The Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority (RTA) is celebrating the uniqueness of our place through a new storytelling campaign called Seattle Southside Scenes, designed to share extraordinary local stories with the world:

The heart of a region stems from the people of the place. The stories from a community give the region personality and meaning. And the people of Seattle Southside have some fascinating stories to tell!

The RTA is going behind the scenes of Seattle Southside’s most captivating public art locations, rich historical sites, and diverse cultural communities to tell the lesser-known tales of these sites in a new digital storytelling campaign and mobile Scenes Trail. As the regional destination marketing organization for the cities of SeaTac, Tukwila, and Des Moines, the RTA is uniquely positioned to uncover and tell these authentic, local stories that have largely existed only at the community level. By widening the audience to the world, visitors to Seattle Southside will now have a more intimate connection with the people who live and work here, enabling better travel experiences that are rich with meaning.

It is the backstory of “Big Catch” that evokes a sense of mystery as to the meaning behind the unusual public sculpture of a fisherman entangled with a fish, who strangely has breasts. The story behind the abandoned gravel pit turned public artwork, Robert Morris Earthwork, gives the carved terraced circles significance as the first land-reclamation sculpture in the nation. And the history of Duwamish Gardens and its connection to the legendary Pike Place Market makes visitors feel a sense of wonder while walking its trails.

Travelers are looking for more meaningful travel experiences and more intimate connections with the people of a destination. They want to feel something when they visit a place and understand what makes that place special. These are the hidden stories that live in the collective minds of the people who live here. These are the stories, like the one of the Good Bootlegger, Roy Olmstead, who ran one of the most successful bootlegging enterprises in the Country, that locals toast to in remembrance.

In a destination like Seattle Southside, which incorporates SEA, the 9^th busiest airport in the nation, visitors can sometimes see this region as a throughway, a place to stay the night before their flight, with an easily accessible freeway to go to where they are going. But the cities surrounding the Airport have intriguing sites with fascinating stories that visitors to the area might miss if not aware. These stories can encourage a traveler to exit the light rail at Angle Lake Station to spend some time admiring the shimmering “Cloud” art installation because, through these stories, they now know the interesting tale of its development.

For some, travel is more than a vacation; it is an opportunity to be in the exact spot where something real happened. Stories can draw in those visitors to stop in at the historic Zenith Holland Nursery, or to look for that mural on the side of the building, the one that depicts the first reported UFO sighting in the United States and the first description of “Men in Black”. These are the stories that remain with people after they return home.

It is also important to the RTA that this campaign brings to prominence voices that are often underrepresented. The communities of Seattle Southside are some of the most diverse in the country. People from over 50 countries of origin, speaking over 70 languages, call Seattle Southside their home. This diversity shines through in everything from the dining scene and unique shopping experiences to cultural events and festivals. The voices of people from all backgrounds contribute to a shared community experience. Like the stories from the ambitious women of Spice Bridge International Food Hall, whose passion for sharing their food traditions with others stems from their experience as immigrant women. Through these stories, the RTA hopes to encourage deeper understanding and appreciation for the multicultural community that is Seattle Southside.

Good storytelling can capture the senses by creating a sense of wonder, a curiosity for exploration, and an understanding that there is more to a place than meets the eye. Through this campaign, Seattle Southside RTA is connecting the traveler to the heart and soul of this place and to the authentic experiences this place offers for a more meaningful visit and more memorable experience.

We are honored to announce the recipients of our 2021 Arc Artist Fellowship!

The 2021 Fellows are:
Diego Binuya, Multi-media artist
Mikhail Calliste, Dancer Artist, Maker
Monyee Chau, Storyteller, Visual Artist
Joyee Runninghawk, Visual Artist
Kayla Stokes, Storyteller, Director, Aural Producer
Saiyana Suzumura, Visual Artist, Clothing Designer

The Arc Artist Fellowship provides critical—but rare—unrestricted awards of $12,000 to artists residing in King County. This year we received 37 highly competitive applications from King County artists working in dance, music, theater, media, literature, and the visual arts.

