Seattle Children's Theatre Performance Note

Dear 4Culture,

I’m a local arts patron and something was shared with me on Facebook that I wanted to be sure to pass along to all of you at 4Culture.

Seattle Children’s Theatre posted on Facebook a picture of their performance notes (please see attached), which are done after each show. This particular performance note was about a child’s reaction to seeing “Harold and the Purple Crayon”. I have always believed in the importance of the arts because they speak to everyone regardless of age, race, economic status, and any other qualifier you can put out there. Seeing this picture today was just one of the many times in my life that I have seen proof of this.

I checked on SCT’s website and noticed that 4Culture is a sponsor of the show and just had to share with you the experience this child had. The work you’re doing in the community to support the arts is so incredibly important. Thank you for all that you do.

Warm regards,
Amanda Gomez

Do you have a story about the power of art and heritage in your community or life? We’d love  to hear about it.

Applications are now open for the second annual Schools of Excellence in Arts Education Awards

Submission deadline is March 30, 2012

Presented by 4Culture-supported group ArtsEd Washington, in partnership with the Association of Washington School Principals, this prestigious distinction recognizes schools that include the arts as an essential part of their students’ education, providing a creative learning environment for outstanding student achievement through the development of exemplary arts education programs.

Learn more and apply

Public School Teacher Jed Dunkerley, Seattle, © 2012 Erin Shafkind

Seattle’s Public School art teachers protest the district furlough this afternoon, at Pacific Place Mall in downtown Seattle. Pictured is Jed Dunkerley, one of several who provided free drawing lessons to members of the public. Dunkerley says of the mall protest/display, “Too cold and wet to have class outside…not allowed to have class in my classroom due to state budget cuts in education.”

Learn more about the benefits of art in public schools via the 4Culture supported group Arts Ed Washington

Akio Takamori, LOVE (detail) © 2006, King County Public Art Collection

The new year brings changes in our communications department we are excited to share. Sara Edwards, 4Culture’s current Communications Manager, has opted to take a reduced schedule at 4Culture to have more time to pursue artistic work outside the agency. With her 60% schedule, she will develop a new focus of leading 4Culture’s overarching outreach strategy, communicating 4Culture goals, programs and impact to constituents, partners and legislators, while working to create new outreach opportunities among those identified in King County’s Equity and Social Justice ordinance of being particularly in need of our services.

Additionally, Tina Hoggatt (former Outreach and Education for 4Culture’s Public Art program) will be returning to 4Culture in 2012 to join Sara as an integral part of the communications team. Tina will work on a 75% schedule to maintain a high level of service and communications, overseeing our website, enews, blog, social media, rich content and press relationships.

This dynamic duo look forward to maintaining and evolving 4Culture’s communications tools and broadening our reach to serve even more King County residents and visitors.

Artist and cultural planner Theaster Gates will deliver the keynote address at a public forum, 6:30 p.m., Tuesday at Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave. The forum, which is free and open to the public, will also feature a panel discussion with Jacqueline Gijssen, senior cultural planner, city of Vancouver, B.C.; Cathryn Vandenbrink, regional director, Artspace; and other cultural space leaders. A question-and-answer session and reception will follow the forum.

As an artist, Gates transforms spaces, institutions, traditions and perceptions. When not making art for museums, Gates is committed to the restoration of poor black neighborhoods, converting abandoned buildings into cultural spaces that allow not only new cultural moments to happen in unexpected places, but raise the city’s expectations of where “place-making” happens and why. He is president and founder of the Rebuild Foundation, as well as director of arts program development at the University of Chicago.

Gates is the 2011-2012 recipient of the Seattle Art Museum’s (SAM) Gwendolyn Knight and Jacob Lawrence Fellowship. His solo show Theaster Gates: The Listening Room will open at SAM on Dec. 9 and run through July 1, 2012.

Cultural Space Seattle is designed to engage artists, arts and cultural organizations, elected officials, government leaders, arts administrators, creative business owners, investors, real estate developers and brokers, nonprofit organizations and interested citizens. For more information, contact the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs at (206) 684-7171, arts...@seattle.gov or www.seattle.gov/arts.

The event is supported by JPMorgan Chase, 4Culture, Seattle Art Museum, Town Hall Seattle and is presented in partnership with University of Washington College of Built Environments and ARCADE.

The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs promotes the value of arts and culture in communities throughout Seattle. The 16-member Seattle Arts Commission, citizen volunteers appointed by the mayor and City Council, supports the city agency.

4Culture congratulations to two local arts organizations (out of 10 nationally) to win the coveted National Youth Arts and Humanities Program Award. The award is our nation’s highest honor in recognition of outstanding youth arts programs.

826 Seattle is a nonprofit, writing and tutoring center, located in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle. The organization is dedicated to helping youth improve their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Their services are structured around the belief that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.  In addition to a an after school drop in center they send trained volunteer writing teachers into schools all over King County. 826 Seattle has been a recipient of Sustained Support funding from 4Culture since 2008.

