Mini broadsides of the poem "The Tree Inside Me," by 8th grader Michelle Carranza, were hand letter pressed by Claudia Castro Luna at the School of Visual Concepts. Photo courtesy of Claudia Castro Luna.
Celebrating the power and beauty of language

Washington State Poet Laureate Claudia Castro Luna has been appearing at readings and workshops this month keeping a busy schedule for National Poetry Month. 


She's also been focusing her energy in creating mini broadsides that will be available at various bookstores across Washington State for National Put a Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 26th. Castro Luna, who is also the designer in residence at the School of Visual Concepts (SVC) in Seattle designed the broadsides with the cooperation of Jenny Wilkson, Director of the Letterpress Program SVC. Wilkson digitized the design and Castro Luna hand printed about 2,000 cards.

"This has been an incredible project with dozens of hours invested and is the result of several meaningful community partnerships," she said. "I could have never accomplished it without the knowledge, expertise, financial support, and cooperation of SVC staff and their network of collaborators; and I want to thank Neenah Paper who kindly donated its Classic Crest paper."

The featured poem, "The Tree Inside Me," was written in Spanish by Michelle Carranza, an eighth grader at Denny International Middle School in Southwest Seattle. "It was created during a four week writing residency I completed this past January at her school through the Jack Straw Cultural Center." Castro Luna said.  See the the broadside of Michelle Carranza's poem "The Tree Inside Me"

"My hope for National Put a Poem in Your Pocket Day is to have as many people as possible across Washington State come in contact with the power and beauty of language," Castro Luna said. The cards will be available at over 30 bookstores across the state.

Put a Poem in Your Pocket Day is a part of National Poetry Month, originally initiated in 2002 by the New York City Mayor's office. It went nationwide in 2008, promoted by the Academy of American Poets. In 2016, the League of Canadian Poets brought the celebration to Canada.

Members of Q'uay Kwsa?sus (the Blue Sunset Singers) meet weekly at Virginia Granger Elementary School to teach Native dancing, drumming, and singing. The residency was a small part of the 2017 arts education programming funded by an ArtsWA Arts in Education grant, and coordinated by the Methow Arts Alliance in consortium with six school districts in Okanogan County. Photo courtesy of Methow Arts Alliance.
Arts Education Month promotes and recognizes the arts as a critical component of K-12 education

Arts Education Month celebrates the powerful role of arts education in the lives of our students, schools, and communities. ArtsWA, along with our partners, ArtsEd Washington and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), is once again promoting May as Arts Education Month to celebrate arts education in K-12 schools.

Under state law the arts are a required core academic subject--dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts have been formally adopted into the state's arts standards. However, the delivery of arts instruction can be inconsistent from school to school, which is why we hope you will join us in sharing the importance of arts learning all year long, and especially in May.

"One of ArtsWA's key goals is to strengthen arts education as a fundamental part of K-12 basic education," said Lisa Jaret, ArtsWA Arts Education Manager. "Learning in and through the arts supports overall academic success as well as social emotional learning; it increases student engagement and can make a positive difference in school climate."

In his proclamation declaring May as Arts Education Month, Governor Inslee states that "the arts can transform our schools into havens of creativity and exploration-places where students want to learn, teachers want to teach, and all members of the learning community are more engaged, included, and motivated." Read Governor Inslee's Proclamation for Arts Education Month.

Arts Education Month helps shine a spotlight on the incredible community and school partnerships doing this critical work and we'll be featuring some of these stories in social media throughout the month of May.

