ArtsWA News - November

November 2021

Re-sited public artwork part of Maple Park Childcare Center collection curated by Renee Adams

Olympia’s soon-to-be-opened Maple Park Childcare Center on the Capitol Campus features a collection of diverse artworks curated by Renee Adams for the State Art Collection. Adams is a Central Washington-based artist and curator. She researched and recommended artworks that are colorful, playful, and nature-inspired. She also honored the Childcare Center’s criteria by seeking works created by artists from diverse backgrounds and geographies.

The collection she assembled includes seven new artworks and four works that were already part of the State Art Collection but needed new homes. Art in Public Places organized cleaning, conservation, and reframing to ready the four existing artworks for display.

“It’s a great example of how a new location can recontextualize an artwork, give it new life, and create a new conversation,” said Janae Huber, ArtsWA’s Art in Public Places (AIPP) Collections Manager.

Adams placed the collection throughout the corridors of the childcare center. Many pieces are visible through classroom windows, and the older artworks hang beside newly purchased works. The childcare center has six classrooms, as well as outdoor classrooms and play spaces, for 84 children and 20 staff.

“Encounters with art at a young age can stick with us for a lifetime,” said Adams. “I made it a priority to select artworks that would be iconic and accessible but might also soothe and inspire wonder in young minds."

Photo: Animal Cirque (1994) by Cheri O'Brien courtesy of ArtsWA. This artwork is part of a curated collection by Renee Adams for the Maple Park Capitol Campus Child Care Center in Olympia. The art selection committee wanted the art to be mainly for the children. They wanted to focus on Northwest artists from diverse backgrounds and geographies, and artworks with color and nature-inspired imagery. See more about this artwork on My Public Art Portal.

Learn more about the curated collection at the Capitol Campus Child Care Center

Governor’s Arts & Heritage Luminary Awards

2021's eight honorees hail from all corners of Washington State

In early November, we announced the honorees of the 2021 Governor’s Arts & Heritage Awards (GAHA). Seven regional honorees and one Governor's Spotlight honoree join more than 250 other exemplary people and organizations honored with a Governor's Arts or Heritage Award over the past 54 years.

This year, the GAHA Luminary Awards distinguish and acknowledge arts and heritage organizations and cultural leaders who stood as shining lights for their communities during the pandemic. We awarded one individual and one organization for each region of Washington State (Northwest, Southwest, Central, and Eastern). Governor Jay Inslee chose Delbert Richardson to receive the Governor’s Spotlight Award.

We will host an online celebration for the honorees in early 2022. In the meantime, you can read about the honorees’ work on our website:

Read about the Regional honorees

Read about the Governor's Spotlight honoree

Congratulations to Karen Hanan and Kate Becker

WFEA's Events Supporters of the Year

ArtsWA Executive Director Karen Hanan received an Events Supporter of the Year award from the Washington Festivals and Events Association (WFEA). Karen picked up the award at a November 3 ceremony alongside Kate Becker, the Creative Economy & Recovery Director at the Office of the King County Executive. The award honors their work to help the creative sector during the pandemic through financial support and safe reopening plans. Congratulations, Karen and Kate!

Photo above courtesy of Washington Festival & Events Association.

Welcome back: Jonah Barrett

Jonah Barrett (they/them) joined ArtsWA this November as a part-time member of the Arts in Public Places (AIPP) Collections Care team. Their arrival at ArtsWA in fact marks a return, as Jonah did student work with ArtsWA a few years prior while completing a degree program at Evergreen State College. Before their return to ArtsWA, they served as the Marketing Director for two years at the Olympia Film Society. They now co-run the new Orca Books Co-op bookstore. Welcome back, Jonah!

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