San Juans ‘arts’ scene takes center stage

Published 7:00 am Thursday, July 10, 2014

The newly appointed executive director of the Washington State Arts Commission, Karen Hanan, will be in Friday Harbor to present a Regional Arts Forum at San Juan Community Theatre, Wednesday, July 16, noon to 2 p.m.

Hanan will offer information on the Arts Commission’s role in nurturing the visual, performing and literary arts in Washington state. The forum is open to the public and Hanan is anxious to learn more about the artists of San Juan County and the community’s artistic endeavors.

“This is Karen’s first visit to our islands and she looks forward to learning about our various programs and artists,” said San Juan Island’s Diane Martindale, a member of the ArtsWA Commission and coordinator of the forum at the theatre. “She’s eager to hear your questions, comments and ideas.”

A statewide advocate for the arts, ArtsWA speaks up for the value of public art and helps to build leadership in the arts in local communities, strengthens arts education in public schools, promote the arts as a creative industry, expand participation in the arts, and maintains the state’s Art Collection on behalf of Washington residents.

ArtsWA has been an active supporter of the arts in San Juan County, including highlights such as these:

• San Juan Island’s K-12 Art IN the Schools program recently received another grant through the ArtsWA Arts in Education program

• The San Juan County Arts Council is the recipient of two ArtsWA grants to enable the council to study the contribution of the creative art to San Juan County’s economy.

• A recent visit to Orcas and San Juan islands by Washington state Poet Laureate Elizabeth Austen was made possible, in part, by ArtsWA sponsorship of its Poet Laureate and Poetry Out Loud programs.

ArtsWA offers scholarships and reduced fees on tuition for teaching artists at the Washington State Teaching Artist Training Lab (deadline to apply upcoming training session is July 24). The commission maintains a public art roster for visual artists and accepts nominations for outstanding artists, art organizations and cultural leaders for the Governor’s Arts & Heritage Award; deadline is July 21 for this year’s nominations.

For more about the forum, contact Martindale, 370-5814; about ArtsWA, its programs and events, visit arts.wa.gov.