In 1971, a city ordinance established the Seattle Arts Commission (SAC) to promote development of and public interest in the arts, as well as to advise the city on cultural and artistic development. The fifteen-member body replaced a predecessor agency, the Municipal Arts Commission, and staff support was originally provided by the Seattle Center. The Commission was given cabinet-level status in the city government in 1976.
In 2002, a reorganization abolished the existing SAC, created a new Seattle Arts Commission made up of volunteers and a new city Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs (OACA), and divided the functions of the old SAC between the two new organizations. The current commission is comprised of 16 citizen volunteers appointed by the Mayor and City Council. OACA was brought into the Executive Department in 2013 and its name was changed to the Office of Arts and Culture.
The department supports arts groups, community festivals, and neighborhood arts councils; funds and promotes public art, and promotes Seattle as a cultural destination. It also oversees the One Percent for Art program (one of the nation's first), where one percent of Seattle's capital improvement project funds are reserved for public art. Since the program began in 1973, it has acquired nearly 3,000 artworks.
The scope of this series encompasses John Blaine's records from 1970-1975. He was the director of the Seattle Arts Commission, and was instrumental in the creation of other arts groups for the city. The records chronicle the beginning of the Allied Arts Committee and the Alliance for Arts Education, including proposals, committee meeting minutes, by-laws and discussion of budgets and funding, as well as correspondence in support of and against the groups. Recommendations for positions within the committees, cover letters, and requests to be considered for available jobs are also included in this collection. Mayor Wesley Uhlman (1969-1978) is featured in correspondence, proposals and meetings.
The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts (in Washington DC) played a leading role in liasing with the Allied Arts Committee to create an Alliance for Arts Education branch in Washington State, and this information exchange can also be found here.
The records include other topics and events spearheaded by the committees like conferences, workshops, showcases, and visiting speakers and authors. It also highlights certain groups like the Franklin Jazz Band, the Junior League of Seattle, and the Corporate Identity Task Force.
Records are open to the public.
[Item and date], Seattle Arts Commission Director's Records, Record Series 7401-02. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.