Methow Arts Alliance

Mission

We ensure that the Arts are accessible in Okanogan County and North Central WA communities. Established in 1983, Methow Arts operates through an array of programs in Arts Education, Promotion of the Arts, Leadership, Public Art and a year-round performance series for schools and its community. Our mission is to enrich the lives of people in Okanogan County by making the arts an integral and dynamic part of public school education, economic vitality and community. We believe in a just, equitable, and inclusive society and we feel that artists + organizations are the key to advancing these ideals. 

Description

100% of your gift supports non-profit programs and critical resources that are provided at no cost to our community. Arts Education reaches partner schools through programs in dance, clay, Indigenous arts, music, theatre, painting, fabric arts, and more. Programs reach the following school districts: Paschal Sherman Indian School, Brewster, Omak, Okanogan, Methow, Pateros, and Leavenworth's Cascade School District. 

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Methow Arts programs are organized in five primary areas. An underlying theme in our programming lies in the belief that rural isolation, poverty, and social exclusion should not prevent people from having access to high-caliber art experiences. We believe in a just, equitable, and inclusive society and we feel that artists + organizations are the key to advancing these ideals.

1. EDUCATION - Providing the only arts education programs in most Okanogan region schools for grades K-6.
•Professional artist residencies in seven school districts targeting grades K-6 during the school day (5,000 students + 375 teachers)
•Poetry Out Loud, Annual Urban Culture Trips to Seattle, High School Drama and Theatre, Student Exhibits across the County
•Professional performances in schools from around the globe targeting social equity, cultural understanding
•Partnership building with schools, students, parents, businesses and leaders

2. PRESENTING
•Performance Season (8-12 performances, presentations, speaker-series)
•Methow Arts Festival (1,800 attendees)
•School Performances
•Professional Development Opportunities for teachers with credit hours with available
•Adult workshops for community in conjunction with touring performers

3. PUBLIC ART

•Development of permanent and temporary public artwork on the trails, in the schools, the parks and other public spaces.

•ARTscapes - activating vacant storefronts through art across Okanogan County.
•Beyond the Frame: To Be Native - Beyond the Frame is a community-wide initiative revisiting the photographs of Edward S. Curtis and sparking conversations on Native identity, race and resilience, art and culture.
•Stafford Poems - Methow River Poems project - expansion planned for 2019-2020
•Artist in Residence Programs at Public Art sites: Arts Education for public schools/field trips and Adult Workshop classes at sites
•Wayfinding opportunities at public art sites (signage, QR codes, Artist recognition)
•Art Map on google identifying art studios, organizations and galleries across Okanogan County/NCW.

4. PROMOTION + RESOURCES FOR ART•Quarterly facilitation, fundraising, design of print publication ART magazine (20 pages, 20,000 distribution, 4,000 subscribers.)•ART WEBSITE: Organizational article features, event calendar, blog format and advertising of collaborative website + social media presence.
•FREE ARTIST PAGES to local and professional artists as a way to drive traffic to Methow Arts' hub and Promotional Efforts/Strategies
•E-campaigns (4,500) and social media (5,542.)

5. LEADERSHIP + ADVOCACY
•Research and Communicate economic/positive impact of arts
•Ongoing conversations and advocacy with legislators + participation in Arts & Heritage Day in Olympia
•Collaboration in regional partnerships outside of the Methow Valley
•Creative District Legislation, info-sharing and certification
•Arts leadership with students in school districts as arts ambassadors
•Participatation in developing the Methow Valley as an art travel destination
•Okanogan-wide presentations about the impact of the arts
•Participate on statewide boards and committees

Recognition

Thank you for your commitment to the Arts, Education, Community and Economic Vitality.

We appreciate you. Methow Arts - art grows here.