2010 Festival DM, Photo ©Dave Mortenson, Courtesy of Kent International Festival

Kent International Festival kicks off Friday night with World Dance Party

Kicking off an all-day celebration of culture in Kent, the Kent International Festival begins Friday night, with an all ages World Dance Party from 6:30 – 9:00 pm at the Kent Senior Activity Center. Saturday’s celebration takes place at Kent’s Town Square Plaza with  free entertainment on two stages,  nine styles of great ethnic food, and 35 cultural and information booths.

Start Saturday with Generations Walking Together at 9:30 a.m. Saturday: walk the four blocks from City Hall to Town Square Plaza. Stay all day until the last act ends at 6:00 pm.

Some fun facts about the Festival:

• There are about 210 volunteers signed up representing 26 different groups who will be helping set up/take down, food court operations, entertainment support, crowd control and many other duties to run the World Dance Party and the Festival.
• There will be 27 booths that will an estimated 200 folks staffing their activities.  We have 24 of these booths participating in the Passport Program, a journey of discovery with a prize at the end.
•  33 groups are scheduled to perform on Friday night and all day Saturday – about 300 entertainers.
• If it is a nice weather day the Festival expects 5,000 to 6,000 people to attend.

That’s a lot of community! 

From the desk of Charlie Sundberg, Preservation Planner: “Working with a broadly representative 15-member Citizens Advisory Committee, four stakeholder focus groups, and the King County Landmarks Commission, the King County Historic Preservation Program (HPP) has prepared a review draft of the King County Historic Preservation Program Strategic Plan 2013-2020 for review and comment.  The draft Plan provides background and a summary of challenges facing the HPP; a description of the planning process; and proposed goals, objectives and actions for the program for the next seven years.  The Plan also outlines how the HPP will track its progress in implementing the plan and contains recommendations for distribution of Historical Preservation and Historical Programs Fund (HPHP) revenues.  The final Plan will be prepared at the end of July.

The Plan is available on the web at www.kingcounty.gov/property/historic-preservation/strategic-plan.  Comments can be made via an online response form until July 14th or by email or U.S. mail until that date.” 

For more information about the King County Historic Preservation Program visit www.kingcounty.gov/property/historic-preservation.

KING FM Choral Music Channel, courtesy of KING FM

Chorus America held its national conference in Seattle  June 12-15, hosted by Seattle Pro Musica, and the Seattle Symphony & Symphony Chorale. Chorus America is the national organization devoted to the advocacy, research, and leadership development of choral music nationally.

KING FM launched Seattle’s first Choral Music Channel in partnership with Chorus America in honor of this event, streaming choral music 24/7 online. The new Choral Music channel, found at KING.org, features the top world groups, a complement of national choir groups, both contemporary and traditional, and award-winning choirs from Chorus America. The channel will be posted online through the summer.

Bryan Lowe, Program Director for Classical KING FM says, “More people participate in choirs than in any other form of music, and through church and concert performances it’s arguably the most listened to classical music.  With such powerful and beautiful pieces and performances by some of the top choirs in the world, this is going to be great!”

Tune in to this exciting new channel, and learn more about the two stellar local sponsors of the conference, Pro Musica and Seattle Symphony Orchestra & Seattle Symphony Corale.

Jeff “Weirdo” Jacobson; Photo: Bellevue Fine Art Repro (Scott)

This annual, non-restricted award of $3,000 was developed by artist Su Job just before her passing in December 2008. The grant acknowledges artists who have “demonstrated a profound ability to challenge the limits of creative discourse and its effects on our society, pushing the artistic act beyond accepted limits, definitions, or purposes while engaging audiences outside the aesthetic industrial complex.”

Su was interested in recognizing persons who are committed to an artistic practice that connects with community and society. Johnathan Heath Lambe, Sheri Brown, Kelly Lyles, Rio Pacific Studio (Jen Vertz and Jeff Jacobson), and Paul Rucker are past recipients.

Sound like a good fit for you? Artists or artist teams working in any media or discipline are encouraged to apply. LEARN MORE.

