ArtsWA news

April 2023

Contact: info@arts.wa.gov

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In this issue:

• Apply: Creative Start Project Grant
• Apply: Heritage Arts Apprenticeship Program
• Apply: 2 grants from Grants to Organizations
• Job: Arts in Education Program Coordinator
• Event: Poet Laureate Passing of the Laurel
• News: 2023-25 State Poet Laureate named
• Explore: Earth Day web exhibition
• and more

Arts in Education

💵 Now open: the Creative Start Project Grant supports projects that engage preschool to 3rd grade students in arts integrated learning. This one-year grant prioritizes the students’ creative, academic, and social emotional growth.

Apply by April 27 at 5:00 p.m.

Center for Washington Cultural Traditions

💵 Now open: the Heritage Arts Apprenticeship Program supports individuals seeking to preserve traditional practices important to their community, heritage, and identity. The program provides a supportive mentoring environment and networking opportunities.

💵 Just added: the Heritage Arts Apprenticeship Program for Wellness, Arts, and the Military. This program is presented in special collaboration with the Wellness, Arts, and the Military to best serve military communities and their needs. 

Apply by April 30.

Grants to Organizations

💵 Now open: the FY24-25 General Operating Support: Sustaining (for large groups) Grant offers two-year funding to support the day-to-day costs of arts organizations in their work of providing creative experiences for Washingtonians.

Apply by May 23.

💵 Now open: The Art Service Organization Support grant provides operating support to non-profit arts service organizations that provide programming to support, increase, diversify, and raise the proficiency of arts professionals.

Apply by May 23.

More opportunities

⭐ We're hiring: ArtsWA’s Arts in Education program is seeking a Program Coordinator. This position coordinates grant systems, works with arts organizations, panelists, and educators, and collaborates to design emerging projects in service of youth.

💵 $53,100.00 – $71,520.00

🌎 In-Office in Olympia/Hybrid

Apply by April 30.

⭐ Opening soon: ArtsWA is accepting midterm applications to the 2021-2025 Public Artist Roster starting May 1. The Roster is a list of artists who are pre-qualified to design and create site-responsive artworks at K-12 schools, colleges, universities, and state agencies with our Art in Public Places program. We use the Roster to choose artists for about 40 projects per year.

You are eligible to apply if you live in the U.S. or British Columbia. Accepted artists serve a four-year term, after which they may reapply. Find more information and apply online.

Applications open May 1.

Mark your calendar

📆 May 1: Mid-term applications open for the Public Artist Roster. This call is designed for artists who were either ineligible, unsuccessful, or unaware of the roster call in 2021.

📆 May 1: Applications open for the 2023-25 Washington Youth Arts Leadership (WAYAL) Cohort. WAYAL is a yearly cohort of youth and young adults (ages 16-19) across Washington.

📆 May 4: Passing of the Laurel to the new Washington State Poet Laureate. Join us in Tacoma to celebrate the Passing of the Laurel from former Laureate Rena Priest to new Laureate Arianne True.

News and updates

Arianne True named 2023-2025 Washington State Poet Laureate

In conjunction with National Poetry Month, Governor Jay Inslee has appointed poet Arianne True as the next Washington State Poet Laureate.  

A member of the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations, True has dedicated years to teaching and mentoring young poets around the Salish Sea. Arianne has received fellowships from Jack Straw Cultural Arts, Hugo House, and Artist Trust. She is an alum of Hedgebrook and the MFA program at the Institute of American Indian Arts and was recently the Seattle Repertory Theater’s first Native Artist-in-Residence.  

"I'm so excited to step into this role and get to meet folks all over our state for the next two years,” says True. “I really believe poetry is for everyone, and I hope to help more folks see poetry as a resource that's always there for them, something that they know how to access and feel they have a right to." 

In case you missed it

📺 Watch: Poetry Out Loud State Finals

The Washington Poetry Out Loud State Finals were held in March. Olympia High School senior Matthew Valentine was named champion. Clips from the final are available online. Watch now.

🎧 Listen: Poetry Ourselves finalists

2023 was the inaugural year for Poetry Ourselves, an optional, original poetry contest open to Washington School Champions and POL Virtual students. You can listen to the finalists read their original work online. Listen now.

📖 Read: Art in Public Places guidelines available in Spanish

Art in Public Places guidelines for the artwork selection process are now available in Spanish. These guidelines cover K-12 public schools and state agencies, colleges, and universities. Read the guidelines.

Art in Public Places está trabajando para agregar traducciones al español de muchos materiales en nuestro sitio web. Estas pautas cubren las escuelas públicas K-12 y las agencias estatales, colegios y universidades. Lee las pautas.

🗺️ Explore: Earth Day

April 22 was Earth Day. Many artworks and artists in Washington’s State Art Collection consider the cause and effect of our actions and lack of actions on our Planet Earth. 

Explore on My Public Art Portal.

Reflections on Certain Matters Relating to Poetry (2021, painting) by Todd Horton, located at Elk Ridge Elementary, Buckley, Western Washington.