Contact Information

  • Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Washington cultural organizations receive funding to support jobs and cultural participation

For Immediate Release: August 18, 2009

OLYMPIA - The Washington State Arts Commission (WSAC) has invested state and federal dollars to the tune of $1.2 million in arts participation opportunities, arts education programs, and cultural employment throughout Washington.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, often referred to as the stimulus or "Recovery Act," recognized that the non-profit arts industry is an important sector of the economy and provided $50 million in funding to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to preserve arts-related jobs.

Working with the NEA, WSAC has provided $285,000 of the ARRA stimulus funding to 24 non-profit cultural organizations across the state. These funds will support jobs at the Seattle Shakespeare Company, Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center, the Cutter Theatre in Metaline Falls, the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts in Tacoma, and other cultural organizations across the state.

�This funding will help arts organizations minimize layoffs during this economic downturn,� said Gov. Gregoire. �Jobs in the arts are important to the health of our communities and to the economic future of our state.�

Additionally, the NEA has provided $1.2 million dollars in stimulus funding directly to 23 Washington arts and cultural organizations. Supporting positions at the Evergreen Longhouse in Olympia, the Confluence Project in Vancouver, and the Museum of Glass in Tacoma. The Mayor�s Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs in Seattle and 4Culture in King County received $250,000 each to re-grant to local arts organizations.

In addition to the job support funding , other recent WSAC cultural investments include $525,000 to support 29 arts education community consortia across the state. This funding supports broad-based community partnerships that develop and deliver sustainable arts education programs in K-12 public schools. By supporting high quality teaching and learning in the arts, this investment positively impacts over 70,000 Washington school children each year.

WSAC is also investing more than $350,000 in 115 arts organizations in all corners of the state. Through grants to organizations, WSAC funds arts participation projects like the Art of Jazz concert series in Bellingham, the Mid-Columbia Ballet�s performance of the Nutcracker in Richland, and the Walla Walla Quilt Festival. Organizational funding also provides operational support to the state�s major cultural institutions like the Seattle Symphony, the Spokane Symphony, and the Maryhill Museum of Art.

WSAC grants are supported by state and federal dollars. In early August the Commission approved funding to support arts jobs and participation opportunities throughout Washington state. Application review criteria vary by program, but often include artistic merit, participation, public value, and varied geographic representation. For more information and a complete list of recipients please visit www.arts.wa.gov.

Washington state is administering the federal Recovery Act investments with extensive transparency and accountability. Visit www.recovery.wa.gov to see where stimulus funds are going in Washington.

Contact: Mark Gerth, Communications Manager, Washington State Arts Commission, 360-586-8093, [email protected]