SEATTLE’S AFRICAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL
The 10th Annual Langston Hughes African American Film Festival kicks
off April 13th at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. It will run through April 20th. The festival brings to Seattle thought-provoking, illuminating films that showcase stories of people of African descent, from around the world, by independent filmmakers. Check their website for more information.
ART IN THE PARK
A couple of years ago, in response to dwindling revenues, the City’s Parks Department sought to save money by having three of its most popular arts programs paid for by the City’s Arts Office so they could continue. During 2011 and 2012, funding for the Parks Department’s Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center, its Downtown Parks Arts program, and its Outdoor Neighborhood Parks Activation program was drawn from the City’s arts account, which receives revenue from City admissions taxes to fund the Arts Office. The Parks Department continued to manage those programs.
Blue Trees, by Konstantin Dimopoulos. Photo by Graham Syed.
This funding agreement ended last year and some worried that the Parks Department might not continue its commitment to bringing art into City parks. I then sponsored a budget paper expressing the Council’s intent to see continued arts programming in our parks. The Parks Department agreed. That’s good news for the many children and adults who participated in past Parks Department arts programs.
ARTSparks, a partnership between the Parks Department and the Arts Office, is now seeking proposals for arts projects to be temporarily installed in Occidental Square between June and September 2013. Individuals and organizations are asked to submit one to three distinct proposals. ARTSparks is part of the City of Seattle’s Center City Initiative, which contributes to making downtown parks more attractive, safe, and welcoming to the public.
The Summer Art in the Park Program seeks individuals, groups, or organizations to provide culturally relevant, safe, and reliable arts programming for Othello Playground, Lakeridge Playground, Judkins Park, and Maple Wood Playfield. The program’s focus is to provide fun, innovative, curriculum based visual and performing arts that will have a positive impact on the children, families, early childhood education facilities, and community centers of Seattle.
For the Summer Art in the Park program, the Parks Department will host a free workshop on Thursday, April 4th, from 6 to 7 p.m. at Miller Community Center, 330 19th Avenue East in Seattle on completing the Request for Proposal.
The deadline for applying to either program is May 10th.
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