Doing cultural work amidst a global pandemic is no easy feat. King County creatives of all disciplines have faced closures, loss of work, and uncertainty—and we at 4Culture are navigating COVID-19-related financial challenges as well. Throughout it all the cultural sector’s creativity shines through undiminished, and that’s especially evident in our 2021 Projects grant awardees!

We’re honored to support the work of these individuals, groups, and organizations and excited to see their projects unfold in the coming year. As COVID restrictions loosen in King County and we collectively emerge into a deeply changed world, we encourage you to also look to these projects for inspiration and healing. Browse them all:

Arts–Individuals
Arts–Groups
Heritage
Preservation

…and read up on a few highlights:

• “Telling Bothell’s Full Story” seeks to rewrite the accepted historical built environment narrative, one from the perspective of white settlers, to include the history of communities whose history has been glaringly absent. The Landmark Preservation Board will convene a task group to advise staff and guide project development and research.
• Monique Franklin will relaunch her preschool arts program Inspired Child Virtuoso Artist Labs by producing 48 free Virtual Classes for community and in-home daycares as well as recording a pilot episode of a web series.
• The Lee Arts Foundation is presenting Rock the Nation Music and Arts, a free festival in Carnation featuring local musicians and interactive art activities for the whole family.
• Artist Raven Two Feathers will create a documentary film series exploring Indigenous people who are shirking the gender binary and their experiences, juxtaposed to elements of the local lands and waters.
• Enumclaw’s Imagination Theatre, will teach theatre to youth of the Plateau culminating in the production of Seussical Jr, and a celebration on July 31 at McFarland park.
• In response to the recent spate of violence and hate towards the AAPI community, Juliana Kang Robinson will collaborate with local AAPI women artists to create a visual art campaign that promotes messaging of anti-hate and racial solidarity.
• Julie Seitz will research, prepare, and present a Landmark Nomination for the historic Seattle Pet Cemetery located in Kent.

Deep gratitude goes to our grant panelists, who carefully and thoughtfully evaluated each application and made tough funding decisions in an especially challenging year. Thank you for your dedication to King County culture!

Learn more about our Projects grants here.