted to do so;
  • In-store retail operations can operate at 15% capacity, with customer services limited to 30 minutes; and
  • Personal services can operate at 25% of building occupancy.
  • Other outdoor recreation, businesses, and construction and manufacturing services are permitted as long as they follow State guidance.

Click here to read the full breakdown of modified Phase One guidance.

We know that many of our business owners and residents have questions about what the State’s guidance means for them. The Mayor’s Office and the City’s Office of Economic Development (OED) will continue to amplify information from the State as soon as they have it, and make sure materials are accessible and available in-language.

In the meantime, you can visit the Washington state Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) website for additional reopening guidance.

The City of Seattle also created the Seattle Protects online marketplace to help businesses, nonprofit organizations, and residents purchase face coverings from local manufacturers. Seattle Protects is a new economic development and public health effort by the City to encourage local organizations in search of face coverings to purchase from Seattle-region midsize manufacturers and businesses that have pivoted to creating face coverings and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, OED partnered with Communities Rise and Perkins Coie to launch a new toolkit to help small businesses and nonprofit organizations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic explore options for their commercial leases with a goal of remaining in their spaces. Building on the eviction moratorium for small businesses and nonprofits signed by Mayor Durkan, the new COVID-19 Lease Amendment Toolkit for small businesses and nonprofits provides a suite of tools – including template lease amendment language – to assist small businesses and nonprofits who are navigating the negotiation of their commercial leases with their landlords.

Click here to read a FAQ on existing guidance that the State has produced for several industries (pdf).

City of Seattle Launches Seattle Together Initiative

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The City of Seattle is launching the Seattle Together initiative, which is designed to celebrate ideas, share resources and events, and connect community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Seattle Together initiative asks community members to amplify stories of good work and resiliency by residents, elevate resources and share best practices, and build relationships as Seattle residents continue to follow the statewide “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order and public health physical distancing guidance.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Seattle, necessary public health guidance has undoubtedly taken a toll on the economic, physical, and mental health of residents. Seattle Together will help people connect by lifting up community-generated ideas, highlighting philanthropic efforts, and sharing information about City resources. Seattle Together is a curated hub that features local artistic content, mental health breaks, physical activities, and helpful resources designed to provide respite and hope for our community.

“Much has rightly been said and done about the economic and public health impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our communities. But we must acknowledge and address the impact this crisis is having on our collective wellbeing, and the loneliness and fear the pandemic creates,” said Mayor Durkan. “At a time when the weather is getting warmer and our City is at its most beautiful, we must continue to stay inside and physically distance ourselves from our loved ones and neighbors. Seattle Together is about creating a platform where we can build community and connection during this unprecedented time and celebrate the innovation, creativity, and drive that makes Seattle the best city in the country. As a City government, it’s our responsibility to not only look out for the physical and economic health of our residents, but to fight for the emotional wellbeing and happiness of all our communities. Seattle Together does just that.”

“While we are still focused on relief, we know that we need to find ways to connect and give our City a chance to come together in new and different ways. Seattle Together is an initiative that invests in our most impacted communities and celebrates our region’s resilience and the work everyone is doing to survive and come out of this crisis stronger than before,” said Randy Engstrom, Director of the Office of Arts & Culture.

Key elements of the initiative include a Seattle Together website, SeattleTogether.org and online campaign featuring the creativity and stories of Seattle residents, both well-known and undiscovered. Seattle residents are encouraged to share their ideas using #SeattleTogether on social media or submit their ideas, stories of community resiliency, and resources for the Seattle Together website.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be launching From Home to Home: Northwest Folklife Festival this weekend—a place where we can collectively showcase our folklife, right from our homes,” says Kelli Faryar, Executive Artistic Director of Northwest Folklife. “In the same spirit as the Seattle Together initiative, we hope that From Home to Home and SeattleTogether.org will serve as a virtual platform showcasing local artists and culture bearers, creating a space for cultural exchange and community connection.”

Seattle Together will recognize community members, organizations, and businesses dedicating their time and money to those in need, individuals connecting with one another through creative and unique experiences, and artists sharing cultural content to vulnerable populations.

