Newly named Washington State Poet Laureate, Claudia Castro Luna. Photo by Timothy Aguero.
Claudia Castro Luna named 2018-2020 Washington State Poet Laureate

Claudia Castro Luna, a prominent Seattle poet and teacher, has been appointed the fifth Washington State Poet Laureate by Governor Jay Inslee. Castro Luna's term will run from February 1, 2018 to January 31, 2020. She will succeed Tod Marshall, the current State Poet Laureate. Prior to Marshall, Elizabeth Austen (2014-2016), Kathleen Flenniken (2012-2014), and Sam Green (2007-2009) held the position.

Castro Luna fled war-torn El Salvador for the United States at the age of 14 with her family. She went on to earn an MFA in poetry and an MA in urban planning. After working as a K-12 teacher, she became Seattle's first Civic Poet, a position appointed by the mayor. In that position, Castro Luna won acclaim for her  Seattle Poetic Grid, an online interactive map showcasing poems about different locations around the city. The grid even landed her an interview on  PBS NewsHour. She is also the author of the poetry chapbook  This City and the collection  Killing Marías .  Read more.
K-12 public art projects awarded

Since 1974, ArtsWA's Art in Public Places program (AIPP) has facilitated the acquisition of artwork for Washington's K-12 public schools, colleges, universities, and state agencies. On November 15, 2017, the ArtsWA Board approved new, site-responsive public art projects for fourteen schools throughout Washington. AIPP staff will work with each school's locally-formed committee to consider locations, provide community context, and select an artist to create and install an artwork on the campus of, or within, their new building.
 
The following schools/districts were awarded public art projects totaling nearly $850,000:
 
Blaine High School, Blaine School District
Lynndale Elementary, Edmonds School District
Morgan Middle School, Ellensburg School District
Enumclaw High School, Enumclaw School District
Roosevelt Elementary, Granger School District
Puget Sound Skills Center, Highline Public Schools
Desert Hills Middle School, Kennewick School District
Lakewood High School, Lakewood School District
Marysville-Pilchuck High School, Marysville School District
Nooksack Middle School, Nooksack Valley School District
Leona Libby Middle School, Richland School District
Olympia Hills Elementary, Seattle Public Schools
Salk Middle School, Spokane Public Schools
Jemtegaard Middle / Columbia River Gorge Elementary, Washougal School District

On October 7th, Union Ridge Elementary (Ridgefield School District) celebrated the State Art Collection's newest addition, a series of cut aluminum forms by Bainbridge Island artist Garth Edwards. Mounted on the exterior of the school, the artwork spans the entire building, catching sunlight in different ways throughout the day and year, while adding a playful and open-ended narrative for its students and neighboring community. Photo courtesy of ArtsWA.

Call for Applications | ArtsWA's Public Artist Roster
Deadline to apply is June 26, 2018

An open call is issued every three years by ArtsWA for the selection of artists for Washington's Public Artist Roster, a pre-qualified list of visual artists eligible to create site-responsive works of art for K-12 public schools, colleges, universities, and state agencies. Between May 15 and June 26, 2018, portfolios and other required materials will be accepted via AIPP's online application portal. For more information contact Mike Sweney , Art in Public Places Program Manager, at (360) 586-2422.
The Washington State Arts Commission is committed to values of inclusion, diversity, equity, and creative expression. We believe in diverse forms of artistic expression, and we believe in access to arts and arts education for all individuals in our state. The arts can and should play a role in addressing inequities, modeling inclusion, and teaching empathy.
For more information contact:
Glenda Carino | W. 360.586.8093 | C: 360.259.7862 | g [email protected]
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