eNews - June 2009 Edition
From the Executive Director Across the state this summer, Washington communities offer a fabulous variety of quality arts activities – including affordable, close-to-home performances, festivals and cultural events.
From a business perspective, these opportunities provide jobs, contribute to local economies, build community identity, provide educational opportunities, develop our tourism industry, and contribute to quality of life. And for many families, these arts events offer opportunities to experience other cultures, appreciate cultural traditions, and just have fun together. Here are some options you might consider:
Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Festival (July 26-August 2), at Fort Worden State Park is part of Centrum’s summer schedule of excellent workshops. Check out the weekend performances – for blues, that would be August 1-2 in the historic McCurdy Pavilion, to hear some of the world’s best acoustic blues musicians.
Lake Chelan Bach Fest (July 11-18), brings together 100 musicians to perform great classical works and popular favorites in 16 events – including three performances in local wineries, and several performances at the Riverwalk Pavilion.
Metal-Urge is Tacoma’s celebration of metal arts, including two exhibitions at Tacoma Art Museum (“Ornament as Art” and “Loud Bones”) plus workshops, festivals and more.
The Blue Waters Bluegrass Festival, in Medical Lake, includes three days of music (August 7-9) in a wonderful park setting that draws audiences from a wide area – including families, tourists, and residents of the local VA hospital and the nearby Eastern State Hospital.
Throughout July and August, the Leavenworth Summer Theater presents The Sound of Music in a stunning outdoor amphitheater.
August 9 is the fourth annual “Hip-Nic” Hip Hop picnic at St. Edward State Park in Kenmore, part of State Parks’ series of Folk & Traditional Arts in the Parks events.
For hundreds of children across the state, summer means opportunities to be artists, actors and writers for a full week in some terrific arts camps and classes – such as training at Seattle Children’s Theatre, study and performances at the Icicle Creek Chamber Music Institute, circus arts at Camp ZinZanni, and “The Art of Science Fiction,” a summer camp at Spokane’s Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture.
Keep in touch,
Art Jobs Support / Stimulus Grants The Washington State Arts Commission (WSAC) has announced its plan to distribute nearly $300,000 in Recovery Act funding to help stimulate the creativity economy of Washington state. The funding will be used to provide grants to protect jobs in nonprofit arts organizations, such as theatres, museums, arts festivals and arts education programs.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, often referred to as the stimulus or "Recovery Act," recognized that the non-profit arts industry is an important sector of the economy and provides $50 million in funding to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to preserve arts-related jobs.
WSAC expects to receive more Art Jobs Support applications than can be funded with the available stimulus funds. The granting process will be highly competitive with only about 25 total grants available. WSAC will fund those organizations who demonstrate the strongest alignment with the stated criteria and the most compelling art jobs needs, while also insuring that the stimulus funds have appropriate geographic distribution around the state and will reach underserved communities.
Read the guidelines and then apply online for both the WSAC and the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) Art Jobs Support Grants. Deadline: July 13, 2009.
June 3 Grass to my waist in the orchard
"June 3" ©2008 by Poet Laureate Sam Green; from his book, The Grace of Necessity, Carnegie Mellon University Press, 2008.
New Artwork Installation
Mounted atop a 36-foot arch spanning a pond, the 18-foot diameter hollow ring spins after collecting rain water and eventually tips over, cascading a shower of water into the pond below. "Water is the starter of this piece and gravity is the motor," said Bates.
In addition to responding to rainfall, a publicly accessible hand pump allows anyone to activate the ring. Turning the hand crank pumps filtered pond water up into the ring and begins the process.
Artwork acquired through Washington State’s Art in Public Places Program becomes part of the State Art Collection - a collection of over 4,600 works of art located at state agencies, public schools, colleges and universities throughout the state.
WSAC Funding & Support in Washington Communities WSAC's Folk Arts Program has invested $25,000 to support the teaching of traditional heritage arts by 15 master artists through the Apprenticeship Program. This year's recipients include master artists: Kathak dancer Urmila Nagar of Shoreline, Mexican embroiderer and traditional Mexican garment seamstress Maria Gomez of Tonasket, and Salish basketweaver Mary Lou Slaughter of Port Orchard.
WSAC is pleased to announce our Arts in Education Grants for the 2009-2010 School Year: 29 grants were awarded, for a combined total of approximately $525,000. These grantees are producing strong work throughout Washington, in small communities and urban centers, with increasing involvement and support from district leaders. Community-based partnerships between schools, arts organizations, districts, teaching artists, and community leaders are working together to measure and articulate the value of learning in and through the arts.
WSAC Deadlines Applications for Arts Participation Initiative (API) grants are due June 8, 2009.
Artists practicing in Craft Arts, Literary Arts, Media Arts, and Music Arts in Washington State are eligible to apply for the Artist Trust / Washington State Arts Commission Fellowship Program. This program recognizes practicing professional artists of exceptional talent and demonstrated ability, acknowledging an artist’s creative excellence and accomplishment, professional achievement, and continuing dedication to their artistic discipline. Deadline: June 12, 2009.