Young Shakespeare Workshop has offered tuition-free summer programs for twenty years and first launched its school-based after-school projects with Arts in Education Awards from 4Culture beginning in 1998. Young Shakespeare Workshop received a 4Culture Group Arts Project Award in 2008 and currently receives 4Culture Sustained Support funding to help run their tuition-free summer programs.

photo top: Executive Director,Teri Hein, and Student Mentor, Meron Kasahun, went to the White House to accept the 2011 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from Michelle Obama and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities! Photo by Steven Purcell, White House

photo bottom: Young Shakespeare Workshop’s artistic director Darren Lay and 16 year old former Cleveland H.S. student Danisha Harris accepted the award from First Lady Michelle Obama on November 2^nd in Washington, DC.

King County just adopted new district boundaries. Attached is a map of the old and new lines. The changes were based on census information and were approved unanimously by the Council on November 15^th. The new district plan is effective immediately.

Most 4Culture applications require that you correctly identify your council district, based on applicant address. Please check out the map and see if your district has changed.

Read more info

Development Director

This position is a twenty – hour (20) per week position and is responsible for the development program at Evergreen City Ballet in Renton. The Evergreen City Ballet aims to cultivate talent by providing professional training and performance opportunities to young people of any background, ethnicity, race, religion or economic situation.  This nonprofit organization also exists to allow students of all ages and experience to engage in the art of dance at whichever level of participation they choose.  The Evergreen City Ballet strives to offer the highest quality ballet performances to a diverse and expanding audience of the south King and north Pierce county region.  Read more

Deputy Director of External Relations

The University of Washington (UW) is proud to be one of the nation’s premier educational and research institutions. Our people are the most important asset in our pursuit of achieving excellence in education, research, and community service. Our staff not only enjoy outstanding benefits and professional growth opportunities, but also an environment noted for diversity, community involvement, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits, and natural beauty.

The Henry Art Gallery is an active part of the University of Washington’s cultural landscape. Exhibitions, collections, and public programs stimulate research and teaching.

The Henry Art Gallery engages diverse audiences in the powerful experience of artistic invention and serves as a catalyst for the creation of new work that inspires and challenges. Exhibitions, collections, and public programs stimulate research and teaching at the University of Washington, provide a creative wellspring for artists, students, and educators, and reveal a record of modern artistic inquiry from the advent of photography in the mid-19th century to the multidisciplinary art and design of the 21st century.

Founded in 1927 when business leader Horace C. Henry donated funds and a collection of 19th- and early 20th-century paintings to the University of Washington for creation of the facility, the Henry Art Gallery was the first public art museum in the state of Washington. The museum’s major renovation and expansion, completed in April 1997, quadrupled the museum’s size – from 10,000 square feet to over 40,000 square feet. Increased size allowed for the addition of a 154-seat auditorium, a multimedia gallery, a café, and an outdoor court. We also gained improved facilities for art handling, art storage, and collections research. An architectural collage of glass, textured stainless steel and cast stone, designed by Charles Gwathmey, complements the original red-brick, collegiate-Gothic structure designed by Carl Gould in the 1920s.

We have an outstanding opportunity for a Deputy Director of External Relations (“DDER”) to manage institutional advancement and externally focused efforts of the museum, including individual, corporate, and foundation giving, as well as the museum’s public relations, marketing and communication efforts and the museum’s membership programs. Reporting to the Director of the Henry Art Gallery, the DDER provides strategic leadership, oversight, implementation and management of integrated development and communications initiatives at the Henry. A significant emphasis will be on securing major gifts and improving awareness, understanding, and support of the museum among the general public and key stakeholders. The ideal candidate for this position will be an experienced leader, a frontline fundraiser, a strong marketing strategist, and a highly effective manager capable of leading, developing and mentoring staff.  The DDER will work in tandem with the Deputy Director of Art and Education, and with the Director to provide overall senior leadership for the museum.

For additional information and to apply, please visit: www.uw.edu/jobs, click on Start your Job Search, enter Req #77888.

The University of Washington is a leader in environmental stewardship & sustainability, and committed to becoming climate neutral.

The University of Washington is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 / 206-543-6452 (tty) or d...@uw.edu.

Kirkland Performance Center, a non-profit arts presenter in Kirkland, WA, seeks an unpaid artistic intern to assist the Executive Director with program planning. Minimum of 5 hours per week, maximum of 10. Our venue’s annual schedule is 80% music and 20% multidisciplinary work. We touch on many genres of music, especially jazz, folk, world-crossover, swing and singer-songwriter. The Artistic Intern must have a broad interest in KPC’s diverse programming threads.

See their website for details!

Under general supervision, performs administrative and technical expertise and support to the Public Art Program Administrator by performing administrative support functions such as assisting in management of projects and program initiatives; drafts or writes artist contracts; writes and/or drafts contract supporting documents; produces analysis reports; oversees and monitors artist contracts; invoices, monitors and oversees the program budget; produces multi-media materials promoting and informing about the art program; and responds to inquiries from the public and media.

Read more

Looking for a receptionist with experience in undergraduate student services.  This is a half-time permanent position shared with another 50% program assistant/receptionist.  The position is open through Monday the 29th.