Executive Brian J. Carter says: “I would like to offer my congratulations to the 2021 Arc Artist Fellows. This accomplished group of young artists, storytellers, makers, and designers represent the broad and representational plurality of voices that are essential to our collective cultural health. During these trying times, it is more important than ever that we center voices that offer necessary and differing points of views that allow us to imagine a better future.”

Each year, a new cohort of Arc Fellows are selected, with an eligibility requirement that changes annually. This year, eligible applicants were artists between the ages of 18 and 25 who create artwork that examines and challenges structures of power in the fight for social justice.

Art has the power to be a catalyst for systemic change. We seek to celebrate and support young artist activists who are creating courageous work that moves us and makes us move. Often under-resourced and under-recognized, these artists are revealing and presenting paths to equity.

Arc Fellows will assist in determining the Arc Eligibility Requirement for next year’s fellowship as well as participate in a public cohort presentation organized by 4Culture and in planning and community engagement for the 2022 program.

Marketing support has been identified as a top priority for today’s working artist. The Arc Artist Fellowship will provide the Fellows with a page on the 4Culture website to use for promotional purposes, featuring images and links to explore their work.

Congratulations to Diego, Mikhail, Monyee, Joyee, Kayla, and Saiyana! Stay tuned to learn more about the 2021 Arc Fellows and how you can connect with their work.

As many of you are aware, most of the grant funds 4Culture distributes to the cultural sector come from King County Lodging Taxes. These tax proceeds are generated whenever people stay in local hotels and motels. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the current economic recession, people are understandably not staying in hotels and motels with the same frequency. As a result, 4Culture recently learned that it will receive significantly less Lodging Tax revenue than anticipated in 2021. This does not impact 4Culture’s Public Art program, which is funded through a separate revenue source.

This news is significant for 4Culture and for you, the cultural community we work to support. Toward that end, I want to share our approach to this situation.

Our first step is to determine the exact reduction to 4Culture’s 2021 Lodging Tax revenue. Once we arrive at a better understanding of exactly how much our 2021 revenues will be reduced, we will look closely at the grant programs, projects, and initiatives we planned to undertake this year. We will need to determine which programs can move forward and which might move forward with reduced budgets. This work is happening right now, and I will do my best to keep you all informed as this evolves.

A few things I want to be clear about, at this time:

• 4Culture will honor all existing grant and contract obligations. If you have been awarded a grant from 4Culture, you will receive these funds.
• 4Culture will strategically evaluate all budgetary adjustment options in alignment with our mission, vision, and values as well as our firm commitment to prioritize the needs of the cultural community.
• 4Culture will proactively communicate with you about any changes that are made to the core funding programs everyone relies on.
• 4Culture is positioned well to weather this challenging moment and continue our work funding, supporting, and advocating for culture throughout King County.

More immediately, we have decided to reduce the amount of funding that will be available through our Projects grant program, which is open now. This difficult choice is made in response to our anticipated reduction in Lodging Tax revenue. Moreover, our choice to move the program forward with reduced funds recognizes the importance of this program to the creation, development, and implementation of cultural endeavors across the County. Our grant managers are here to answer your questions and discuss your application—their contact information is available at the Project grants guidelines.

Lastly, I want to let everyone know that we are currently working with the King County Executive and the King County Council to request additional funds via the recently passed American Rescue Plan. We are hopeful these funds will come to 4Culture for distribution to individuals and organizations throughout the cultural sector. We will keep you informed about this process as we learn more.

Thank you all for your patience and understanding as we work through this latest challenge amidst an already challenging time. I am confident that the creativity, resilience, and fiscal stewardship 4Culture and King County are known for will see us through this moment.