AWARD AMOUNT: $3,000 Non-Restricted

ELIGIBILITY: Individual artists or artist teams working in any media or discipline can apply. Applicants must be Seattle residents and have a significant connection to Pioneer Square.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: July 22^nd, 2013

*THIS GRANT IS ADMINISTERED BY THE ESTATE OF SU JOB, 4CULTURE AND ARTIST TRUST

www.garboil.org

Tess Martin, Brightwater (2013), A Moment’s Reverie (2007), A Walk in the Woods (2012), Still Life (2013),
They Look Right Through You (2013), Plain Face (2011), film stills.

 WA-based artists with a knack for visual storytelling – apply for the HazMat comic book and short film projects. There’s just a week left!

Do you produce artwork that combines meaningful narrative with compelling aesthetic experience? Are you interested in exploring scientific and social issues? Are you connected to or interested to engage Spanish-speaking communities in King County? If so, please read more about 4Culture and the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program’s call for a comic artists and a filmmaker to create work about hazardous materials. With your help, we can further the conversation about public health and environmental quality, and the role that art can play in fostering social change.

Any questions? Feel free to contact Tamar Benzikry-Stern, in advance of the June 24 deadline.

Craig Sinclair

Craig Sinclair began working for 4Culture in 2011, assisting Charlie Rathbun in the Arts Program. During his time with 4Culture Craig cheerfully contributed to Blog 4Culture, worked with Site Specific artists and on other program management tasks, and had a meaningful relationship with our database. His also contributed to the region’s cultural life through his work for the City of Redmond Arts and Culture Programs. He leaves the area to further his education and, in the near term, to pursue his passion for rugby. He left this guest post with us as a farewell. We wish him the very best in all of his endeavors – and are thankful for his contributions during his tenure at 4Culture.

Today, May 24^th, is my last day at 4Culture and this is as close as I can get to “goodbye.”

I came across employment at 4Culture by happenstance and never thought I would be so shaped by this organization. The work and values of this office, like the importance of advocating for artists and social justice, will last the entirety of my career. 4Culture is truly on the front lines of cultural development in King County.

Though, having spent much of my time here conducting research on the organizational health of local arts groups, I know the fight is far from over. The economy still has not recovered and cultural need in King County has stretched arts, heritage, and preservation non-profits to their financial limits. 4Culture’s work is more important now than ever.

On a bright note, I am at least happy to be leaving for exciting things: I will spend the remainder of the summer playing rugby in New Zealand, followed by a move to New York to start my Master of Architecture this fall.

As I leave, I know I will miss so much about 4Culture: from the office space to the amazing work of King County artists to the mocha-related banter with the baristas at Caffe Vita down the block. Most of all, though, I will miss the people I am privileged to work with on a daily basis. Yes, the 4Culture staff is so rad that I have to resort to cliché.

Cheers,

T. Craig Sinclair

Staci Bernstein, If These Walls Could Talk © 2012 Becka Brebner Photography

We are reposting this notice from the Washington State Historical Society, as workshops that cover this subject are rare, this one is local and very reasonable in cost. Our Historic Site(s) Specific program has featured several live and filmed performances of historic characters at historic sites in the past and we have an upcoming performance in June by Book-It Repertory Theater featuring stories from Jewish immigrants to the region. If you are interested in applying to the upcoming opportunity to propose a project for Historic Site(s) Specific, this workshop might be for you.

The Washington State Historical Society presents a workshop on developing and using character interpretation–find out how to choose, develop, train and use first person interpreters at your museum or historic site and other ways to add personal stories to enhance visitor experience.  Teachers can also learn how to help History Day students develop performance projects.

Presenters are Gwen Perkins, Education Specialist at WSHS, Mike McGuire, Education Curator at Fort Nisqually Living History Museum and Nancy Calos-Nokano, artist, writer and actress.

The workshop is 9 am-12 noon, Thursday, June 20, 2013 at the Washington State History Museum, 1911 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma.

Cost is $20, including materials.

To register, contact Shanna Stevenson at 360-586-0171.  Deadline for registration is June 17, 2013.

