18th & Union

We are an arts space for artists by artists where community nourishment meets creative risk-taking.

18th & Union is a performance space in Seattle's Central District that serves as a home for portable performance and visual art. Our mission is to sustain an affordable, inclusive, and intimate space that nurtures art and community. Our vision is a city where everyone has equitable access to art and community collaboration.

Where we're coming from:

• As of 1/1/22, we've successfully transitioned from volunteer staff to paid staff, paying a modest wage for part-time work. Our staff are all working artists, and we want to increase our wages and our staff numbers in the coming years.
• We continue to be one of the most affordable spaces in Seattle for artists to produce at, and for audiences to attend.
  • For audience: All 18th & Union tickets are available on a sliding scale, including pro bono tickets, to ensure that everyone has equal access to the art we offer.
  • For artists: 18th & Union is unique, working with indie artists on a profit-share model. We partner with them as a co-producer and offer a rare thing: A fully-appointed performance venue to showcase their work without requiring any deposit upfront; in fact, we don’t require a rental fee at all. Instead, we share the risk of producing, and we split net box office income with them. We offer them robust production and marketing support as well; especially helpful for nascent producers who can learn “the ropes” alongside us and advance their producing skillset.
• We have secured residence in our venue for the foreseeable future, solidified a partnership with Brown Soul Productions as a new resident company, and rebuilt our Board to help us strengthen.

Where we're going:

• As we reemerge from the pandemic (carefully and eagerly in equal measures), 18th & Union is recommitting to our original spirit and vision by throwing a "Homecoming" in September! We will celebrate and honor the many stories put on hold during the past several years by inviting a new batch of creators to share their fresh “portable” work with new and returning audiences. We hope to make this the first of an annual fest, marking our anniversary to celebrate our roots and honor our mission.
• A space to experiment and to "fail" without failure! We're strategizing a robust expansion of our co-production model, to decrease risk for indie artists and increase access to and representation in our performance space.
• Curating a series of community events, including (for example):
  • Solstice & Equinox gatherings
  • Film nights
  • Poetry/short fiction nights
  • Artistic wellness workshops
  • Professional development workshops for artists