Sincerely,
Brian J. Carter

This month, we get ready to say goodbye to Charlie Rathbun, who is retiring after nearly 30 years at 4Culture—which was known as the King County Arts Commission at the time Charlie joined! Here, 4Culture staff and friends share their thoughts and wishes for our Arts Program Director:

“If there’s one thing to know about Charlie, it’s that he has a particular affection for the emergent: the emerging artist, the new theatre company, the green city arts administrator. Charlie is a sucker for possibility. And his cowboy countenance is a dead giveaway that he sees more than meets the eye; he’s about to place a bet. When I look out at the arts landscape in King County today, I mostly see Charlie’s bets. He’s given thousands of people, organizations, and communities their big break or the lifeline they needed to get from one year to the next.

Charlie has been with us from the beginning. He’s shaped every curve and angle, worked with everyone past and present. And to imagine 4Culture—and indeed the whole of the arts community—without Charlie seems nearly impossible. Who else as a heart and mind that big to hold us all? Perhaps Charlie’s biggest gift to us was that after all this time he taught us how to bet on ourselves. Which is precisely what this moment demands from us.”
—Joshua Heim, Deputy Director

“When people ask where I work and I tell them 4Culture, the next question is “Do you work with Charlie?!” Then they launch into a story about how Charlie helped them find – 50 tutus, a grassy field, a gumball machine – whatever crazy thing they needed for their art project. He’s not a bureaucrat, he’s an arts advocate. I can’t believe he’s gonna go. We love you Charlie.”
—Heather Dwyer, Arts Program Manager

“If you were to somehow look at most of the amazing or groundbreaking artistic happenings that have brightened the lives of King County residents during the past 20-plus years, chances are Charlie Rathbun was somewhere behind the scenes at each of those. Not only does he care deeply about artists, but he is one of those rare administrators whose first instinct is an enthusiastic ‘Yes!’ We’ll all miss that.”
—Lucia Neare, artist

“Charlie Rathbun—in addition to be a cheerful, buoyant person who never fails to bring positive energy into any conversation—has been a guiding light for me. He champions serving our constituents over adhering to bureaucratic restrictions. He always wants to explore and experiment, both in the arts themselves and in how we fund them. He represents, to me, the spirit of 4Culture at its best.”
—Bret Fetzer, Arts Program Manager

“Thank you for being my mentor, guide and best friend here since the beginning. You’re the heart of this outfit and I will deeply miss your presence. For all the joy and goodwill you’ve spread for the past thirty years, you deserve the best and most fun retirement ever!”
—Doreen Mitchum, Arts Program Manager

“When I think about 4Culture, Charlie Rathbun is as much the visual image for me as the logo. He has been such an important part of this agency’s growth and development and he has inspired, innovated, guided and helped us find the joy in what King County has to offer us all through arts and culture. Charlie will be sorely missed, but make no mistake, his fingerprint is on so much of the organization’s work and will live on. Thank you Charlie for all of your contributions and all the best for an incredibly well-deserved retirement!”
—Vivian Phillips, 4Culture Board President

“You will be missed not only at 4Culture, but in the arts community in King County. When I think about you and your work, the one thing that stands out to me was your unfailing admiration for and love of artists, which was evident in every action you were engaged in for almost three decades. Others may not realize the essential role you played in expanding arts opportunities in the suburbs and in the rural parts of the county through the local arts agency network that you hosted for twenty years. You were a great colleague who constantly pushed to do the next big thing, to “bust a move,” when we were getting too complacent. Enjoy the next chapter.”
—Jim Kelly, former 4Culture Executive Director

“Charlie has an incredible ability to see the positive in every project and every person. Possessing a strong desire and tireless effort to make every project work for its community, he always leaves a positive and encouraging impact in everything he touches. I don’t think I have ever met a more gracious, hard working and humble person in my arts career.”
—Stephen Elliot, former 4Culture Board President

“Charlie knows every single arts group in King County. His unique Site Specific program brings creative expression to communities in every corner of King County, and his decades of dedication to promoting local arts agencies and advisors with patience and charm are legendary. I was so very lucky to learn from him.”
—Deb Twersky, former 4Culture Deputy Director

4Culture Heritage is now accepting remote internship proposals from heritage organizations in King County! Proposal deadline is at 5:00 pm PST on January 15, 2021.