Every year, Americans for the Arts’ Public Art Network (PAN) selects public artworks of merit for recognition in Year in Review. We are proud to announce that artists Christian Moeller and Susan Robb’s projects completed for 4Culture in 2012 were selected for inclusion in the 2013 Year in Review, the only national program recognizing projects of excellence in the field. The 50 finalists for 2013 were selected from 350 applicants nationwide.

© Christian Moeller, Verdi, 2012, stainless steel, glass. Photo by Benjamin Benschneider

Christian Moeller’s Verdi, a 65-foot sculptural tower at the Brightwater Wastewater Treatment Plant’s Influent Pump Station in Bothell, Washington ingeniously encloses the odor control stack.

Verdi is composed of more than 3,500 repurposed green glass water bottles. In developing the project for Brightwater, he considered the political and economic structure of water resources fueling a world-wide demand for bottled water stating that this “growing market for bottled water has exploded and hundreds of companies find themselves in competition, selling us a product that on deeper thought should be freely accessible to all”.

The artwork encourages greater understanding about the environmental mission of King County’s clean-water utility and the civic and individual responsibility for wise use and re-use of water resources.

During daylight hours, the glass reflects and refracts sunlight. At night, the sculpture is illuminated with customized fixtures designed to throw an intense glow only on the slender sculptural tower, minimizing light cast onto the surrounding property and pump station yard.  

© Susan Robb, The Long Walk, 2012

Susan Robb’s work is an on-going investigation of people, place and our search for utopia.  The Long Walk was a four-day, 45-mile pedestrian adventure from Golden Gardens Park on the Puget Sound to Snoqualmie Falls in which participants experienced a shift in their sense of time, a new understanding of the local geography, and the creation of an interstitial culture along the King County Regional Trails System (RTS). By slowing down to footstep speed, the walkers were intimately connected with the region’s architecture, landscape, and topography, witnessing a metamorphosis from city to suburb and farmland to forest. Curated events and interactive activities spurred collective experiences and altered the social terrain.

Learn more about Verdi

Learn more about The Long Walk.

Watch a video about The Long Walk by Rodrigo Valenzuela

Read the full press release

Four artworks commissioned by 4Culture and installed at Brightwater’s Treatment Plant site were recognized in the 2012 Year in Review: Circulator by Jim Blashfield; South Branch, North Fork and Puddles by Cris Bruch; Collection & Transformation by Ellen Sollod; Bio Boulevard & Water Molecule by Buster Simpson. Temporary projects that interact with Brightwater’s Conveyance route, its landscapes and communities are underway now.

We live in a remarkable region for Public Art. Congratulations to the artists and organizations also recognized in the 2013 Year in  Review:

• SODO by merge conceptual design; managed by Office of Arts & Culture, Seattle
• Art Interruptions, a series of temporary projects by A.K. Mimi Allin, Brian Benfer, Peter Bjordahl, Barbara DePirro, Mary Iverson, Jennifer and Allan Kempson, Ingrid Lahti, Joanna Lepore, Nickolus Meisel, Chris Papa, Carolina Silva and Ellen Sollod; managed by Office of Arts & Culture, Seattle
• Spinning Our Wheels by Linda Beaumont, SeaTac Consolidated Rental Car facility, SeaTac; managed by Port of Seattle
• Aerie by Buster Simpson, US Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters, Seattle; managed by the GSA
• Cause and Effect by DoHo Suh, Academic Instructional Center (AIC) West building at Western Washington University, Bellingham; managed by ArtsWA

Quinton Morris, Courtesy of the Artist, 2011

Professor Quinton Morris, director of the chamber and instrumental music program in the Fine Arts Department of Seattle University and member of 4Culture’s Touring Arts Roster, will present a talk on Entrepreneurship for Young Artists on June 23, 2013. The presentation is part of TEDxSeattle, a locally organized event affiliated with the national office, featuring prominent thinkers across disciplines.

“I am very excited to have been selected to speak on such a prestigious series.  TED is known all over the world and I’m thrilled to be able to share my knowledge with a broader audience,” Morris said.

In addition to his teaching and concerts on campus, Morris has just completed a world tour where he presented chamber music recitals and student master classes in France, South Africa, and The Netherlands.