The City of Seattle will also share information on new resources and initiatives, online activities, and cultural programming. Online activities on Seattle Together range from yoga classes to live-streamed concerts, so that Seattle residents can access their favorite classes, as well as new opportunities. Seattle Center, Parks and Recreation, the Office of Arts & Culture, The Seattle Public Library, Human Services Department, Seattle Fire Department, and other City departments are contributing to Seattle Together.

Totem Star offers online music programs to youth in response to COVID-19

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The idea for the youth-focused nonprofit was formed in 2010 when Daniel Pak and fellow co-founder Thaddeus Turner hosted a summer program at Rainier Community Center for 10 youth recently released from Juvenile Detention. Over the summer, Pak and Turner spent 240 hours with the youth creating and recording music.

Totem Star artists supporting Kiddus Fecto during Winter Magic – Photo by Avi Loud

“We had Bloods and Crips in the same studio, and we were all a happy family,” Daniel Pak, co-founder and Executive Director of Totem Star.

Three weeks after the conclusion of the program, Pak had what he calls an, “aha” moment when he found out 1/3 of the youth had already been booked back into the detention center. In that moment, Pak remembers thinking, “We need to have a place where young people can always come. A safe and encouraging creative sanctuary.”

That creative sanctuary is now 10 years old and, according to Pak, has mentored about 2,000 youth. Located inside Youngstown Cultural Arts center in West Seattle, Totem Star has become a central hub for young artists looking for studio time, mentorship, and most importantly, family.

“It’s a real thriving and beautiful community”, youth artist Mirabai Kukathas explains. “Once all this [COVID] started, it was like, ‘I can’t see my family anymore!’”  Kukathas, who was set to compete in the final round the MoPop Sound Off! before the event was cancelled due to COVID, is one of many youth who were worried when Totem Star was forced to shut its doors in March. However, due to quick action from Totem Star staff, the programs never missed a beat. “Pretty much immediately, I get these emails saying not to worry because everything is moving online,” she recalls. “We can book sessions like normal, but only through Zoom. We can’t record stuff, but we can chat, we can write songs, we can cry, we can make jokes, and it’ll be the same.”

It may not be fair to say that everything remained the same, but there are some ways Totem Star has improved. With all sessions becoming digital, it has become easier for artists outside of the Greater Seattle area to participate in programs. Since closing their doors in March, Pak has brought in a singer/song writer from Auburn and reconnected with an alumni who is currently studying abroad in Holland. Speaking of using technology to expand Totem Star’s reach, Pak says, “The whole remote sessions model really gives us a sneak peek into what the future looks like should we decide to expand. We could literally serve any young artist in the world right now.”

Co-Founder Thaddeus Turner (right) working with Mirabai Kukathas (left) in The Studio. Photo by Tracey Wong

Totem Star has shifted smoothly to the new world of remote meetings. During normal times, teens would come to their studio Monday-Friday during after school hours to hang out with friends and work on music. Now, in addition to remote one-on-one mentor sessions, they host big virtual meetings via Zoom every Wednesday and Thursday where youth can still connect with their Totem Star family. Communications Manager Tracey Wong points out, “We had a physical open mic night that was twice a year, but we have now brought it online at #TotemStarLive and it’s a virtual open mic every first Friday.”

Mirabai performing at Summer Kick Off – Photo by Maurice Harnsberry

Totem Star is currently accepting applications for new artists. To any youth considering joining, Pak says, “Totem Star has always been a welcoming and inclusive space for any young person passionate about music to discover a new family.”
For more information visit: https://totemstar.org/

Welcoming New Teaching Artists and Organizations onto The Creative Advantage Arts Partner Roster

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The Creative Advantage is excited to collaborate with this new cadre of partners who were just chosen by a panel of arts educators, teaching artists and youth development professionals. Their addition brings The Creative Advantage Community Arts Partner Roster to just over 130:

  • Art with Heart
  • Cecelia Renee DeLeon
  • Centro Cultural Mexicano
  • Mode Music and Performing Arts
  • Delbert Richardson
  • Erica Merritt
  • Jenna Spinei
  • Leah Mann
  • Matthew Masayuki Fujimoto
  • Melissa Koch-de Wrangel
  • Michael Grant
  • Northwest Film Forum
  • Pottery Northwest, INC.
  • Seattle JazzED
  • Sea-King Media (BOREALIS, A Festival of Light)
  • Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras
  • Stephanie Segura
  • The Rhapsody Project / Joseph Seamons
  • The Williams Project
  • Wing Luke Memorial Foundation

Seattle’s Public Art Collection is now online

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Longing for a new art adventure from the comfort of your own home? To explore a vast collection of artworks at your own pace and be able to share them with your community?

