Everlasting Impact, an artwork by Jeffrey Stenbom, depicts thoughts and memories of his military experiences as a veteran of the war in Iraq. He was the keynote speaker at ArtsWA's Washington Creative Forces Summit held at the Tacoma Glass Museum on September 26, 2017. Photo courtesy of the artist.


Creative Forces Community Connections project aims to build strong military arts healing network

ArtsWA is one of ten organizations in the nation to receive Community Connections funding from the National Endowment for the Arts to develop local arts programs for military populations. Community Connections projects are a result of arts and military summits held at Creative ForcesĀ® locations from 2017 to 2018 that brought together local arts and military communities.
 
"We learned from our first Creative Forces Summit that local arts organizations are excited about offering programs for military and veterans, but want more training on how to serve those who have experienced PTSD and or traumatic brain injury," said Karen Hanan, ArtsWA Executive Director. "Our Community Connections project will offer military cultural competency for community arts organizations and artists, as well as help to build stronger connections with Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), and veteran service agencies in the state."
 
The first component of the ArtsWA Community Connections Project supports the Music Works for Veterans program (MW4V), which provides music making events for veterans and active military at JBLM and in community settings. The second component of our project includes a two-day Creative Forces Summit to be held in the fall.
 
"Our Creative Forces Summit II will be a two-day conference that will offer comprehensive workshops and demonstrations that will help arts organizations, individual artists, and community leaders learn how to work with veterans who are transitioning from the clinical to the community," said Hanan. 

ArtsWA has contracted with Mary Carstensen to coordinate Creative Forces Summit II. Carstensen, a retired U.S. Army Colonel, worked as the director of National Veterans Intermediary for the Bob Woodward Foundation, was a senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and served as the d irector and advisor to Secretary, Army and Chief of Staff Army for the U.S. Army Wounded Warrior Program. 

Other Creative Forces sites hosting National Endowment for the Arts Community Connections projects include Anchorage, Alaska; San Diego County, California; Fort Carson and Colorado Springs, Colorado; Tampa, Florida; Bethesda, Maryland; Jacksonville, North Carolina; Killeen, Texas; Fort Belvoir and Portsmouth, Virginia.
 
Each project is distinct, reflecting the needs and assets of the different locations. Projects will include documentation of their progress and generate materials to be placed in an online National Resource Center that will be accessible to others interested in developing their own arts and military programming.
 
"Serving our military who have served us honorably is a privilege for the National Endowment for the Arts," said Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter. "By further understanding how the arts improve health and well-being, we will help enrich the lives of our military personnel and veterans around the nation."
 


Thirteen Poetry Out Loud Regional Champs vie for statewide title


Congratulations to the 2019 Poetry Out Loud regional champions. Thirteen students will be traveling to Tacoma for the Washington State Poetry Out Loud Final. This year's regional champions are: Sitlali Cortes, Naches Valley High School; Mila Fuentes, Trout Lake School; Grace Hill, Anacortes High School; Anna Kolarsky, The Oaks Classical Christian Academy; Isaac Lu, Cedar Tree Classical Christian School; Madeline Luther, Okanogan High School; Natalie McQuade, Delta High School; Jorge Medina, East Valley High School; Kianna Miller, Sequim High School; Meliza Redulla, North Thurston High School; Braden Robinson, Crosspoint Academy; Anneka Siems, Concordia Christian Academy; and Kezia Thompson, Squalicum High School.

Many of the schools represented by this year's regional champions have participated in the Poetry Out Loud program for a number of years, and several are brand new this year. Poetry Out Loud teachers say they almost always see significant transformation in their students during the course of the program. Students discover great poetry through memorization and recitation, master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life. Okanogan High School English teacher, Dennis O'Conner says even students who aren't poetry lovers are inspired by their fellow classmates who deliver passion and understanding of the poems. "They raise the appreciation and understanding of poetry for everyone in the class," he said. "Suddenly the other kids discover that they like poetry."


Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation competition created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. It is administered in partnership with the State Arts Agencies of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. ArtsWA has produced the Washington State portion of the program since it was introduced in 2005 and continues to be among the top five states in student participation. This year over 18,000 students participated at the classroom level in 65 schools across the state. Top students from each school competed at one of seven regional competitions. Now the regional champions prepare for the State Final where they will vie for the title of Washington State Poetry Out Loud Champion and the chance to represent the state at the National Finals in Washington D.C. later this spring. 

More information about Poetry Out Loud

Langston Wilkins has been chosen to lead the Center for Washington Cultural Traditions.
Langston Collin Wilkins is new executive director of the Center for Washington Cultural Traditions


The Center for Washington Cultural Traditions (CWCT), a collaboration between ArtsWA and Humanities Washington, has chosen Langston Collin Wilkins as its new director.  Wilkins joins the CWCT after work as the traditional arts specialist for the Tennessee Arts Commission and a program officer for Humanities Tennessee, where he led a Latino and new immigrant folklife fieldwork initiative, managed folklife grants, and directed writing workshops for youth. Wilkins received his PhD in Folklore & Ethnomusicology from Indiana University in 2016. He also holds a Masters degree in African American and African Diasporic Studies from Indiana University and a Bachelors of Arts in English from the University of Texas at Austin. In April, Wilkins will be delivering a talk at the Library of Congress based on his previous research titled, " Street Folk: Hip Hop, Car Culture, and Black Life in Houston, Texas ."
 
"From Native American basketry to Indian Classical dance to cowboy poetry, Washington is home to a wide variety of incredible cultural traditions," said Wilkins. "I've long desired the opportunity to work with a folklife landscape so beautifully complex. I'm honored to lead the CWCT's efforts in preserving and presenting the diverse stories of this great state."

Launched in 2018, the CWCT seeks to document and preserve the diverse traditional cultures of Washington State through research and programming.  Wilkins will lead the CWCT during a key time in its history. It was officially launched in March of 2018 after a year of community conversations and fieldwork, and its first programs are currently being implemented: a Cultural Traditions Survey of the Yakima Valley involving months of research, a podcast, and community events; and a Heritage Arts Apprenticeship program. Further, the Center just received a $40,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to continue its Cultural Traditions Survey, this time in the Twin Harbors region of the state encompassing lower Grays Harbor County and Pacific County.

Current Opportunities & Upcoming Deadlines

GRANTS TO ORGANIZATIONS GRANTS
  • Level A Project Grants - Supporting small arts organizations with an annual budget of under $200,000. Deadline: March 11, 2019
  • Cooperative Partnership Program - Grants that allow us to partner with organizations supporting artists and arts professionals across Washington State. Deadline: March 21, 2019
ARTS IN EDUCATION GRANTS
  • First Step - Grants supporting new and growing community partnerships committed to arts education as part of basic education for K-12 public school students in Washington State. Deadline: March 20, 2019
  • Community Consortium  - Grants supporting established community partnerships committed to arts education as part of basic education for K-12 public school students in Washington State. Deadline: March 20, 2019
WASHINGTON STATE ARTS APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM 
The  Washington State Heritage Arts Apprenticeship Program is now accepting applications for its 2019-2020 program year.
  • Applications are being accepted until April 12, 2019
  • Participants will be announced June 2019
  • Apprenticeships will place July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020
  • Download the 2019 HAAP Guidelines here or Click here to apply

CREATIVE DISTRICT APPLICATIONS - Ongoing
The Creative Districts program is now accepting applications from communities in Washington State who are interested in achieving Certified Creative District designation. Applicants must meet all requirements for certification; please see the  Creative District Community Application Guidelines to determine eligibility. We will be accepting applications on an ongoing basis for the Creative Districts program - there is no deadline. For questions or to get more information, please  visit our website or contact  Annette Roth, Creative Districts Program Manager, for more information.
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.
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