I really cannot close out this year without expressing the amazing thanks I have for the incredible people I get to work with at the Office of Arts & Culture Seattle! This last year was mind-blowingly wonderful and especially so because of the sheer volume of what was accomplished. Randy Engstrom, our visionary leader who not only sets the example but gives all of us full support and freedom to help dream up and implement programs that we’re passionate about because they have such meaningful impact in the community. Calandra Childers, Jane Morris, Ruri Yampolsky, Royal Alley-Barnes – the other team leaders who are such an inspirational and supportive force for me. And to the fabulous team I get to directly supervise – Jennifer Crooks, Lara Davis, Irene Gomez, Matthew Richter - each a remarkable arts leader in her/his own right – all I can say is WOW! All of them work way above and well-beyond. They never cease to impress me with their tremendous insight, thoughtful perspective, aspirational vision, creative idea-generation, and heartfelt compassion about the work they do and the artists and cultural groups they serve. The value they provide the City is immeasurable and all truly embody the epitome of the title – public servant. I truly wish there was a way every person in the City could experience what a dedicated team this is. And I am thrilled beyond belief that in the new year, Diana Falchuk will be joining our efforts through a shared job position with the Office for Civil Rights. She is such a positive dynamo and the perfect addition to our team! To all the staff of our entire Office - I am so blessed to get to work with you! These are just a few highlights of just our Cultural Partnerships team’s accomplishments in 2014 (and doesn’t even begin to describe how much hard, complex, big picture, nitty-gritty detail work they do day-in and day-out): • over $2.8 million granted to almost 370 artists, arts & cultural organizations and community groups; • launched the The Creative Advantage Arts Partner Roster & Institute as part of an overall initiative to ensure that every student in Seattle Public Schools has access to arts training; • launched the Arts & Cultural Districts program and named Capitol Hill the first District plus received a $50,000 NEA grant through the Our Town program to support the creation of the “Creative Placemaking Toolkit” • launched the Seattle Presents gallery in the Seattle Municipal Tower to present artists’ residencies and showings of new work • connected artists of all disciplines, races, ages and neighborhoods through Arts Connections - professional development workshops • turned community-based conflict into opportunities to use arts as a strategy for social change from leading a community-wide conversation in partnership with the Seattle Rep in swift response to a racially charged controversy around the balance between artistic freedom and artistic responsibility to resourcing support for the Mayor’s Summer of Safety initiative to supporting an artists’-led gathering as a way to grapple with the decisions around Ferguson and Garner • provided strategic on-going trainings for teaching artists, arts and cultural leaders and organizations to build momentum for a community-wide movement in addressing structural racism in order to achieve racial equity • reached close to 200 artists of color through Artists Up (a partnership with our Office, 4Culture & Artist Trust) to build relationships with and empower diverse artists while learning from them how we as funders can become more accessible and engaged. Thank you! Thank YOU! THANK YOU ALL! #WhatAYear
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 22:39:34 +0000
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