4Culture News

Creative Consultancies began in 2019 as a pilot initiative to connect artists and cultural planners with local arts agencies in cities across King County. The program continues a long collaborative history between 4Culture and the LAAs to increase opportunities for artists and audiences in suburban and rural King County.

Every day, our Storefront Media Gallery screens showcase dynamic media art from all over the United States to the thousands of commuters who pass by our Pioneer Square offices on Prefontaine Place South. We’re excited to continue a long-running partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to bring this urban art experience to another Seattle neighborhood! Pass by their media screen, located at 500 Fifth Avenue North, to encounter these works, selected from applicants to the Storefront Media Gallery program:

The Washington Museum Association (WaMA) was established to represent and serve museums of all types and sizes throughout Washington State. WaMA offers an annual conference for peer-to-peer learning, networking, and idea exchange. The 2020 Washington Museum Association Conference will take place June 17 – 19, 2020 in Olympia, WA. This year’s theme is Museums and Democracy: Advocate, Educate, Participate.

We are honored to announce the recipients of the 2020 Arc Artist Fellowship!

The Bothell Landmark Preservation Board (LPB) is a seven-member advisory board tasked with identifying and encouraging the conservation of the city’s historic resources. In addition to maintaining the Bothell Register of Historic Landmarks and reviewing new downtown development, some of their projects include a survey of Bothell’s mid-century resources, their book Bothell Then and Now, and a downtown walking tour. Here, they share how 4Culture fundind has supported those efforts this past year:

In 2016, we published a survey study on the state of the Heritage field in King County. The findings showed a need for skill-based training and professional development opportunities for practitioners in the field. While many conferences and trainings are available nationwide, attending can be cost-prohibitive—our expanded stipend program aims to close the gap.

Revisiting Washington is a web-based update to the 1941 Washington, A Guide to the Evergreen State, published through the Federal Writers’ Project American Guide Series. With support from 4Culture and other unders, the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation has complemented the original text with new tours focused on Latino and Asian/Pacific Islander heritage, and a tour highlighting sites associated with African-American heritage is in the works for 2020. Here, Chris Moore, Executive Director of the Washington Trust, provides insight into how the project took shape:

Our Storefront Media Gallery is a video art exhibition space, displaying dynamic work from across the U.S. to an audience on the go. Comprised of four screens, the Storefront Media Gallery is located in 4Culture’s large windows, facing Prefontaine Place South in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle. Two directional speakers are mounted on the exterior of the building, broadcasting sound to passers-by. Artworks are scheduled to play through a playback system, which loops daily from 7:00 am until 10:00 pm. The entire program usually rotates about once every hour.

If you’re wondering how to spend these cold winter months, you’re in luck—this year brought an influx of incredible new heritage experiences to our region. Across King County, long-planned projects came to life as four much-loved heritage organizations moved collections, installed exhibits, and finally opened the doors to their new facilities.

As 2019 comes to a close, we’re getting ready to dive into a new year of grants, starting with Projects, one of our biggest funding programs. We checked in with some our grant managers to find out what advice they have for folks planning to apply this coming year. Even though the grants they manage all differ, we heard strong common themes that can help you not only with Projects, but all 4Culture grants—and probably even with grants from other funders. Happy applying!

Get involved with this project!
Wednesday, December 11, 3:00—6:00 pm
Hop on a parked Metro bus for interactive art, music, poetry and wellness (more details)
RapidRide C Line, 2615 SW Barton Street across from Westwood Village

Through annual internships, we support research on King County historic properties to inform the work of our Beyond Integrity group—visit that page to explore the work of previous interns. This past year, intern Tera Williams tackled surveys and inventories, which are often the first step in identifying significant historic properties in an area. How do local survey methods line up with national standards? Here, she shares about her process and findings:

Our Rural Heritage Internship Program connects skilled interns with heritage organizations located outside of Seattle. In its second year, we have partnered with Des Moines Historical Society and Issaquah History Museum as the host sites of the internships. Three students from University of Washington Museology Graduate Program and Museum Studies Certificate Program started their internships in June 2019, and have been working on various projects such as evaluation, collections management, and public relations at their host sites. Here, we have asked them to share their experiences:

In September we welcomed Laura Elizabeth Becker as Senior Project Manager in our Public Art Department. Laura has been a champion for arts and culture for nearly 20 years, producing public art projects in Seattle, Spokane, Santa Monica, Beaverton, and more—so we weren’t surprised when she opted to introduce herself via some of the artists she’s partnered with.

It’s been a bittersweet month at 4Culture! After 20 years managing our funding programs Deputy Director Deb Twersky retired, leaving an incredible legacy of compassionate and expert support for cultural organizations in King County. Stepping into the role is Joshua Heim, who comes to us from the City of Bellevue’s Arts Program and Community Development Department. In the midst of reviewing budgets and project files as they passed the baton, the two sat down for a conversation to look back as well as forward. The edited transcript is below: