About - ArtsWA

"Infinite Humanity" (2017) by Todd Benson, located at Columbia Basin College, Pasco.

AIPP staff leading an ArtsWA Board tour of Todd Benson’s multi-part mural, located in the Social Studies and World Languages Building at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Southeastern Washington. Click to learn more about this artwork on My Public Art Portal. Photo by ArtsWA. Part of Washington's State Art Collection.

Why Are The Arts Important?

The arts contribute to our quality of life.
They encourage civic discourse and collective problem-solving. Public Art is a vital part of our built environment.

The arts are vital to our identity.
They preserve our unique cultural heritage. By supporting the arts, we support our traditions for future generations.

The arts foster our children’s success in school.
They stimulate imaginations. They promote critical thinking, communication, and innovation.

The arts drive our economy.
They create jobs and revenue. They attract business and tourism.

Learn more about Washington’s vibrant arts and culture.

About ArtsWA

Mission: The Arts Commission is a catalyst for the arts, advancing the role of the arts in the lives of individuals and communities throughout the state.

Vision: The arts thrive and are celebrated throughout Washington State, and are woven into the fabric of vital and vibrant communities.

Who We Are

ArtsWA is the Washington State Arts Commission. We are a state agency, formed by the Washington State Legislature in 1961. Our mission is to nurture and support the role of the arts in the lives of all Washingtonians.

ArtsWA values diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe in diverse forms of artistic expression. The arts amplify voices across all populations. Access to arts and arts education should be available for everyone. The arts can and should address inequities, model inclusion, and teach empathy.

What We Do

ArtsWA promotes and documents the public value of the arts. We are dedicated to accountability and accessibility. Our commissioners and staff work together to support the following main programs:

Public Art. We manage and protect the State Art Collection, a shared cultural resource.

Grants. We provide grant opportunities to expand art participation statewide.

Creative Districts. We support communities that connect arts and culture to economic development.

Arts in Education. We support high quality, standards-based arts education as a part of PreK-12 basic education.

View our most current Annual Report.

See how our agency is organized.

View our current Strategic Plan.

Read the state laws for the State Arts Commission (RCWs).

Read the state statutes for the State Arts Commission (WACs).

View an interactive map of our program activities (2018).

Land Acknowledgment

ArtsWA serves the state of Washington, which contains within its borders the homelands of 29 federally recognized Indian Tribes. This includes the physical offices of ArtsWA, which are situated on the homeland of the Coast Salish people. We give our gratitude and respect to these tribes, whose cultural heritage and legacy of land stewardship continues to enrich the lives of all Washingtonians.

Why Are The Arts Important?

The arts contribute to our quality of life.
They encourage civic discourse and collective problem-solving. Public Art is a vital part of our built environment.

The arts are vital to our identity.
They preserve our unique cultural heritage. By supporting the arts, we support our traditions for future generations.

The arts foster our children’s success in school.
They stimulate imaginations. They promote critical thinking, communication, and innovation.

The arts drive our economy.
They create jobs and revenue. They attract business and tourism.

Learn more about Washington’s vibrant arts and culture

"Infinite Humanity" (2017) by Todd Benson, located at Columbia Basin College, Pasco.

2022-2027 Strategic plan

This five-year plan reflects the needs and ambitions of ArtsWA and its constituents.

It builds on the spirit of the last strategic plan while recognizing changes in both the agency and Washington State. In short, it is ArtsWA’s roadmap, guiding the course of action the agency will take for the next half decade.

Click here to read the plan

Meet Our Staff

Board of Commissioners

Agency Policies

Public Records Request

FY21 Annual Report

Creative State Podcast

Bremerton Symphony Association

May 13, 2019

These students rarely if ever get to participate in arts and culture experiences. This was only possible because of arts funding the Symphony received from the state.”

– Bremerton Symphony Association

Centerstage Theatre Arts Conservatory, Inc.

May 13, 2019

On behalf of all at Centerstage, we extend our appreciation for the state’s investment in our work.”

– Centerstage Theatre Arts Conservatory, Inc.

Davenport Theatrical

May 13, 2019

Rural audiences deserve the same access to the arts as those in big cities, and public arts funding is essential in working towards that goal.”

– Wheatland Theatre Company (formerly Davenport Theatre)
Project Support Grantee

Earshot Jazz Festival

May 13, 2019

It is because of your funding support that we are able to focus on issues of accessibility, diversity, and community in our programs.”

– Earshot Jazz Festival

Gallery One

May 13, 2019

Their stories and work translate into conversations that try to bridge the gap between military and civilian cultures. This dialog hopes to bring understanding of how war and trauma not only affect members of the military, but our society as a whole. Their mission is not to promote a particular belief but to pose questions about the many difficult and genuine concerns the American community possesses about current and past military engagements.”

– Gallery One

Key City Players Theater

May 13, 2019

ArtsWA funding has a great impact on the Olympic Peninsula, where there is no comparable theater to Key City Players Theater that serves a region of 60,000 people.”

– Key City Players Theater

Reel Grrls

May 13, 2019

This funding really makes a difference in our community because we are working to build a pipeline to diversify the creative industries…we must teach young people that empathy through storytelling is the most powerful tool they have to combat hate.”

– Reel Grrls
FY18 Project Support Grantee

Tacoma Concert Band

May 13, 2019

WSAC grants are a wonderful investment in people, helping to make the South Sound a vibrant, culturally dynamic community where people will want to live and raise a family.”

– Tacoma Concert Band

The Merc Playhouse Society

May 13, 2019

Part of the beauty and strength of community comes from celebrating all of its uniqueness that helps to create a meaningful world in which to live. Mid-Columbia Mastersingers feels it has a responsibility to represent our whole community and support celebration of diversity in the Tri-Cities…

Because of this grant, we were able to pay our musicians for their rehearsal time and performances…”

– The Merc Playhouse Society

Upper Valley Connection

May 13, 2019

…through this program individuals with special needs are able to experience theatre and learn to express themselves through performing and visual arts – an opportunity that does not exist elsewhere in eastern Washington…”

– Upper Valley Connection