Morris’s presentation takes place at on June 23 at the Seattle Children’s Theatre. Details about the daylong TEDxSeattle are here.

Anar Dana poster (c) Helene Eriksen, 2013

June 14 & 15, 2013 at Broadway Performance Hall, Seattle

ANAR DANA, Helene Eriksen’s Traditional Dance Theatre, presents women’s dance and culture from the regions of North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. ANAR means pomegranate and DANA seed; the name symbolizes the crystalline beauty of collective traditions, where each kernel is unique and luminous, yet together they form a fruit that is celebrated in the Middle East as a symbol of beauty, fertility and culture. Helene Eriksen is an internationally renowned dancer, scholar and choreographer. The performance is supported by an Art Projects award.

The ancient traditions of the predominately Muslim societies of the Middle East are largely unknown in the West and are disappearing quickly in our globalizing world. Our view of the cultures of the Muslim world are skewed by clichés, deep seated fears and current wars. ANAR DANA brings these breathtaking and inspiring traditions into a new focus for a wider audience through professional dance concerts with spectacular music and costumes.

Every year in September a new group of women begin on the ten-month long journey that is ANAR DANA, meeting once a month for an intensive twelve-hour weekend workshop. This year’s repertoire includes dances from Tunisia, the Upper Egyptian Region of the Said,  the Roma of Macedonia, the courts of the Ottoman Empire, the Northern Caucasian Region of Daghestan, the Qashqa’i nomads of Iran and  the Paktia region of Afghanistan. In addition, Helene Eriksen will join the project ensemble on stage with evocative solo dances from the Uzbek population of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, the Greek rembetiko tradition and from the classical takht musical traditions of Syria.

Want to know more about ANAR DANA? Listen to what this year’s members have to say about the experience.

Join the ANAR DANA Facebook page.

Contact Helene Eriksen

4Culture applied to serve as a 2013 host organization for the program and was paired with Loriann Hernandez, a recent graduate of Cal State Fullerton with an MA in Exhibition Design. Over the next two months, Loriann will assist with an in-depth survey of the King County Public Art Collection. She will travel into the field and examine and prepare condition reports for over 2,000 portable and architecturally integrated artworks. In addition, she will assist with research related to new projects and participate in artist selection processes.

Welcome, Loriann!

“I first visited Seattle two years ago in the spring. I’m from Southern California, and have been commuting by roller skates in cities across America for over four years. The challenge of being a roller skater in Seattle is quite different than in California. Larger hills and more rain are something to factor into my journeys. During my first visit I toured a lot of museums and galleries in the area for research. Not every gallery was happy to see someone with a giant backpack and roller skates on their shoulders. But like any curator, I take note of those that are polite to the unexpected visitor. That was 4Culture.

So a few months ago, when I received an offer for a paid internship through ArtTable at 4Culture, accepting was unquestionable. Not only are they nice to people with roller skates, 4Culture is a one of a kind organization that provides opportunities to unique artists and curators like me.

One of the things I have in common with 4Culture is a love of supporting the arts. My own organization, Urban Canvas, promotes underrepresented artists from around the world. And like 4Culture, I seek to find and enhance the intersections of community, arts and culture.

I view the world like an artist, curator, anthropologist and skater. That is how I came up with my MA thesis exhibition, RIDE: Communities Empowering Themselves Through Mobility where I was the first curator to ride ramps on roller skates. I followed that show with RIDE WORLD WIDE in Dakar, Senegal, Africa. During that time, I provided supplies to skaters, mounted the exhibition twice, built the first portable skate park in the country and returned home with a metal plate in my arm and a kitten I named Bijoux Bijoux as souvenirs.

Maps, culture, drawing, traveling and eight wheels dominate most of my life but for now, Seattle and 4Culture are my home. If you like my story, you can keep updated with Urban Canvas artists and my skate journal. Finally, my documentary on the skate scene in Senegal is available on YoutTube at RIDE WORLD WIDE DAKAR. Thanks to ArtTable and 4Culture for uniting to bring me an opportunity to expand my experience, both professionally and creatively.”

