Haller Lake resident Don Hudgins, former executive director of Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA), recently started Sedrat Arts, a nonprofit charitable organization that will put new resources and funding directly into the hands of artists and small arts organizations.
"One of my passions of the organizations is fund-raising events for good social causes," Hudgins said. "That's a situation where everyone wins."
Enriching the arts community
Hudgins has enjoyed a duel career as both an artist and a professional arts administrator. Having studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and Virginia Commonwealth University, he has lived in Seattle since 1997.
His professional arts career has included service to many commercial and nonprofit galleries, private collections and the Illinois Arts Council as assistant curator of traveling exhibits. Hudgins also worked as collection manager at Chihuly Studio Inc.
His latest endeavor, Sedrat Arts, is dedicated to enriching the arts community through the advancement of contemporary art - whether it be music, dance, theater, literature and art.
Sedrat Arts' goal is to help artists who work with "unconventional or nontraditional media" get funding by lobbying funders, procuring grants, providing resources and raising public awareness through occasional exhibitions and events, Hudgins explained.
Since he started the nonprofit, Hudgins has collaborated with and sponsored Seattle Thunder, a Fremont music festival; Seattle Improvised Music, an annual music festival; and Art Patch, an anti-tobacco initiative.
"Not a bad record for six months, I think," he said.
Hudgins also helped Seattle Improvised Music through the process of becoming a nonprofit organization.
Seattle Improvised Music president Gust Burns, who had worked with Hudgins at CoCA, said, "His help has been invaluable.... We probably wouldn't be at the point that we're at if it weren't for his help."
Hudgins has also helped implement a variety of projects for Art Patch, a collaborative effort by Cornish College of the Arts and The Tobacco Prevention Program of Public Health-Seattle/King County to highlight the importance of art to the health of the community.
"I think Sedrat is a great concept," said Art Patch's Roger Valdez. "I think the idea of having an umbrella organization for arts groups is really needed."
"I think it's an important function," he added. "I think it was very helpful to have somebody who could keep things moving and organized on a daily basis."
Next up
Hudgins is currently working on building a board of directors for Sedrat Arts. He is also interested in partnering with environmental, health and youth organizations.
"I'm interested in bringing some arts activity to the North End" since that's where he lives, he said.
Hudgins has also been looking at getting involved with some of the arts groups in Sand Point. "There is a program, but it needs some revitalization, and I would like to be part of that," he said.
Currently, Sedrat Arts is organizing and publishing a National Arts Calendar for 2006. Each month will feature subscription and individual listings for events by local and national arts organizations. Each month, the photo portion of the calendar will feature an artist or arts group selected by juried competition.
Winning artists and organizations also will be featured as Sedrat Arts' Supported Projects.
An award of $100 will be given to the artist or organization selected for the calendar cover. The deadline for entry is Aug. 1. Proceeds support calendar production costs and help support Sedrat Arts.
Coming up, Sedrat Arts will sponsor the West Edge Sculpture Invitational, a free exhibit open to the public from Thursday, July 7, to Sept. 11, at Harbor Steps, the Seattle Art Museum and the Benaroya Hall. The exhibit includes works by 39 local, regional and national sculptors working in all media.
"We live in a very artist- and arts-rich environment, which is good and why an organization like Sedrat Arts is needed," Hudgins said.
For more information on Sedrat Arts, visit www.sedrat.org.
Jessica Davis writes about arts and entertainment for the Herald-Outlook. She can be reached via e-mail at needitor@nwlink.com.
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