ArtsWA news

October 2024

Contact: info@arts.wa.gov

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In this issue:

Purple-toned graphic that reads "nominate the next Washington State Poet Laureate", "nominate or apply by December 6"

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

Learn more and nominate

More opportunities

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

A photo collage of past Laureate Tod Marshall and current Laureate Arianne True.

#POL20: A Conversation

Join two Washington State Poets Laureate for a conversation about poetry as Poetry Out Loud (POL) celebrates its 20th anniversary. Current Laureate Arianne True will join past Laureate Tod Marshall in conversation.


📅 Thursday, November 14 at 4:30 p.m.

👉🏽 Click here to register for the free Zoom event

Poetry Out Loud is supported by The National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation. ArtsWA coordinates and manages the program in Washington State.

News & Updates

ArtsWA Winter listening sessions

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, but you do not have to share your name or contact information unless you wish to do so. We hope you can join us!

  • Session #1: Tuesday, November 19 | 5:00 p.m. | Meeting link
  • Session #2: Wednesday, December 4 | 2:30 p.m. | Meeting link

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 5, 2024.

Tribal Cultural Affairs unveils new video, responds to Biden apology, Inslee statements about Indian Boarding Schools

After Governor Jay Inslee's statements and President Biden's formal apology for the Federal Indian boarding school program—described by the President as “places of trauma and terror for more than 100 years”—the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA) recognized the important restorative work done by Washington’s Tribes. This work is now supported by ArtsWA’s Tribal Cultural Affairs (TCA) program.


“We understand that Tribes never stopped honoring and teaching their culture, even in the face of harsh policies instituted by the Federal and State governments,” said TCA Program Manager Cheryl Wilcox. “We offer our thanks and respect for their bravery and vision."

Read the press release

TCA published a new video that details the origins of the program and spotlights several of its first grantees. Watch the new video at the link below.

Serving Those Who Served 2024: Recap

Wellness, Arts, and the Military Administrative Assistant Gabriella Smith records a virtual message at the 2024 Serving Those Who Served conference.

ArtsWA was honored to partner with the the Washington State Department of Veteran’s Affairs and the Employment Security Department (ESD) for the 2024 Serving Those Who Served conference. Explore the conference by visiting the resources below:


  • Videos—Breakout Sessions: Missed a session or need a refresher? View the presentations from each breakout session on the STWS YouTube Playlist
  • Breakout Session PowerPoint Slides: Follow along with the breakout session videos by downloading any of the PowerPoint slides (Select “Downloads”). 
  • Photos: View all the networking opportunities, breakout session leaders, keynote speakers and more in the STWS Flickr Photo Album
Explore Serving Those Who Served 2024

Meet the 2024-25 Washington Youth Arts Leadership cohort


The next generation of arts leaders are here! The 13 new Washington Youth Arts Leadership (WAYAL) cohort members come from across the state to learn and voice their perspectives about the arts ecosystem.

Learn more and meet the cohort!

ArtsWA partners with TeenTix and youth leaders to design, implement, and refine the WAYAL program. TeenTix is a Seattle based Arts Access and Youth Empowerment organization.

Governor's Arts & Heritage Awardee featured on KNKX


Philip H. Red Eagle is the first recipient of the Tribal Arts and Heritage Award, a new category added this year to the Governor's Art & Heritage Awards. As reported by KNKX, Red Eagle "is one of many Indigenous leaders who worked to revive the tradition of tribal canoe journeys in the Pacific Northwest."


"It was a very big surprise because I wasn't looking for reward — or awards — for the work that I've been doing," Red Eagle said. "It was a necessity for me."

Listen to the KNKX story

Philip H. Red Eagle poses for a photo outside of KNKX's Tacoma Studios. Photo by Freddy Monares / KNKX.

ArtsWA Director speaks at Governor's monthly Public Performance Review


Governor Inslee’s Results Washington Initiative recently held a public performance review on equitable and inclusive community engagement. ArtsWA Executive Director Karen Hanan spoke to the Governor about updates to the Public Artist Roster that increased the roster’s diversity.


Watch the recording at the link below. ArtsWA’s section starts at 23:14.

Watch the presentation

Celebrating Filipino American History Month


Filipinos have been in Washington State since the 1880s. Filipino Americans continue to shape American civic life, industry and culture with their contributions. This web exhibition celebrates the artists with Filipino heritage in Washington’s State Art Collection.

Explore the web exhibition

PS - Click here to explore our "Monsters and Messengers" web exhibition! 👻🎃

Delphina Remembers Everything (2018, print) by Romson Bustillo, located at North Hill Elementary, Des Moines, Western WA

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