- Loriann Hernandez

South Shore Robotic Arts students by Andrew Peterson

4Culture Art Projects recipients offer opportunities to see, hear, read and experience art in many ways throughout the year, all around King County. See what our artists have for you this week!

South Shore Robotic Arts

Wednesday, June 12, 2013 – 6-7 pm

South Shore K-8, 4800 South Henderson St, Seattle

4Culture Art Project recipient Andrew Peterson and his amazing crew of middle-school talent will showcase their creations at a special exhibition to celebrate their work. Peterson teaches students how to imagine and create robotic sculptures from thrift store finds. Students develop their engineering and creative art chops.

Michael Schein and the Killer Poet Jazz Band
Saturday, June 15, 2013 – 2–4 pm
The Station Bistro, 110 Second Street SW, # 125, Auburn

Poet, writer and 4Culture Art Projects recipient, Michael Schein of Carnation will offer an afternoon of jazz and poetry along with his fellow collaborators in the Killer Poet Jazz Band. Killer Poet Jazz Band is the fusion of Kenny Mandell sax, Don Berman percussion, and Michael Schein strange vocals.  Killer Poet invites you to take the road not taken.

Georgetown, Seattle © 2012 Sean Stearns

Taqueria Latinos, Seattle © 2012 Sean Stearns

Georgetown Brewery, Seattle © 2013 Sean Stearns

Georgetown, Seattle © 2012 Sean Stearns

Myrtle Edwards Park, Seattle © 2012 Sean Stearns

Sean was born in sunny Coronado, California where he and his family lived until he was about 10. Then, in a move that was drastic both geographically and culturally, he moved with his family to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Although he stayed there for only 6 years in his early adolescence, he recalled the experience being profoundly disorienting. Soon, he was back on the west coast – this time in Redmond, Washington, not far from the headquarters of that new startup Microsoft.

After high school, Sean found himself at Cornish College of the Arts studying Fine Arts, but had also been interested in computers and Graphic Arts. After four years at Cornish, he began working in arts administration at the Seattle Art Museum, Market Theater and the Henry Art Gallery.  In his spare time he took apart and reconstructed old computers, worked on the then fledgling skill of web design, and taught himself computer programming languages.

In 2001, he was offered an opening at 4Culture as their Web Manager and 12 years later now fills the role of IT Director. Along with IT strategic planning, web development and design oversight, he also gets to work with his graphic design roots on several projects, most recently public art interpretive materials for the Brightwater Treatment Plant and the UW Intellectual House Public Art Plan.

For the past 8 years, Sean has resided in the Central District neighborhood with his partner Scott and 2 cats, Sophie and Butters. He feels very lucky to be able to travel the world, even making it to Antarctica 2 years ago, and has started delving into photography.

If there was only one thing Sean would want people to know about him, it’s that – he paid off his student loans last year at 41 and is dang proud of it!

2466 Westlake, Seattle © 2012, photo by Erin Feeney, courtesy of Museum of History & Industry

The Museum of History & Industry’s new exhibit, Still Afloat: A Contemporary History of Seattle’s Floating Homes, supported in part by 4Cuture, offers a unique perspective of floating homes through stories, pictures, and artifacts, illustrating both the cultural and technological intricacies of this one-of-a-kind community. The exhibit is curated by local author Erin Feeney, who recently worked with community members and archivists to produce a new book entitled Seattle’s Floating Homes, released as part of Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series. “Not only is the floating home community one our city’s most intriguing neighborhoods,” Feeney said, “ but it’s also historically been one of the most misunderstood. I’m thrilled to partner with MOHAI and shed some light on this fascinating part of our maritime culture.” A scale model of a floating home will also be on display to allow visitors to see the complex systems and structures that keep these homes afloat.

The exhibit will be on display from June 15, 2013 through November 3, 2013. Remember, the first Thursday of every month is free for visitors of all ages and children under 14 always get in free at MOHAI.

4Culture

Job Opportunity: Communications Specialist at 4Culture

4Culture is looking for a Communications Specialist to work as part of the communications team. Be a part of the work we do in Arts, Heritage, Preservation and Public Art for King County. WA.

