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Seattle Modern Orchestra, recipient of an ArtsWA Level A grant, engages youth in music through works by modern composers.
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Grants support the arts statewide
Through grants, ArtsWA supports arts projects across the state, so that more people have more opportunities to participate in the arts. Last week, the ArtsWA board approved grants for 107 arts projects in communities from Goldendale to Quilcene, Seattle to Twisp, Richland to Hoquiam. Funded projects include:
- Maryhill Museum of Art's new film and exhibition on the work of Washington-born sculptor James Lee Hansen.
- A two-day Artist Studio Tour and juried show in the Port Townsend region.
- At the EMP museum in Seattle, performance coaching and live concert experiences onstage for youth music ensembles.
- A showcase of world premieres at Pacific Northwest Ballet.
- A guest composer in residence with Mid-Columbia Mastersingers in Richland.
- "Vashon Arts on the Air," a new television and radio initiative.
- The Connecting Arts Project of Methow Arts Alliance, providing events in seven rural towns.
- Performances at the Omak Performing Arts Center and McIntyre Hall in Mt. Vernon; ethnic festivals at the Seattle Center; a Mariachi Festival in Leavenworth; "Hamlet" at the Columbia Theatre in Longview and "Winston Churchill" in Hoquiam.
It's an impressive list of grantees, and I look forward to experiencing some of these projects first-hand. But unfortunately, we had funding for only 107 of the 154 applications received. Many quality projects are unfunded, and very few applications were funded in full. As ever, all applications for ArtsWA funding are carefully reviewed by a peer panel who focus on published review criteria for each category. Every panel struggles with difficult decisions to stretch limited dollars. At the end of the day, panelists are inspired by the fabulous work being done in and through arts organizations, arts projects and artists in communities across the state - and astounded by how much more could be accomplished with more dollars for grants.
Grants are just one of the ways ArtsWA invests in the arts across the state. We also build partnerships, strengthen policy, document impact, develop leadership and engage communities through public art. We're proud of our roles - and hoping for your support as we continue to build our resources, leverage our capacity and advance the arts across Washington state.
Thanks -- and keep in touch.
Kris Tucker
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Cause and Effect. by Do Ho Suh. Western Washington University. 2012.
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Do Ho Suh sculpture at WWU wins national honors
A recent addition to the State Art Collection was named one of the top 50 public art projects in the United States by the Americans for the Arts. Cause & Effect, a suspended, cast-resin sculpture by internationally acclaimed artist Do Ho Suh, was installed last spring at Western Washington University, in Bellingham. Read about it in our June 2012 newsletter.
Americans for the Arts' Year in Review recognizes exemplary and innovative, permanent or temporary public art works created or debuted in the previous calendar year. Three independent public art experts -- John Carson, artist and Head of Carnegie Mellon University School of Fine Art; Norie Sato, Seattle-based public artist; and Justine Topfer, Project Manager, San Francisco Arts Commission and private curator -- juried the 2013 Year in Review. Their selections were announced on June 13, at the Americans for the Arts Public Art Preconference in Pittsburgh. Over 350 projects were submitted for review.
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An artist-apprentice in the 2012 Tieton Mosaic Project works on signage for Mighty Tieton. Photo by Ed Marquand.
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Tieton proves its might on the national level
About a year ago, ArtsWA undertook a new venture to help two small arts organizations in Washington state better compete for federal grants by hiring a professional grant writer to assist them with their applications.
We were so pleased to learn in July that the National Endowment for the Arts is awarding the Tieton Arts & Humanities Council a $50,000 Our Town Grant. Tieton is a small town west of Yakima, where this grant will support the Tieton Mosaic Project, which includes mosaic installations, an artisan apprenticeship program, and student workshops. For a town of just 1,500, and one in which job opportunity is limited, the grant will make a huge difference, says Ed Marquand, president of Tieton Arts & Humanities. The grant was one of 59 Our Town grants the NEA awarded across the U.S. to "fund projects that engage the arts to help shape the social, physical, and economic character of communities." Find out more about Mighty Tieton here. |
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Reference Point: At the Water's Edge, by Katherine Holzknecht. Stained glass, 53 inches by 41 inches. Located at Park Orchard Elementary, Moses Lake. Photo courtesy of the artist.