All of this only a click of your mouse away. Click here to enter the online portal to the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture Civic Art Collection.

No matter if you are interested in works by Northwest Masters, emerging artists, or artwork in the public realm there is something for you. The City of Seattle’s Civic Art Collection was established in 1972. It includes more than 400 permanently sited/integrated artworks and over 3,200 portable artworks. The artworks are commissioned through a public process with panels comprised of visual artists along with community and City representatives.

To start collecting artworks go to the Using Site tab and scroll to the bottom. There you will find instructions on how to create an account and get collecting!

The Creative Advantage Arts Education Goes Online: arts lessons for Seattle Public Schools, K-12

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The Creative Advantage, a partnership between Seattle Public Schools (SPS) and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, is creating online arts lessons by local teaching artists for SPS students and families.  

A man demonstrating the splits.

The Creative Advantage Online Arts videos will be a series of approximately 10 to 15-minute arts educational programming segments and feature a variety of artistic disciplines for a range of grade levels, K-12. The online art videos are a collaboration with individual teaching artists, Seattle Public Schools, community partners and youth, as well as production partners NFFTY, Northwest Film Forum, and Reel Grrls Pro. The series will be available on SPS TV, KOMO 4, Seattle Public Library, SPS and Seattle Office of Arts & Culture YouTube channels, social media and websites.  

In March, SPS began providing video learning opportunities for K-8 students in several subjects, including English language arts, math, science, Washington state tribal history, and visual and performing arts. Videos are available on the SPS TV channel, KOMO 4, streaming on the SPS website, and posted on the SPS TV YouTube channel. In addition, SPS is providing Learning Packets with content from a variety of subject areas, including the arts, and distributed to families at the 26 food distribution sites, as well as King County and Seattle Housing Authority and McKinney-Vento locations.  

A teaching artist makes a collage: Make art with us.

“The videos from teachers and teaching artists are a way for students to know they are seen and missed. They provide a way for young people to express themselves, get inspired, and create by making art.  We are so grateful for this group of educators to share their passion and expertise in the arts and to make connections – even through the screen – this truly matters right now.” said by Gail Sehlhorst, Visual & Performing Arts Manager, SPS.”  

The Creative Advantage is working with 30 Teaching Artists (TA), prioritizing arts educators from the Roster of community arts partners who would have been teaching spring residencies in schools. Each TA is making approximately three short video lessons that can stand alone, but tie together thematically for a collective offering of approximately 90 to share broadly with students and families.  There is a diverse range of content including: African dance, percussion, Islamic geometric art, poetry, playwriting, singing, comics + zines, observational drawing + collage.  

“It is especially important for us to help provide families and students with arts education opportunities and let their imagination free. The students are our future and being able to express themselves in a variety of ways in light of our current situation is more important than ever,” said Randy Engstrom, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture Director. 

The Creative Advantage Online Arts is part of the #SeattleTogether initiative which encompasses a number of programs and partners that will foster relationships, share resources, provide emotional support, strengthen social networks and nurture our community during this unprecedented moment in history.   

In partnership with Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, Office of Arts & Culture, Office of Economic Development, Seattle Public Library, and the Mayor’s Innovation and Performance Team, #SeattleTogether is a community response plan aimed at supporting, uplifting, and celebrating the enormous goodwill, generosity, and empathy that has come from our Seattle community and neighborhoods in the wake of this COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Creative Advantage is a city-wide initiative to establish equitable access to arts education for each and every student in Seattle Public Schools. The Creative Advantage is made possible through a public-private partnership with Seattle Public Schools, the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, the Seattle Foundation, and community arts partners.