press release
Press Contact: (206) 263-1588
4Culture Awards over $1 Million in Project Grants
Agency’s largest annual grant program fuels creativity throughout King County
Summary
4Culture’s Projects Grants fund a staggering range of works by individuals and organizations in arts, heritage, and historic preservation, setting into motion rich experiences that define the cultural landscape for King County. 196 projects will receive a total of $1,076,996. Spring deadlines brought in 441 applications requesting over $3 million in funding.
This curated list is a small sampling of the projects funded by 4Culture throughout King County. The county district is noted for each grant (see district map).
Art Projects – Groups
Faces of Expression (District 2), the grant will pay artist fees for the upcoming Muddy Lotus Arts Festival, promoting health, harmony and happiness in South Seattle through the arts.
Inochi Taiko (District 5) will hold its 15th Anniversary Concert at the Shorewood Performing Arts Center, featuring local and national Japanese drumming rarely experienced in King County.
The Muslim Community & Neighborhood Association (District 6) will organize a series of events at King County’s Eastside libraries. Two immigrants—one a medical doctor, and the other a Bellevue High School student—will produce a series of calligraphy paintings to reflect the Islamic experience in the U.S. The events will include a tour of the artwork and an opportunity for a dialogue on Muslim life and culture.
Art Projects – Individuals
Laura Da’ (District 9), Severalty: A Lyrical Mapping, is a multi-genre examination of the impact of the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887 on the indigenous people of the United States. Da’s project will remap this history to create a sovereign and post-colonial identity through poetry, essay, and fiction. This project will culminate in a public reading that coincides with a teacher development conference.
Karen Ducey (District 1) will foster a dialogue on the Bill of Rights by humanizing them through a photographic essay that documents each Constitutional amendment, to be featured online and in a culminating exhibition.
Jason Reid (District 4) received support for Sam Now! a compassionate feature length documentary that follows the filmmaker’s younger half-brother over a 20-year span, including a road trip to find Sam’s birth mother. Watch the trailer
Heritage Projects
Mountains to Sound Greenway (District 3) is creating a series of community-driven historic walking tours in the downtown districts of the Snoqualmie Valley.
The Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association (District 8) will fill the current gap in historic representation through IN AND OUT OF THE CLOSET: Being Gay on Vashon, covering LGBT life from the Native Two-Spirit people to the recent addition of gender-neutral bathrooms at Vashon High School.
The White River Valley Museum (District 7) will use funding to develop Sasquatch: Ancient Native Perspectives on the Mysterious Beings of the Woods, an exhibit exploring the origins of Sasquatch as understood through regional Native American traditions.
Preservation Special Projects
Enumclaw Plateau Historical Society (District 9) will use funding to obtain landmark designation for their museum, the Enumclaw Masonic Hall, built in 1909.
Issaquah History Museums (District 3) will pursue landmark status for the Auto Freight Building. Erected in 1939, it is one of the few remaining commercial buildings of its era in Issaquah.
The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation (District 8) will hire a consultant to produce interpretive information about Latino heritage sites in King County for Revisiting Washington (revisitwa.org). It is a digital guide to enhance heritage tourism in Washington State.
