4Culture’s Cath Brunner Honored by Americans for the Arts with National Leadership Award
Summary
Cath Brunner, Director of 4Culture’s Public Art Program, has been recognized with the Public Art Network Leadership Award for her creative contributions and exemplary commitment to the field of public art.
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She is one of six arts leaders to be recognized by Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading non profit organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America.
Brunner is being recognized for 25 years of service as the Director of the Public Art Program at 4Culture, the cultural services agency for King County. She was initially hired to develop the Artist-Made Building Parts™ project, an artist registry designed to stimulate economic opportunities for artists and promote the integration of art and architecture. The first of its kind, the award-winning program generated over $8 million in creative employment opportunities. This kind of forward thinking has been a hallmark of her career. She has since pioneered new ways of bringing art to the public by assembling an outstanding 4Culture team to envision and launch groundbreaking initiatives such as Poetry on Buses, Creative Justice, and SODO Track.
Throughout her tenure, Brunner has managed large-scale, high-profile public art projects, including complex efforts at Harborview Medical Center and at Brightwater, a state-of-the art wastewater treatment plant and public park. She has also pursued strategies to expand and sustain King County’s Public Art program, widening its scope to include local, national, and international consulting engagements with public entities and private developers.
Her innovation has allowed 4Culture to weather fluctuations in public revenue while maintaining a level of excellence in services. She has created a national model that brings artists, developers, and local governments together to solve problems, stimulate the economy, and increase the presence of art in the lives of King County residents.
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Quotes
“Our Leadership Award honorees have distinguished themselves as passionate advocates and leaders in innovation, education, management, and advocacy for the arts in communities across the country.”
– Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts.
“Cath believes in the power of ideas and experimentation. As our program’s director, she has demonstrated a commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for artists to affect public policy, stimulate dialogue, and shape the design of the public realm”
– Jim Kelly, Executive Director of 4Culture.