Thought Leadership and reach FestPAC Returning in 2024 Arts The 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture (FestPAC, the world’s largest celebration of Indigenous Pacific Islanders) will convene in Hawaiʻi, June 6–16, 2024. The South Pacific Commission (now The Pacific Community - SPC) launched this dynamic showcase of arts and culture in 1972 to halt the erosion of traditional practices through ongoing cultural exchange. While originally scheduled to take place in 2020, FestPAC was the first major festival in Hawaiʻi to be postponed as the COVID-19 pandemic grew. This decision was made early on in...
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WESTAF is delighted to share the awardees of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Artist Fund! These artists represent a range of disciplines, from visual to performing arts, and we are thrilled to support their creativity and contributions to the cultural landscape of the Western region. Our team of reviewers identified 18 awardees (from a pool of more than 450 applications!), with one awardee per state and jurisdiction receiving an average of $10,000 per artist. Made possible through WESTAF's MacKenzie Scott gift, the fund will include four virtual group coaching sessions to build on the plans awardees shared...
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Thought Leadership and reach 2023 Arts Leadership and Advocacy Virtual and In-Person Programs Conclude The 2023 Arts Leadership and Advocacy Seminar programming took place this month featuring an online pre-session on February 7th and a fly-in advocacy day to Washington D.C. February 13-15. Virtual panelists included Michelle Ramos, BIPOC-Led Arts Advocacy Coalition; Claire Rice, Creative States Coalition; Ernesto Balderas, Creative States Coalition; Heather Noonan, Cultural Advocacy Group; and Najean Lee, Cultural Advocacy Group. The fly-in to Washington D.C. welcomed 71 advocates from 13 states and Guam. Advocates spoke to over 50 Congressional offices and highlighted...
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WESTAF is thrilled to share the launch of WESTAF’s State Arts Agency Innovation Fund. In an ongoing effort to inspire innovative and transformative practices within the 13-member state arts agencies in the West, the Fund aims to support state arts agency efforts to enhance their service to individuals, families, and communities and the arts and cultural industries in their states in ways that were previously difficult to achieve. WESTAF has committed an initial $500,000 investment from the $8 million MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett gift received in 2021.The Fund has been structured to offer support to the transformative work of...
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WESTAF is thrilled to share the upcoming launch of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Artist Fund, a new fund designed in partnership with WESTAF’s Leaders of Color Network that provides resources to and for BIPOC artists living and working in the 16 states and jurisdictions in the WESTAF region to advance their own artistic practice and goals. WESTAF is investing in the wellbeing and safety of BIPOC artists, cultural practitioners, and collaboratives by providing no-strings-attached funding and support. Thank you to the design team, which spans across eight different Emerging Leaders of Color cohort years, for their...
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WESTAF is thrilled to announce the launch of the reimagined and expanded Public Art Archive™ (PAA) website! Designed by Bilberrry, a full service digital agency and product studio behind websites such as David's Bridal and GoFundMe.org, the new site provides an immersive public art experience to better facilitate sustained public engagement with cultural assets across communities. Visitors are greeted with an optimized visual experience on the new home screen, drawing users in from the moment they land on the site. Discover the multitude of artworks spanning lived experience, geographic boundary, subject matter, and worktype in this centralized resource where street...
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Happy Holidays from WESTAF As 2022 draws to a close, we are reflecting on the past year with gratitude and want to thank you for your part in making it a rich and memorable one. To give our staff time to recharge and connect with families and friends during the holidays, our office will be closed December 24, 2022 through January 1, 2023. We will resume regular business hours and operations and respond to emails and calls starting January 2, 2023. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we take this much-deserved break. From our WESTAF family to you and...
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The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands American Rescue Plan Fund for Organizations (CNMI ARP) is a relief grant program, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, that provides general operating support to eligible arts and culture organizations and individual artists impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Northern Mariana Islands. The program is delivered in partnership with the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Arts Council. We are delighted to announce that WESTAF will be awarding grant funding to 32 individual artists and culture organizations across the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Each of the 28...
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Thought Leadership and reach The Creative Vitality™ Summit Returns! We invite you to register to join us virtually on November 30 and December 1, 2022, for a series of discussions from today's creative economy experts, arts and culture leaders, and equity champions. Check out the Summit site to view session information, learn what to expect from the event, see the schedule, and get to know the Summit speakers. This year’s Creative Vitality™ Summit will feature four panels with community-led discussions around how the creative economy intersects with technology, digital placekeeping, and more. These discussions will...
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