Question: What do these Washington cities have in common?

Answer: They’re all home to 2022 Poetry Out Loud Regional Champions who will head to the State Final in March.

Each student chose poems to recite from an online anthology of over 1,100 classic and contemporary poems. They had access to support materials to help them understand and convey the intentions of the poets. Judges scored them on physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding, and overall impact.

The 2015 Washington Poetry Out Loud State Finalists. Photo by Jesse Gardner.

These Regional Champions compete online in March for the title of 2022 Washington State Champion and the chance to represent our state in the National Finals. Join us in congratulating:

·     Isabel Bennett, Colville (Poetry Out Loud Virtual)

·     Sinai Flores, North Thurston High School, Olympia (Southwest Washington)

·     Kate Gemmell, Kamiakin High School, Kennewick (Central Washington)

·     Serena Jenson, Bickleton High School, Grandview (Central Washington)

·     Lucy Laybourn, Lincoln High School, Seattle (Northwest Washington)

·     Bela Moore, Methow Valley Independent Learning Center, Twisp (Eastern Washington)

·     Josie Rinta, Ridgefield High School, Ridgefield (Southwest Washington)

·     Lucy Shainin, Anacortes High School, Anacortes (Northwest Washington)

·     Malina Weigel, Okanogan High School, Okanogan (Eastern Washington)

The 2022 Poetry Out Loud Washington State Final takes place virtually on March 12. It will have a limited invited audience. ArtsWA will release a video of the event on YouTube in the weeks to follow. The video will feature Seattle Youth Poet Laureate Zinnia Hansen as host and music by the Kareem Kandi World Orchestra.

ArtsWA is offering ReVive Washington art project support grants to groups and organizations. The grants support arts programming in communities as they emerge from the pandemic.

Arts in Education (AIE) grants support arts and cultural programming for children and youth across the state. Grants can also support professional learning opportunities for educators teaching and learning through the arts. Together, the AIE grants serve students, families, and communities. Click here to learn more about AIE grants.

The A4A Recovery Grant supports Arts in Education staffing in service of Prek-12 students as they navigate fundamental changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

These grants are designed to stabilize community-based learning options, stimulate hiring, bring teaching artists into the classroom, and relaunch arts and culture programs.

AIE Partnership Grant funds support community partnerships that increase youth access to arts learning through pandemic recovery efforts and beyond.

We will host a free AIE Partnership Grant webinar on Tuesday, March 1 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Click here to register.

Creative Start Grant webinar: Tuesday, March 15, 2022 from 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Click here to learn more about the Creative Start grant.

February is Black History Month. We have been celebrating the rich, creative expression of Black artists represented in Washington’s State Art Collection.  Many of these artists use art to explore personal and community histories, as well as race and social justice. 

On January 25, 2022, ArtsWA gathered with Yelm Community Schools and the Nisqually Nation to re-dedicate and bless Big Bird by artist Marvin Oliver. Click here to watch the ceremony.

The artwork was created for an exterior location at Yelm High School in 1979. It was restored and re-installed in a new home in the school’s Commons in 2021. This artwork is a part of Washington’s State Art Collection.

Pictured (top): The Room Was Too Small, pt. 1 (2016) by Jamila Clarke, located at Foothills Elementary, Buckley, Washington.

Pictured (bottom): Nisqually Tribal Council Chairman Willie Frank III (second from left) welcomes attendees to the re-dedication of Marvin Oliver’s artwork Big Bird (1979), pictured above. The artwork was restored and installed in a new location in 2021.