The King County Heritage Internship Program has been part of our heritage capacity-building programs since 2018. In the past, we paired graduate students with host sites around the county to complete help complete projects—you can read testimonials from interns in 2018 and 2019. After the cancellation of the 2020 program due to COVID-19, we have reformatted the program to adapt to the reality of social distancing, to be open to the varying needs of heritage organizations during this time, and to be more inclusive for possible host sites.

In this iteration of the program, we are seeking engaging internship ideas that target a specific challenge that your organization is currently facing. We will select up to three heritage organizations to participate as remote host sites during the summer of 2021. We will ask that host sites to participate in orientation, communicate with the interns throughout the run of the internship, and participate in program evaluation at the end. We will provide stipends for the interns, administrative support in intern management, and overall project management.

Applicants can submit proposals by completing an application on the 4Culture grant portal and updating their 2021 demographic information. Please read this document for the full proposal instructions.

If you wish to learn more about the program or would like assistance creating an effective proposal, please join us for a virtual workshop on Wednesday, November 18, at 12:00 pm—register here.

Questions? Contact Megumi Nagata, Heritage Support Specialist, at megumi.nagata@4culture.org or 206-263-3474.

We are happy to announce UrbanRock Design as the artist team selected to work with 4Culture and our partners at the King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD). Based in Los Angeles, California, UrbanRock Design is the collaborative partnership of Jeanine Centuori and Russell Rock who have experience working on a range of public projects in a breadth of materials. The artist team will create a site-specific public artwork as part of the new Jameson building in the Interbay Industrial Area of Seattle, Washington.

To get a better understanding of the Jameson project, the current site houses employees who support construction, operations, and maintenance of King County’s regional sewer system. The WTD workers, who are based at this site, build and maintain sewer infrastructure that serves about a 100-square mile service area. One of the exciting aspects of the new Jameson building is WTD’s commitment to the Living Building Challenge (LBC) which is a goal of King County. The LBC certification fit well with the integrated design of the project and represents a holistic measure of sustainability in order to achieve a high level of green building goals. UrbanRock is mindful of environmental and sustainable practice in public art, which is in alignment with the principals of the LBC and goals of the Jameson project. The artists have a sustainable approach to art with experience working on green architecture as well as an interest in utilizing locally sourced and recycled materials.

Despite the challenges of COVID-19, the artists have been able to build a successful and supportive long distance and remote working relationship with 4Culture, the project team and WTD project stakeholders. Jeanine and Russell are finding inspiration in this work and the dedication and stewardship of the workers. They are exploring details of the existing and future facility, from how the users will engage in the site to creating art that will contribute to a healthy and productive workspace – a goal of the LBC. We look forward to sharing more about this process as it unfolds and the creation of art that will celebrate the essential work of WTD and their connection to clean water in our region.

On September 1, the King County Council approved an additional $2 million in CARES Act funding to 4Culture’s ongoing COVID-19 response efforts. We thank King County Executive Constantine and the Council for this critical support. This amounts to $4 million to 4Culture in 2020 to distribute to the cultural sector in this time of persistent crisis.

Our goal is to get funds to the cultural sector as quickly and simply as possible, while also working within CARES Act guidelines. These federal funds must be spent by the end of the year, can only be used to offset a specific set expenses related to the shutdown, and recipients must demonstrate unanticipated losses due to COVID-19—all requirements that differ from our typical grant programs. We know requirements add barriers to accessing relief and are available to answer questions and help recipients meet them as best we can.