The primary job of this position is to provide staff coordination and management of 4Culture’s marketing, advocacy, communications and public relations needs, including annual communications work plan and budget. Development and implementation of marketing, advocacy and promotional materials, in print, experiential and online is in collaboration with communications team.

This position also works with local and regional community representatives to promote 4Culture programs, the communities they serve, and outreach to and engagement with new communities throughout King County.

Learn more about the position and download the application.

Image courtesy of STQRY, Photo © Stef Cotteret 2013

Moving to Mobile: The STQRY app

As more people move to mobile phones and tablets for their primary access to the internet, those of us who create online content have to adjust our practices to respond to smaller screens and new ways of engaging with all of the content available to us.

We’d love to have all of our programs, applications, blog posts, public art profiles, arts, heritage and preservation pages configured for any screen you’d care to use. Attaining that is going to take time, but we have begun to do what we can to move in that direction. In addition to an upcoming redesign for Site Specific, and Map 4Culture (a beautifully designed map that will combine 4Culture’s Destination Heritage and Public Art sites), we are using STQRY.

STQRY Exhibit in the Arcade Gallery

A simple and easy to use smartphone application, STQRY allows us to place our public art collection, heritage sites and programmatic events in the context of the surrounding cultural landscape.

Always a free download, the application uses mapping already on your Apple, Windows or Android phone to populate the landscape with cultural sites and events all around your current location. QR codes placed on signage allow the user to scan and retrieve information about the individual site or artwork. The app also has search functionality.

Importantly, STQRY automatically translates content to the language native to your phone (over 60 languages), allowing broad access. Arts and heritage organizations across King County have begun to adopt STQRY, representing the depth and vibrancy of our cultural community.

STQRY works with other interactive media we have developed, including Listen 4Culture (our cell phone audio tour) and Map 4Culture. Audio and video can find a home in the stories on  STQRY, as well as text and photos, allowing us to create content once for a project profile or blog post and adapt it to this nifty mobile platform.

It has been fun to see how cultural organizations within the County are using STQRY. We’ve showcased our own and six other organizations’ use of STQRY, in a storefront exhibit at 4Culture: ArtsWA (a remarkable state-wide public art collection), City of Redmond (public art and events), City of Kent (public art), City of Sammamish (public art, parks, facilities), Renton History Museum (exhibits and City of Renton public art), City of Seattle’s Office of Arts &  Culture (public art). The exhibit will be up through June and gives a sense of the breadth and variety of the cultural assets that contribute to our experience of place and community. Come on by and check out the exhibit. Summer is a great time to download STQRY and explore the cultural landscape that surrounds us.

Fulgencio Lazo, Lluvia de botones (Rain of buttons), Acrylic on Canvas, 2013

Artists Up welcomes Latina/o artists in all disciplines (dance, literary, media, music, public art, visual and theater) for a bilingual informational series with resources, tips and networking.  Interpreters and translated materials will be available with light refreshments provided by El Quetzal Restaurant.

•    July 8:  Meet the funder and learn about funding opportunities.
•    July 15: Writer Felicia Gonzalez facilitates presentations by multi-disciplinary artist Michelle de la Vega, photographer Rodrigo Valenzuela and composer/musician Jovino Santos Neto.  Other featured artists include musician Monica Rojas Stewart and painter Juan Alonso.

TIME:  6:30 – 8:30PM
LOCATION:  Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute – 104 17th Ave S, Seattle
DONATION:  $8/Two sessions  or $5/one session. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
PRE-REGISTRATION:  On-line HERE

Attend both sessions to receive a consultation with funders Heather Dwyer, Irene Gómez or Miguel Guillén.

ARTISTS UP is a collaborative effort by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Artist Trust and 4Culture to increase access and to better serve ALL artists in Seattle, King County and Washington State.

+ + +

Artists Up da la bienvenida a artistas Latinas/os de todas las disciplinas (danza, literatura, comunicaciones, música, arte público, artes visuales y teatro) a una serie de sesiones bilingües informativas sobre recursos, consejos y redes sociales. Tendremos disponible intérpretes, material traducido y refrigerios facilitados por Quetzal Restaurant.