Following the lead of the Governor, ArtsWA invites communities, schools, and other entities to participate in Arts Education Month this May. Download ArtsEd Washington's Arts Education Month Toolkit for sample proclamations, speaking points, and suggested activities that you can use in your school or community arts learning settings.
Skagit Valley Tulips (Red, Yellow, White) is part of artist Mindi Katzman's group of works that depict the landscape of the Skagit Valley in western Washington. The artwork is located at Church Creek Elementary in Stanwood and can be viewed online through My Public Art Portal.
My Public Art Portal Exhibitions

Explore over 40 Web Exhibitions on My Public Art Portal. Along with invited curators, ArtsWA creates a new web exhibition at least once a month on different topics. We can also create a custom group of artworks for you to be used as a teaching tool or to complement any lesson plan or lecture. Contact [email protected] to get started.
Update on Certified Creative Districts 

There are a number of exciting things happening in the Creative Districts program these days. First, the official Administrative Rules for the Creative Districts program has been filed with the State Code Revisers Office and will take effect on April 28. These rules outline requirements for certification, renewal, reporting, and provide guidance to communities or entities applying for state certification.  Read the new rules.

Annette Roth, ArtsWA Creative Districts Manager has been traveling to communities that are interested in the certification process. She will be presenting a session at the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation's annual conference,  RevitalizeWA. This year's conference will take place in Port Townsend from April 23 - 25. The Creative Districts program session is on Wednesday, April 25. If you're scheduled to be at the conference, feel free to stop by and learn more about how Creative District designation can benefit your community.

The Creative Districts program will begin accepting applications for Creative District Certification in May. We will publish guidelines for the application on May 1, and the official application will be available on the ArtsWA website on May 7. If your organization or community is interested in pursuing official Creative Districts Certification, please contact Annette Roth to get started.
Deadlines and Opportunities

Governor's Arts & Heritage Awards - Nomination period open
ArtsWA will be accepting nominations for the 2018 Governor's Arts & Heritage Awards until July 9, 2018. Several new Arts Award categories have been added this year, including Arts Legacy, Arts Advocacy, Philanthropy, and Community Awards. These awards recognize individuals or organizations who have made significant contributions to the creative vitality of Washington State and are some of the most prestigious given by the Governor. A celebration dinner has been scheduled for November 27th, 2018 at the Admiral Theatre in Bremerton.  Make your nominations and mark your calendars to attend the celebration!

Washington State Heritage Arts Apprenticeship program deadline is April 20
The Washington State Heritage Arts Apprenticeship program is a collaboration between Humanities Washington and ArtsWA through the new Center for Washington Cultural Traditions (CWCT). The program is designed to encourage individuals to learn a trade, craft, or skill that will conserve and carry on cultural traditions important to their community, heritage, and identity.

Watch Poetry Out Loud State Champ Isaac Lu at National Finals April 23-25
The 2018 National Finals will be held April 23-25, 2018 in Washington DC.  Poetry Out Loud State Champion Isaac Lu, a high school junior from Clark County, is scheduled to recite during the semifinals on Tuesday, April 24 between 5-8 p.m. EDT (2-5 p.m. PDT). If Isaac is one of the top-scoring students in his semi-final, he will move on to the National Finals, which will be held on Wednesday, April 25 from 7-9 p.m. EDT (5-7 p.m. PDT). Both the semifinals and finals will be webcast live on the National Endowment for the Arts website. Lu was one of over 20,000 students to participate in Washington's Poetry Out Loud program, which is coordinated by ArtsWA and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation. 

The deadline for ArtsWA Project Support Level B grant applications is April 23
The Project Support Level B Grants Program provides funding to organizations that seek to produce arts programming for public audiences in Washington State. Arts organizations with annual operating budgets of $200,000 to $1 million or Local Arts Agencies may apply for Level B funding. Level B grants range from $2,500 to $5,000. Funded projects must take place between August 15, 2018 and June 30, 2019. Application deadline is 5 p.m., April 23, 2018.  
 
Applications are now being accepted for Project Support Level C grants
Large arts institutions with annual operating budget of over $1 million are invited to apply for Project Support Level C funding. Grants range from $5,000 to $8,000. Funded projects must take place between August 15, 2018 and June 30, 2019. The deadline to apply is May 28, 2018. 
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.
STAY CONNECTED