With this new addition, the full $4 million of CARES Act funding now supports three different arms of our relief effort:

Cultural Relief Fund for Individuals: new application now online
In the spring, we allocated $510,500 in 4Culture funds to relief for cultural workers in King County. Additional CARES Act funding will provide $500,000 for our updated grant program for cultural workers who are suffering financial losses due to the COVID-19 public health crisis. We are now accepting applications for grants of up to $2,000 to help cover costs of necessities, including housing, utilities, groceries, childcare, and transportation.

• The deadline to apply is Wednesday, October 21 at 11:59 PDT.
• If you have not previously applied to 4Culture, request an account and get started at least one week prior to the deadline.
• You will need to fill out a simple online demographic profile and application; the estimated completion time is 30 minutes.
• If selected, you must be able to complete required contract documents by December 15, 2020.
• CARES Act funding comes with strict guidelines and deadlines that you must adhere to in order to receive funding. Reading the guidelines carefully answering required questions and documents is essential for this grant.
• Applications from Black and Indigenous people of color, transgender and nonbinary people, and people with disabilities are welcomed and encouraged.

Cultural Relief for Organizations: additional allocations
In June, we allocated a total of $1.39 million to 274 cultural organizations experiencing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19. Now, this additional CARES Act funding will help address unmet need demonstrated by applicants to our Cultural Relief fund.

• Organizations that already received Cultural Relief funds but are not receiving a Reopen Fund grant will receive either $1,500 or $2,500 in additional Cultural Relief funding.
• New awards of $3,000 or $3,500 will go to some eligible Cultural Relief applicants who did not receive funding in the first round.
• All of these awards are dependent on whether organizations can meet CARES Act requirements related to loss of income, eligible expenses, and other criteria that will be assessed through a preliminary survey. A prompt response to this survey is required and organizations that do not reply by October 5 will have their conditional award revoked.
• Notification of conditional awards and next steps were sent to organizations on Monday, September 28. Please contact your contract manager if you have questions.

Reopen Fund: Organizations and Landmarks
These additional funds from King County allowed us to augment our Reopen Fund, which was open earlier this summer. 171 cultural organizations and historic landmarks received grants of up to $24,000 to support either their reopening efforts or digital programming amid COVID-19. The CARES Act requirements listed above apply to these funds as well. Notification of conditional awards and next steps were sent to organizations on Monday, September 28. Please contact your contract manager if you have questions.

Thank you for your ongoing patience as we all navigate this crisis. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns at hello@4culture.org, 206-296-7580, or TTY: 711.

COVID-19 continues to impact every aspect of our lives and work. Each day presents new challenges, and as we move forward, our top priority is keeping our community informed and feeling supported as best we can.

Most recently, we’ve been working to figure out how to adapt our Sustained Support grant to the challenges cultural organizations are facing. Our grant managers know that many of the program’s normal application requirements—a two-year programming scope, fiscal projections, reviews by onsite visitors, and more—would be impossible for most organizations to provide right now.

We also know that the unrestricted, reliable funding that Sustained Support provides is more critical than ever, and only increasing. During the current 2019-2020 grant cycle, the program has provided funding to over 400 cultural organizations, local arts agencies, and municipalities.

To help balance these needs, we are making the following changes to Sustained Support for the upcoming 2021-2022 cycle:

• This year’s application cycle for 2021 funding: current Sustained Support recipients can submit a simple application in order to receive extended funding for a one-year period.
• Next year’s application cycle for 2022 funding: all current and potential Sustained Support recipients will go through our normal application process in the fall of 2021.

To organizations not currently receiving Sustained Support: we understand these changes will be disappointing. Earlier in the year, we had anticipated running Sustained Support—a core program that we’ve been thrilled to see grow steadily the past several years—like normal. As the effects of this pandemic continue to expand and evolve, however, it’s our hope that this compromise helps alleviate some of the stress organizations are facing and provides support for gradual reopening and recovery during the coming year. We hope, too, that organizations not currently in the Sustained Support funding pool have been able to access 4Culture support through our early emergency COVID-19 funding efforts and other grants. We’re currently working on plans for COVID-19 support in 2021.