•    Julio 8: Conoce al personal y aprende sobre oportunidades económicas.
•    Julio 15: Esta sesión será facilitada por la escritora Felicia González con la presentación de la artista multidisciplinaria Michelle de la Vega, el fotógrafo Rodrigo Valenzuela y el compositor/músico Jovino Santos Neto. Otros artistas invitados serán la música Monica Rojas Stewart y el pintor Juan Alonso.

HORA: 6:30 – 8:30PM
LUGAR: Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute – 104 17th Ave S, Seattle
DONACIÓN: $8/Dos sesiones o $5/una sesión. Nadie será rechazado por falta de dinero.
PRE-REGISTRO: En línea AQUI

Asiste a ambas sesiones y recibe una consulta con Heather Dwyer, Irene Gómez o Miguel Guillén.

ARTISTS UP es un esfuerzo colaborativo entre Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Artist Trust and 4Culture para aumentar el acceso y mejor servicio a todas/os las/os artistas en Seattle, King County y el estado de Washington.

June 14th-23rd

South Lake Union and Cornish College of the Arts, various venues

Chris McCallister and Meredith Sallee, photo by Cyrus Khambatta

Engaging performance, music, food and drink, crafts, dozens of FREE kid-friendly events and classes, and a dusk dance party hosted by KEXP DJ Chilly (Will Myers) will take over the streets surrounding Amazon’s Van Vorst Plaza June 15th as part of opening weekend programming at the Seattle International Dance Festival: Beyond the Threshold, running June 14th-23rd.

Celebrating its eighth year, SIDF 2013 boasts its largest schedule to date of regional, national and international talent during ten days of performances, workshops and arts events centered in South Lake Union. This year there are seven artistic programs including: Art on the Fly, The Inter|National Series, Spotlight on Seattle, The Threshold Institute, Dusk Dance Party, Dancing with the Seattleites and the Sanity Cafe.

The Seattle International Dance Festival strives to engage the broader community in the many dimensions of contemporary dance. Whether it’s free breakdance classes from the World Champion bboy crew, Massive Monkees; seated indoor performances by the likes of Israeli Choreographer, Idan Cohen, to the music of Mahler; or the late night cabaret at a still “secret” location featuring pieces created during the festival–the SIDF schedule offers something for everyone.

4Culture is pleased to be supporting the Seattle International Dance Festival and its outdoor Art on the Fly stages, including 4Culture’s Touring Arts Roster groups: Message from Guinea, Show Brazil, and Suzanna & Friends Middle Eastern Dance. TAR choreographer Ricki Mason will perform as part of Spotlight on Seattle.

Opening weekend indoor performances kick-off with the Inter|National Series presented in two different programs at Raisbeck Hall Theater with an amazing array of artists from Guinea, Canada, Israel, Idaho and Seattle; including the festival producers, Khambatta Dance Company–also members of 4Culture’s Touring Arts Roster.

Visit the Seattle International Dance Festival website for a complete listing and details of activities.

Map SIDF events.

Indoor Event Tickets $15 – $50 / All Outdoor Events are FREE:  www.sidf.brownpapertickets.com

ilovedny, video still, © 2013 Eric Johnson

4Culture is pleased to feature work by Eric John Olson on e4c beginning in June. His selected video, I </3 NY, will be added to e4c’s rotation for the next 12 months.

“I </3 NY” is a series of meditations destroying souvenirs that celebrated my past. Upon moving back to Seattle from NYC, I constantly struggled with comparing my previous and current lives.  In an endeavor to remain present, I forced myself to endure unpleasant acts to create negative associations with that nostalgia. Consequently, each video became an abstraction of my insecurities, fears and anxieties.”

Luck Ngi Musical Club © 2009, Ricky Yip

Art Projects awards provide financial support to groups and individual artists residing in King County, for the creation and presentation of creative projects in all arts disciplines. Art Projects supports projects that deliver accessible, valuable and high quality cultural services throughout King County.