Art Job Support grants for both WSAC and WESTAF are due July 13, 2009.
Opportunities Seattle Opera is inviting the public to vote online to choose a host for “Confessions of a First-Time Operagoer,” a new reality-style video project. The company has selected five finalists, one of whom will win the opportunity to star in a documentary about his or her first Ring cycle experience.
The Spokane Arts Commission is seeking artists to design bike racks and benches for neighborhoods throughout the City of Spokane. Currently, the Garland Business District has funding for bike racks. Designs will be kept on file for other neighborhood and community groups to use as money becomes available. Deadline: 06/26/09.
Americans for the Arts’ annual conference Renewable Resources: Arts in Sustainable Communities will be held in Seattle June 18 – 20. Register online to receive a discount. The conference is geared towards Washington State artists, arts advocates and arts administrators and will investigate the theme of arts and sustainability.
Washington Lawyers for the Arts is presenting Employment Law for Artists & the Attorneys Who Advise Them on June 30, from noon to 1:30 pm at the offices of Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati. Learn the fundamentals of employment law, with a specific focus on artist-related issues including the employer/employee relationship, intellectual property issues related to employment, and unique issues to artists, such as the artists unions. Ticket prices vary.
Flagstaff Cultural Partners (FCP) is accepting proposals for 2010 and 2011 for special opportunities to curate exhibitions at the Coconino Center for the Arts. The proposal can include opportunities for single artists, small or large group shows, invitational and/or juried shows. As a benefit to this partnership, Flagstaff Cultural Partners will provide the venue, staff assistance, installation, on-site insurance, and marketing for the show. Deadline: 06/27/09.
Seattle’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the Seattle Fleets and Facilities Department and the Seattle Fire Department, is seeking an artist to develop a site-specific art project for a new Fire Station 6. The call for artists is open to professional artists living in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana or California. The total budget for design, fabrication and installation is $90,000. Deadline: 06/30/09.
Local Sightings is inviting film makers to submit work for this annual showcase of current narrative, documentary and experimental film by Northwest artists. The week long festival also features panel discussions, historic NW films, a filmmaker lounge, an opening night party, and juried awards for a winning short and feature film! Submit your work by downloading the submission form. Deadline: 07/01/09.
Art Calendar, the business magazine for visual artists, is hosting a Studio Makeover Contest. The contest is free to enter and features more than $9,000 in prizes donated by Art Calendar’s business partners. Entrants for the Studio Makeover Contest must provide a 100-word statement about why they should win a studio makeover. Deadline: 07/30/09.
The City of Lynnwood is turning 50 this year and to help celebrate, the Lynnwood Arts Commission is looking for artists of all ages and abilities to create work that uses the ideas of celebration or the number 50, or both! Deadline: 07/31/09.
Visual artists working in Washington, Oregon or Idaho are invited to apply for the Seattle Art Museum’s (SAM’s) annual Betty Bowen Award. For 31 years, the Betty Bowen award has provided artists with an opportunity to introduce their work to SAM’s curators of modern and contemporary art and the Betty Bowen Committee members, and to have their work critiqued by their peers. Deadline: 08/01/09.
Applications for the 2010 Denali National Park Artist-in-Residence Program are now being accepted. The Artist-in-Residence program at Denali National Park began in 2001, and offers artists the opportunity to pursue their work amidst the natural splendors of Denali Park. The park currently provides the use of the historic East Fork Cabin for ten-day periods from June through August. Deadline: 10/31/09.
Events Olympia - Harlequin Productions new musical celebration of the women who made the 1960s rock, Sixties Chicks, will be presented from June 18 to July 19. Sixties Chicks is a musical mosaic of the singers and songwriters who gave a female voice to an era of social and political transformation.
Seattle - CoCA (Center on Contemporary Art) is presenting a sculpture exhibit at Carkeek Park from June 26 to August 10. This collaboration between a non-profit art gallery and a neighborhood advisory council presents the work of 11 Washington artists throughout the park. Preview the work and locate them on an interactive map.
Shoreline - The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council is presenting the 19th Annual Shoreline Arts Festival on June 27 and 28. Participate in a diverse range of music, dance, theater, and the visual arts.
Seattle - Explore ancient and modern Persian cultures at Safeco Insurance Festál: Iranian Festival, June 20, 11 am to 11 pm, in Center House at Seattle Center. This new addition to the Safeco Insurance Festal roster features a melting pot of experiences as it unites a multifaceted community – young and old from all walks of life. The region's premier Iranian cultural event offers a full afternoon of festivities and an evening of celebration. Music and dance performances, Persian New Year and holiday displays, poetry, food and libation, puppet shows, face painting and a photography exhibit provide a glimpse into this rich and diverse culture.
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Rain Scale, an interactive kinetic sculpture by artist Gary Bates, was recently installed outside of the Technology Center at