The requisition is number 76589 Program Assistant – School of Art Reception

OPERATIONS MANAGER: The Operations Manager is responsible for ensuring the smooth operation of On the Boards day-to-day activities. This includes managing On the Boards’ office systems and operations, overseeing artist hospitality services and assisting with ongoing business functions

This is an exempt, salaried position for 24 hours a week that reports directly to the Managing Director. Position is available as of September 6, 2011. Send resume and cover letter to On the Boards. Full listing here.

HOUSE MANAGER: The House Manager is responsible for opening and closing the theater and for the safety of the public during all On the Boards events. The House Manager is also responsible for all “front-of-house” activities, including the upkeep of On the Boards public spaces, the operations of the lobby concessions area, and for recruiting, assigning and training all front-of-house volunteers.

This position is an hourly non-exempt position on contract from September 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012. . Send resume and cover letter to On the Boards. Full listing here.

Click here for more information

Network Administrator (ITS3)
WSAC seeks a skilled IT professional with experience in network administration and desktop support. This is a permanent, half-time position with full benefits.
Apply by 8/12/2011.

For more information, go to www.arts.wa.gov or www.careers.wa.gov.

Last night at 9:30 p.m., on the final night of the special session, the Washington State House of Representatives passed SB 5834, which secures a future for the arts and heritage community of King County. The next step for the bill is the signature of Governor Gregoire. More to come soon from 4Culture Executive Director Jim Kelly!

Read the 4Culture PR on the bill here.

UPDATED May 12, 4:00: Apologies for any confusion the last 36 hours with our post from yesterday (below). Bills have been introduced, withdrawn, had their name changed, have links on the site, that later don’t work etc.  Things change quickly in Olympia, and we will continue to do our best to let you know any breaking news as soon as we know. As of this afternoon, the new bill SB 5958 sponsored by Senator Scott White is once again showing up on the state legislative site. We also saw that a previous bill from Regular Session SB 5834 was moved to the floor by the Senate Rules Committee.

Even having been at this seven years, we don’t always know what it means when we see new or moving bills. Especially during special session… But what we can say is that any action on these bills is a signal that leadership in the State Legislature are still working on this issue. We will let you know as we know more as soon as we can.

UPDATED May 11, 4:00: We understand the bill SB 5958 is being updated. The link below has been removed from the legislative website. Check back for more public information.

This afternoon, we received word that the Washington State Senate has dropped a new bill that includes future funding for 4Culture’s programs. SB 5958, sponsored by Senator Scott White, would provide ”economic development by funding tourism promotion, workforce housing, art and heritage programs, and community development.”

The full bill can be viewed on the bill page, but the sections that pertain to 4Culure’s future funding are drafted as follows:

• Allows the spend-down of the 4Culture endowment between 2013-2020;
• Provides an additional $1 million in 2012 and $2 million annually from 2013 to 2020;
• Allocates 32.5% of lodging taxes for arts and heritage beginning in 2021.

If passed into law by the state senate and house of representatives during the special session this year, this bill would allow for the continuation of the programs of 4Culture.

Quaale Rasmus Log House, courtesy of Harvey and Lisa Blanchard
2008 Landmark Rehabilitation recipient

DEADLINE EXTENDED to May 10 at 5PM

King County gameful artists and artistic game-makers, don’t miss your chance to apply to 4Culture’s Mobile Game Project for Metro’s RapidRide B Line.

If you’re an individual or part of a team that has the vision and skills to create a mobile game that will empower artful play on the bus, this one’s for you!

Check out this previous post for more information, and visit our Opportunity Listings to apply.

If you’re curious to know why games, why now? Check out this interview with Tamar Benzikry-Stern of 4Culture Public Art:

S: Briefly, what’s this project about?
T: The B Line Mobile Game Project is about creating a route-based cultural experience for commuters to engage with. It’s about innovation in public art, artistry in game-making and game-play, and the cultural significance of games and game designers.

S: Commissioning an artist to create a game as a Public Art project is a new direction for 4Culture. Can you tell me how this concept came about?
T: For each public art project, we develop a unique scope of work. We work in partnership with our County partners or consulting clients to consider the physical and social contexts each project will respond and contribute to. When developing the scope for this project with Metro, we thought about the Bellevue-Redmond corridor and the commuters that Metro is hoping to attract to the new King County RapidRide service. What kind of art might tech-savvy riders respond to on a bus?

Also, the Puget Sound is home to over 150 noteworthy game-tech companies and educational institutions that contribute to our Northwest economy and creative output.  We’re excited to engage this significant segment of the Northwest design community, as well as the local game community, in public art practice.

S: Why a game? How are games related to our culture?
T: Games are everywhere! Gamification, game-thinking, and developing modes of interaction are changing how we understand and engage with people and places. In researching this project I learned that as of 2010, 67% of American households play computer or video games, and that mobile games are slated to grow at an annual compound rate of nearly 25% through 2012.  Games are permeating our culture – because of their effectiveness, they are being analyzed and applied by schools, government agencies, humanitarian causes, businesses, and more. This project is our way to engage in this society-wide conversation, to focus on the artistry and innovation that’s possible and, with our RapidRide partners, find ways to positively contribute to the commuter experience

King County game designers, the ball’s in your court.

Play by Kliment.