|
The Washington State Poet Laureate program, a collaboration between ArtsWA and Humanities WA, is accepting nominations for the 2025-27 Washington State Poet Laureate. Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged.
Once appointed, ArtsWA and Humanities WA provide funding for the $40,000 annual honorarium, travel and project expenses, and administrative support.
The Laureate serves a two-year term, renewable in rare circumstances.
💵 $40,000 annually
📅 Deadline to nominate: December 6, 2024
| |
|
Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation competition for high school students. Participating students develop public speaking skills. They build self-confidence and learn to connect with literature in new ways, often discovering a new outlet for creative expression.
There are two ways to participate:
-
Poetry Out Loud is open to any school in Washington State serving grades 9-12.
-
POL Virtual is open to individual students who meet one or more of the criteria.
📅 Deadline to register: November 22, 2024
| |
|
Watch #POL20: A Conversation
Past Washington State Poet Laureate Tod Marshall and 2024 Washington State Poetry Out Loud finalist Leki Albright joined ArtsWA for a conversation as Poetry Out Loud (POL) celebrates its 20th anniversary.
| |
|
Participants in the canoe race in Coupeville, Washington. | |
Coupeville named Washington's 19th Creative District | |
|
On November 7, the ArtsWA Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to certify Coupeville as Washington's 19th Creative District. Nestled in the heart of Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve on Whidbey Island and home to the historic Coupeville Wharf, Coupeville is the second oldest town in Washington State.
“We feel Coupeville is uniquely qualified to be a Creative District based on the number of creatives who live and thrive here," said Lisa Bernhardt, Co-Chair of the CCD Steering Committee and Executive Director of the Pacific NorthWest Art School. "We invite everyone to experience Coupeville’s unparalleled beauty and deep Indigenous and pioneer history that is apparent around every corner.”
| |
ArtsWA Winter listening session | |
We want to hear from you! Join us for a virtual listening session this winter to hear about ArtsWA's current plans and to share your experiences as a creative. Your voice will help shape the future of ArtsWA. We hope you can join us! | |
|
📅 Wednesday, December 4
⏰ 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
| |
Zoom auto-generated captioning will be available during the session. If you require any additional accommodations, contact Alexis Sarah at alexis.sarah@arts.wa.gov or call 360-228-6359. Requests must be received by November 25, 2024. | |
Artwork Installation spotlight: Medicinal Tapestry | |
Christie Tirado recently finished her artwork Medicinal Tapestry (2024), located at Washington State University in Spokane. The piece depicts a central healer figure holding a bowl of medicinal plants, roots, and fungi, and surrounded by a variety of medicinal plants. The healer figure and plants were hand-carved and painted. The uncarved space of the panels is painted black. This design hints at Tirado's other artworks which are mainly woodcut and lino prints. | |
“I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who made this project possible. This installation is a true collaboration, built from the voices, traditions, and insights of our community. I hope this artwork stands as a reminder of the richness in our diverse approaches to wellness, honoring the strength in all healing practices. May it inspire each of us to listen, learn, and embrace the wisdom that surrounds us.” | Tirado stands smiling with another person in front of the installed artwork. Photos courtesy of the artist. | |
|
|
Tribal Cultural Affairs announces FY25 grantees
Tribal Cultural Affairs is excited to announce this year’s grant recipients for the Tribal Cultural Grant. All 20 Tribes that applied were funded, totaling $500,000 in support for cultural projects.
Award amounts were determined by each Tribe’s stated needs for their project. Projects included language revitalization, culture classes, art therapy, cultural artifacts preservation, and more.
The next application for cultural funding opens February 4, 2025!
| |
Tulalip Tribes of Washington is a FY25 Tribal Cultural Grant recipient. | |
|
50 years of Art in Public Places
On May 5, 1974, Governor Dan Evans signed a bill to create Washington's Art in Public Places (AIPP) program. Washington was only the second country in the nation—after Hawaii—to create a state-funded program for public art.
In the decades that followed, AIPP has grown from an ambitious idea into an industrious program working in every corner of Washington State.
| Students at Poulsbo Elementary celebrate the cleaning of Ken Lundemo’s Langskip Norseland Spirit (1976), the first artwork commissioned for Washington’s State Art Collection. | |
|
|
Celebrating Native American Heritage Month
These artworks in Washington's State Art Collection were created by artists who are Native American, Alaska Native, First Nations, Indigenous Mexican, and more.
They represent over one hundred artists, more than twenty Tribes in Washington State, and more than fifty tribes and cultures in total, in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and more.
| Young Drummer (1995) by Lawrence Ulaaq Ahvakana, located at McKnight Middle School in Renton, Washington. | |
|
The artworks span everything from paintings to woven objects, to prints and sculptures and site-specific installations. The history and cultures represented through these artworks are an important part of the fabric of our communities and identities across Washington State. | |
Defends Horses (1999) by LisaNa Macias-Red Bear, located at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Eastern Washington. | | | | |