As always, we want to hear your questions, concerns, and input—particularly if your organization has not yet applied for or received Sustained Support funding and/or COVID-19 Relief o Reopen funding. Please reach out to us at hello@4culture.org, (206) 296-7580, or TTY: 711, or contact our Sustained Support grant managers:

Heritage: Chieko Phillips
chieko.phillips@4culture.org, 206-477-6811

Preservation: Brandi Link
brandi.link@4culture.org, 206-263-1593

Arts: Bret Fetzer
bret.fetzer@4culture.org, 206-263-1599

Rewind to December 2019: artist team Johnson | Ramirez rolled up their sleeves and began laying out a cohesive art plan for King County Metro’s RapidRide Expansion program, connecting the entire network of lines.

Over the past 8 months, they have honed a thoughtful and multi-layered plan, spending time with bus drivers, King County Metro Staff, riders, and transit-lovers alike. Even though the world of transit has been altered dramatically over the arc of this project, we see this plan as being integral to the RapidRide experience of the future. With its focus on the people that power RapidRide, we expect artworks and arts experiences to begin taking shape as each new line begins service between 2021-2025. In many ways, this Plan looks and feels different than standard plans. It is intended to tell the story of what makes RapidRide unique in an easy-to-read format. Notably, Johnson|Ramirez worked with artist, illustrator and avid bus-rider, Aaron Bagley, to capture visual vignettes which spark imagination and connect us with transit in a playful, accessible way.

Dig into the Plan, and visit us on Instagram to check out a gallery of Aaron’s illustrations!

Whether you ride the bus, live in an area serviced by RapidRide, or are transit-curious, there is something for everyone in this Plan.

What is RapidRide?
RapidRide is King County Metro’s premier transit service: arterial bus rapid transit. First implemented in 2009, there are now six existing lines (A-F) serving King County. Different from standard bus service, RapidRide lines look, feel and operate more like trains. RapidRide consistently scores the highest customer satisfaction marks among all Metro services and, when compared to routes it replaces, has 20% faster travel time and over 50% more riders.

RapidRide features include:

• Substantial, permanent stops and shelters.
• Real-time arrival information.
• Off-board fare payment so passengers spend more time moving and less time waiting.
• Significant roadway investment like bus-only lanes and opportunities to jump ahead at signals.
• Distinctive, branded red buses.

The Salaam Cultural Museum (SCM) exists to raise awareness about Arab American cultures and support refugees and immigrants both locally and internationally. Here, they share with us how they’re fulfilling that mission in Beirut: 

SCM has been part of the King County cultural community since 1996, promoting understanding of the people, cultures, languages, religions, and lands of Middle Eastern region. SCM provides teaching tools, maintains a speaker bureau, and cares for and loans out Middle Eastern cultural artifacts that were acquired by its founder, Rita Zawaideh. Rita recently received the Spirit of Liberty Award from the Ethnic Heritage Council for her decades of advocacy on behalf of Middle Eastern and North African communities in the U.S. and around the world.

In addition to this work, SCM has been seeking a permanent location for their cultural artifacts. Earlier this year, SCM held a community meeting at Cherry Street Mosque in Seattle, where they hope to establish a museum soon.

SCM’s work extends to humanitarian aid as well. When an explosion devastated the city of Beirut on August 4, SCM quickly joined relief efforts to assist the people of Beirut and Lebanon, who have already been impacted by national economic collapse and COVID-19. SCM’s fundraising campaign started the day after news of the explosion, collecting funds to purchase emergency medical supplies, walkers, wheelchairs, blankets, clothing and more. SCM’s Regional Manager in Jordan, Basel Sawalha, has been working with Jordan Hashemite Charities to transport the supplies overland and via airlift to Lebanon. In addition, a team from SCM is traveling to Beirut to set up distribution centers. SCM plans to continue fundraising and send aid to Lebanon for the foreseeable future.

Even as we face great uncertainty, many of King County’s capital projects are moving forward as planned,  and although the ways we commission and create work must shift, we’re thrilled to celebrate some recent triumphs!