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Public art becomes a treasure hunt for Moses Lake students
Park Orchard Elementary School, in Moses Lake, just got a new look. Artist Katherine Holzknecht recently installed stained-glass windows at each of the four corners of the recently built school. Each window represents a different view of Moses Lake. The artwork is collectively called Reference Point Series. Three of the windows, At the Water's Edge, At the Waterline, and A Bird's Eye View depict flora and fauna from this desert-like area of Central Washington. The fourth window in the series, From Space, shows an aerial view of the school and its surroundings. The series is inspired by the idea of reference points and finding your way, both in the physical world and internally. The works provoke us to question how we see ourselves and how we relate to the world around us.
At the artwork dedication, in April, students and parents learned about the artist's creative processes. The students then raced off, in a scavenger hunt of the stained glass windows for local landmarks and animals, such as the great blue heron, endangered pygmy rabbit, and beaver. They also searched for -- and found -- Park Orchard Elementary School, represented by a small red star on one of the windows. Students were excited to locate their own homes on the map, with help from the "reference points" in the artwork. The dedication was followed by a day of art activities for the entire school, led by Ms. Holzknecht.
Reference Point Series is part of the State Art Collection, which includes more than 4,500 artworks that are sited where people study, work, and live.
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The 65-foot-high 2012 Capitol Christmas Tree originated in Colorado. Photo courtesy U.S. House of Representatives website.
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Capitol Christmas Tree Project launches statewide art competition
As part of Washington's U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree 2013 project, the Colville National Forest and Choose Outdoors are sponsoring a statewide art competition to select an official painting of a tree for the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree effort. This year's tree, an 88-foot tall Engleman Spruce, will come from the Colville National Forest in northeastern Washington State.
Every year since 1970, a Christmas tree has been presented to the United States Congress from a national forest and is known as "The People's Tree." In honor of this occasion, the Colville National Forest will host a statewide, juried art exhibition to select an official artwork to represent the 2013 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree.
Traditionally, the official artwork selected for the Capitol Christmas Tree project is presented to the Chief of the Forest Service and will hang in his office for one year. The artwork will ultimately be exhibited in "The Tree Gallery" adjacent to the Chief of the Forest Service's office in the Yates Building, as part of the Forest Service's permanent national collection of previous winners. The winning artwork will be honored at Capitol Christmas Tree festivities in Washington D.C. in the beginning of December.
The theme of this year's Capitol Christmas Tree competition is "Sharing Washington's Good Nature." Applications must be received by September 30, 2013. Find out more at the Capitol Christmas Tree website.
The tree will be delivered to the U.S. Capitol in late November, where it will be decorated with lights and thousands of handcrafted ornaments made by Washingtonians from across the state.
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 ArtsEd Washington survey asks school board candidates where they stand on the arts
With hundreds of Washington school board positions up for election this fall, voters have a critical opportunity to select education leaders who are committed to providing the high quality, sequential arts learning that every student deserves (and that the law requires). But how will you know which candidates support arts education? By asking them.
ArtsEd Washington is sponsoring a School Board Candidate Survey on arts education and is asking every concerned education/arts advocate in every school district to sign on as a smARTS Champion and send the survey to their school board candidates. ArtsEd Washington will then post all candidate responses online for voters to consider before making their school board decisions.
You can partner in this effort. By becoming a smARTS Champion, you join many other engaged education and arts advocates in asking school board candidates about their views on arts education. Your participation helps your candidates to understand that the arts are an important part of each child's education. Register to be a smARTS Champion in your district and ArtsEd Washington will make it easy - helping you access your candidate info, as well as providing an email template and a link to the survey. Enroll to participate at www.artsedwashington.org
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Quick Links
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Looking for a job, a grant, or an artist opportunity? Visit these websites:
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ArtsWA approves grants for 107 arts organizations in Washington
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In the upcoming year, ArtsWA will support 107 arts organizations across the state in providing arts opportunities in their communities. See the list of award recipients on our website.
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Search underway for new ArtsWA Executive Director
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ArtsWA Executive Director, Kris Tucker. Photo by Weldon Wilson
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ArtsWA Executive Director, Kris Tucker, has announced that she will be stepping down this coming January. Read more in our news release.
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Registration opens for Poetry Out Loud programLast spring, Mead High School student Langston Ward won first-place honors in the National Poetry Out Loud competition. Now it's your school's turn! Sign up now to participate.
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