We are proud to support the Art Projects awarded funding. Along with the full list, here are a few projects we’ve selected to illustrate to you, the exciting, creative work happening in our region.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Filmmaker, Michael Attie is receiving funds to support IN COUNTRY, his character-driven feature documentary about a “platoon” of reenactors many themselves veterans of Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan – who are dedicated to recreating the Vietnam War in the Pacific Northwest. IN COUNTRY blurs the boundaries between reality and fantasy to tell a story about the lasting impact of war. The question at the center of IN COUNTRY is why recreate the war so many want to forget?

Cultura Viva creates cultural consciousness and empowers youth through Aztec traditions, dance, song, knowledge and art. Art Projects is helping off-set expenses related to their free Mexica New Year Celebration,  in March of 2014,which will recognize the change of year through traditional Mexica dancing, singing and drumming, multiple educational and hands-on art workshops, a photo art exhibit and a traditional Mesoamerican feast.

Performing artist, Mary Margaret Moore is receiving funds to facilitate the presentation of free, theatrical dance performances created for toddlers and young children. Partnering with early education providers and community organizations, Moore will tour her engaging, solo work in suburban and rural King County.

The Luck Ngi Musical Club, the oldest Cantonese opera group in the Pacific Northwest, helps to raise the visibility of traditional Chinese performing arts. 4Culture is proud to help support their 75th Anniversary Celebration, which will feature a traditional Cantonese performance consisting of five operas featuring historical events, fairy tales and dances to be performed at IKEA Performing Arts Center in Renton.

4Culture is supporting Seattle Contemporary Theatre in bringing back The Seattle Fringe Festival, an unjuried festival of work by professional and emerging performing artists. The Seattle Fringe Festival 2013 will produce 5 days of performances from local and visiting artists. The Project will take place in 5 venues throughout Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Ceramic artist, Dane Youngren is receiving funds to support a public, interactive, temporary project that will take place on Seattle’s Piers 62 and 63 for two to three months this summer. The public will be invited to work with a team of artists in the creation of ceramic Lincoln Logs, which will be used to create sculptural works sited around King County.

APPLICANT SUPPORT

From January 22nd through February 26^th Application Workshops were conducted in communities throughout King County including Vashon Island, Algona/Pacific, SeaTac, Kenmore and Seattle. Applicants were invited to drop-in informational sessions during First Thursday Art Walk in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. We welcomed applicants to contact staff via phone or email to receive guidance through the application process including technical support, draft review and helpful tips. Additionally, on-line video guidance was available on Vimeo. We pride ourselves on excellent service to eligible applicants!

AWARD SELECTION PROCESS

Following the March 6, 2013 deadline, applications to Art Projects are reviewed by staff to ensure applicants are eligible and staff identifies panelists. Panelists (also known as jurors) are comprised of artists and arts workers from throughout King County and have expertise in one or more artistic discipline. We strive to have a diverse group of panelists, which represent the breath of the creative community in King County. Staff then organizes and sends all of the eligible applications to panelists for review.

In early May, staff facilitated a group, a peer-panel discussion of all eligible applications. This year, the panel for individual artists reviewed 290 applications and in the groups category they reviewed 140 eligible applications. Panelists recommend the most highly qualified projects for funding based on the following criteria:

• Artistic merit, excellence or innovative quality of project
• Access and public benefit for King County residents
• Artistic excellence demonstrated in the work samples provided
• Feasibility and applicant’s demonstrated ability to accomplish the project
• Appropriateness of the funding request and project feasibility demonstrated in the budget
• Is of benefit to underserved* groups and individuals. * Underserved includes, but is not limited to, groups and individuals of: suburban and rural King County, low-income, youth, seniors, limited physical abilities, recent immigrants, minority race or ethnicity.

THE NUMBERS

Applications were ranked by individual panelist vote averages and award levels were allocated according to project budget and merit. Panelists recommended awards in the amounts of $1,500; $3,500; $5,500 and $7,500 to 74 groups (for a total of $264,000) and 76 individual artists (for a total of $340,000). The panelists’ recommendations are reviewed and approved by the Arts Advisory Committee and our Board of Directors. We encourage applicants who did not receive project support this year, to apply again because panelists change annually, and subsequently, they award funds to different projects each year.

Congratulations to our 2013 Art Project recipients!