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The Seattle Arts Commission welcomed two new co-chairs and discussed their funding and advocacy strategies for the coming year.
On Tuesday, May 14, the Seattle Arts Commission (SAC) appointed Holly Jacobson and Kayla DeMonte as their new co-chairs. The commission, composed of citizen volunteers appointed by the mayor and City Council, votes new members into these positions annually.
“I look forward to working with my co-chair and the full Seattle Arts Commission to further uplift the arts in our city,” said Jacobson. “We can realize the most vibrant version of our city, through arts integration through a creative economy, public health, and innovation. The Seattle Arts Commission’s role is to represent the community in these endeavors.”
The meeting also welcomed Kelly Davidson as the new Seattle Office of Arts and Culture Deputy Director, a new role in her longtime career working for the City of Seattle.
The commission will be moving forward to complete the goal of staying unified with their partners; the mayor’s Office, the Council and Arts. This will continue through activating an action plan with the Council over the next 6 months.
An opening presentation addressed important information about SAC for new members, emphasizing their mission of supporting the City by advocating for arts policy, creating access for equitable participation in the arts, and fostering enriching arts engagement for all residents.
“Each one of us here brings perspectives of people that are not here,” said Vanessa Villalobos, previous co-chair of the SAC. She emphasizes lifting the voices of those missing from the commission meeting as well as those who have been underrepresented in Seattle arts.
In preparation for the city’s annual budgeting process, Finance Manager Alexandra McGehee presented an overview of the City of Arts budgeting strategy. This presentation focused on changes in city budgeting, addressing executive budget process milestones and the use of the Arts 2024 budget.
The Arts 2024 grants and opportunities are funded predominantly by the Arts and Culture Fund and Municipal Tax Fund. Some operating budget goes into reserves which protect Arts from large swings in revenue forecast.
“The Arts and Culture Fund is what we live and breathe,” said McGehee.
The city’s April 2024 economic and revenue forecast shows admissions tax revenue recovery and growth. Admissions tax is growing, showing a $1.4 million increase in what is expected to be brought in this year compared to last.
“This is a very important time because a lot of other revenue forecasts, particularly on the macro level, are either stagnant or slightly lower or haven’t recovered at the level that the city wants to see,” said McGehee.
SAC is advancing in economic recovery above others due to the impact of its budget use in the areas of leadership and administration, arts and culture programs, public art, and cultural space. This includes committees working to support their grants, such as the Artists at the Center Grant, which opened the day of the meeting.
Artists at the Center funds individual artists, groups, and organizations to develop and present pop-up performances throughout the year at Seattle Center. Performances will be scheduled between October 2024 and September 2025 including music, dance, theater, demonstrations, and multi-disciplinary work.
“Our overarching strategy,” said McGehee, “is to try and maximize the impact of our grants by spreading them as broadly as we can throughout the sector to maximize reach and impact.”
Admissions tax goes through the Arts and Culture Fund and into the Office of Arts and Culture, for their budget, grant programs and to make investments across the city.
The commission is now working on its budget proposal due in early June, in a conversation with the mayor's office and budget office through the end of August for when they will make decisions regarding the allocation of city funding.
“The city is in a budget shortfall,” said McGehee “Our arts proposal and your arts letter is vitally crucial this year to show that these resources are important for our office to provide support to the sector.”
Villalobos believes that using this time for individual connection to art and community in commission members’ work is critical. She emphasized the “currency of space” and “translating action into dollars and investments.”
“We have the assets we have the bodies, we cannot get distracted,” Villalobos said, “We just need to define our message.”
The Director report from Seattle Office of Arts and Culture Director Gülgün Kayim noted that Inspire Washington will facilitate Advocacy Training for the commission for advocacy planning, which will assist in the implementation of advocacy in creating their budget letter.
With new leadership, SAC looks forward to continuing discussion later this month on projects involving public art and accessibility, and the impact of high-profile events, such as the 2026 World Cup, on Seattle tourism. They emphasize the reliance on arts and culture for the revitalization and representation of the city.
“The arts are often called upon to solve civic issues or concerns when we find ourselves in crisis. For communities to thrive sustainably, it is paramount that the arts are supported and sustained at every level too,” said SAC co-chair Holly Jacobson.