Essential services are high on our minds right now. We extend gratitude to all essential workers, and in that spirit, we are excited to advance the replacement of the South County Recycling and Transfer Station into the next phase of design and development. This project has been long-anticipated, as the existing Algona Transfer Station facility cannot keep up with the volume of users and services a large swath of South King County. The new facility, which will be constructed north of the existing facility, will bring additional services including recycling, yard waste, and hazardous waste disposal and will also include roadway improvements to the West Valley Highway. Set to be completed by 2024, this project is seeking Petal Certification through the Living Building Challenge—it’s a demonstrated commitment to the County’s Strategic Climate Action Plan. We’re proud to join with King County Solid Waste Division to announce the selection of artists for two public art projects associated with this site.

First, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe’s Cultural Division, led by Willard Bill Jr. and Lead Cultural Arts Educators Tyson Simmons and Keith Stevenson, have been commissioned to create site-responsive and -integrated permanent artwork. The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe seeks to “create regenerative spaces for people in natural ecosystems” and is committed to the support, cultivation, preservation, and sharing of cultural traditions. They are interested in accessing ancestral teachings, translated through design, artwork and a holistic approach to the environs of the site, which sits close to the Muckleshoot Reservation and whose wetlands and Algona Creek Tributary feed into the White River watershed—a sacred resource to the Muckleshoot. This team of artists have created work throughout the region, including commissions for the Burke Museum and, most recently, a project for the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field.

Second, a generative artist residency has been awarded to Evan Blackwell. Blackwell is a visual artist and a faculty member at Evergreen State College, where he has taught interdisciplinary courses since 2010. Evan’s work is deeply rooted in social practice and community engagement. He says that the “thread that connects my background in craft with my current studio practice is an abiding fascination with materials and objects,” some of which would otherwise enter the waste stream. “Changing the purpose of mass-produced and discarded products becomes a way for me to evoke a deeper meaning and a new awareness of the resources around me.” Blackwell will create a body of artwork over three years. Selected works will become part of the King County Art Collection and be installed at other Solid Waste Division facilities.

Both projects may occur with some overlap and interaction between the respective artists, and most certainly in coordination with the project design team. This is the first commission with 4Culture for both the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and Evan Blackwell. We are eager to get to work and thankful to have come this far!

On April 1, we launched our COVID-19 relief fund for cultural workers, offering both emergency support for essentials like rent, groceries, and healthcare as well as grants for artists who had ideas for creative projects that could help King County residents through the pandemic.

Since April, the Creative Response arm of our relief fund has helped more than 30 projects come to life, with more taking shape in the coming weeks. We have been deeply inspired by the impactful ways artists have reacted to this crisis and by their committment to the well-being of King County communities. In their applications, many artists let us know that they were already at work on projects when our fund launched, and used these grants to pay collaborators and expand their reach.

Congratulations and thank you to all who put 4Culture funds to work in this way. Some projects have wrapped up, while some are still on the horizon—we’ll continue to add to this list as more projects take shape. Get to know each of them, and check back often!

Our commitment to racial equity demands that we say this clearly: the status quo is intolerable. The violence perpetrated against George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Charleena Lyles here in King County, and countless others by law enforcement and the white supremacist systems that disregard Black life cannot stand. As an agency that exists to support creativity in King County, we’re ready to play our role in imagining and building a new reality.

We recognize, too, that we are funded by a government body that also funds law enforcement—we are complicit in this system. We commit to using the power and privilege of our position within King County to push beyond dialogue and towards substantial action and accountability. Our work with the cultural sector is vital to the health of our communities and it is incumbent upon us to center anti-racism in policy and practice. This moment calls us to do more, listen better, and make meaningful impact so that our communities can thrive without fear.

We do not have all the answers—we will only find them together, centering Black voices and committing to long-term change.

In solidarity,
Brian J. Carter, Executive Director