holiday gift guideA brief guide to unique and culturally focused holiday gifts

Tired of giving the same old holiday gifts? Why not spice things up and consider a gift that supports local arts and culture? Stimulate your local economy by giving concert tickets, museum memberships, a subscription to a local theater, or a donation to your favorite non-profit cultural organization in honor of a friend or family member. Your gift recipient is much more likely to remember an “experience” than stuff. As an added benefit, the waste free holiday is also environmentally friendly.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

For the performance lover: Why not pick up a pair of tickets, a subscription or membership to an organization near you? Check out a myriad of upcoming performances and events all over the county at one of these sites:

Seattle Performs
SoCo Culture
Eastside Arts Coalition

For history buffs and book worms: Support your local bookstores and local historians by gifting a book chronicling the lives and times that built your local community. (Okay, books are “stuff,” but you won’t be disposing of these anytime soon.)

Recent 4Culture staff recommendations include:
“Warship Under Sail: The USS Decatur in the Pacific West” by Lorraine McConaghy
“Alaska Yukon Pacific Exhibition, a Timeline History” by Alan Stein, Paula Becker & the Historylink Staff
“Two Wheels North” by Evelyn McDaniel Gibb (a true story of 2 boys who rode their bikes to the A-Y-P from California in 1909)
“Picturing the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition: The Photographs of Frank H. Nowell” by Nicolette Bromberg

For the art collector: Small works big presents is a juried art show happening through Dec 20 at the White River Valley Museum in Auburn. All works are original and all are for sale at very reasonable prices!

Also! The fifth annual Art Under $100 Sale is December 5, 2009, at the Old Firehouse, 8210 10th Ave South. In addition to affordable original art, there will wine, hors d’oeuvres, live music, and an art raffle every 30 minutes. All proceeds benefit South Park Arts, an organization dedicated to supporting, representing, and promoting art and artists in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood.

Online shoppers: Each year the Highline Historical Society runs an online auction, the proceeds of which go toward their new museum building (through December 15)

For an artist: Help them protect their livlihood by giving them a kit with tips on how to protect their work and their studios - Studio Protector ” has everything they need — artist designed, artist tested!

For the family guy or gal: Photo Center NW is doing a holiday portrait shoot in mid-December. Get a great portrait of your loved one, family or even your pet! Proceeds benefit the photography center.

For the person who has everything: Times are tough and cultural organizations, like all businesses are having to cut back services due to lower donations and grants. Help your favorite group stay afloat by making a contribution or donation in the name of a friend or family member. Non-profit donations are tax deductible and often you (or your friend) can get a nice acknowledgment in the organization’s brochure or event program.

Don’t have a budget: There are a myriad of free cultural opportunities in our communities. Schedule a holiday date with a friend to check out neighborhood galleries (most are open and free to the public on first Thursday). Also, many museums have at least one free day per month.

Have a wonderful holiday.

Jim Kelly