It takes a lot of passion, energy, and experience for a small, all-volunteer, nonprofit arts organization to get things done. And while we hope our work speaks for itself, we thought we'd share with you a little about our talented and expert team. Please have a look and feel free to contact us if you'd [...]
As we look ahead to a bright future for the arts, the nonprofit Arts of Clark County, formed nearly a decade ago, has changed its name to Artstra. The name change, effective Feb. 1, “more accurately reflects our independent spirit,” says Chair Karen Madsen. “We are not affiliated with any government entity, and yet we [...]
The Cultural Congress and Confab, a 3-day conference hosted by Washington State Art Alliance with support from the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA) brought together art educators, advocates, students, non- and for profit art groups to address some of the most relevant issues affecting the arts in Washington state. This year's conference ran from October [...]
Common Ground (August 6-11) is a six-day "gathering for curious people" created by The Historic Trust. Activities take place at the Marshall House, Howard House, Artillery Barracks, Red Cross Building, Providence Academy Ballroom and Chapel, and several outdoor locations. The schedule of events includes read alouds, history, literature displays, tapestry exhibitions, art workshops, opera, tours, [...]
On March 18, Magenta Theater hosted a preview presentation of Portland Opera's 2018 season. It was a wonderful way to introduce opera to the uninitiated and to share with those who already love opera. We took our 4-year-old granddaughter and she loved it. I was so pleased also to see so many young people in [...]
More than 60 people gathered in the Aspen Room at City Hall on Sunday, Feb. 25, to review and provide feedback on Vancouver’s new Culture, Arts, and Heritage Plan, expected to be adopted by the City on April 16. Attendees included members of the arts community, arts organizations, and those who participated in Arts of [...]
Let our voices be heard! On February 7 in Olympia, Arts and Heritage Day will bring together artists, arts, humanities and heritage leaders, cultural professionals from around Washington state. This event is sponsored by the Washington State Arts Alliance in cooperation with ArtsWA, the Washington Museum Association, Artist Trust, and Arts Ed Washington. This is [...]
As the saying goes, life is like riding a bicycle. In order to keep your balance, you must keep moving. There are bumpy patches and hills to climb on the road to a more vibrant arts economy. But we'll get there if we can keep moving ahead. Following our vision This past year, Arts of [...]
Optimism with a realistic view of the work ahead After the recent Arts and Culture Summit, we surveyed participants to learn a bit about what people think may be the path forward. The Summit's theme was arts infrastructure north of the Columbia, with a focus on downtown Vancouver in particular because of its potential as [...]
Last week’s Arts and Culture Summit was, in some ways, an indicator of our community’s readiness for investment in arts infrastructure. The big take-away for us is that we remain optimistic but have much work to do. It’s clear that for Vancouver and Clark County, there are both awesome opportunities and stubborn challenges. At last [...]