The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) is allocating $1.1 Million to fourteen organizations across the city to support arts and cultural organizations impacted by the pandemic and increase citywide recovery efforts. These lead organizations will sub-contract with neighborhood-based organizations and small businesses to carry out inclusive and creative activation projects and events that further the neighborhoods’ and city’s pandemic recovery process.

The evening of March 16 marked a night of thrilling victory for The Anchor Group and its partner agency C+C, who took a stunning win at an awards ceremony widely known as “the Oscars for Public Relations.” Anchor not only won Best in Public Sector for its WeConsider campaign addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy; it was also the only Black agency represented on a national scale.

After a national search conducted in partnership with Management Consultants for the Arts, Seattle Children’s Theatre (SCT) last week announces that Idris Goodwin will be the company’s third artistic director, succeeding Courtney Sale, who left the post in 2020. Goodwin, an award-winning playwright, breakbeat poet, director, and educator, starts his tenure with the organization this month, serving as co-executive alongside managing director Kevin Malgesini.

Today, Bumbershoot: Seattle’s Arts & Music Festival has revealed the 2023 music lineup featuring luminaries from around the globe, Pacific Northwest heroes and the best of emerging music. The 50th annual installment of Bumbershoot will take place September 2-3 at the iconic Seattle Center campus, boasting a previously announced eclectic arts program and now an equally varied musical lineup that includes indie rock, punk, soul, folk, dance and more.

HAIRSPRAY, Broadway’s Tony Award®-winning musical comedy phenomenon returns to Seattle! This new North American tour, helmed by original director Jack O’Brien and original choreographer Jerry Mitchell, will play April 4 through 9 at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre.

Tickets are available are available now on-line at STGPresents.org, Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-982-2787 or in person at The Paramount Theatre Box Office (Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10am to 6pm).

The Circling Seattle Sports team is heading to Peoria, Arizona for Mariners Spring Training. They’ll be covering the team on-site for a week, bringing you exclusive interviews and game recaps from the Cactus League as the Mariners get set to kick off the 2023 season.

THING is back! The eclectic and intimate three-day, all-ages music and arts festival set against the majestic backdrop of the Salish Sea at historic Fort Worden in Port Townsend, WA, returns for its third year from August 25 – 27, 2023. Produced by Seattle Theatre Group (STG) and Adam Zacks, THING celebrates a diverse lineup of local to international musical acts, comedians, podcasts, food, community workshops, and more. Tickets to THING go on sale Friday, March 17 at 10:00 AM PST.

Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the City of Seattle will begin a nationwide search for the next permanent director of the City’s Office of Arts & Culture. To help guide a rigorous selection process, the mayor has appointed a committee representing a broad array of prominent Seattle arts leaders and stakeholders.

As the world increasingly embraces the global sounds of hip hop and Afrobeats, onto the stage enters Ancestral Art – a new sound – inspired by hip hop artist Draze, the Emmy Award-Winning songwriter-rapper, who magically blend the melodious sounds of Africa with the raw energy of hip hop, creating a vibe all its own. Mazvita, the new single from Drazes upcoming album, “African American,” drops on Friday, March 10, 2023, along with the accompanying music video at www.thedrazeexperience.com.

The Seattle Mariners today announced that the 2023 Workout Day will take place on Wednesday, March 29 at T-Mobile Park. In addition to the full squad’s workout, the club’s players and coaches will participate in the Diamond Derby and Skills Challenge, a collection of competitions including a home run derby, fungo golf, bunt battle, and more.

Do you want to learn advanced, hands-on, practical career skills? Do you want to earn industry certification, dual college credit, or participate in an internship or pre-apprenticeship program while still attending high school? Apply for the Seattle Skills Center School Year Program!

The Elite Collective and Converge Media are pleased to announce the renewal of their production agreement for the fourth consecutive year. The Elite Collective is a Black owned business located in South Seattle who are experts in on-location video production and live streaming. The agreement covers the production of high-quality content that showcases the best of both companies' brands and the commitment to Black media and the visual storytelling of Black joy.

Converge Media, the trusted resource for culturally compassionate, community news and entertainment tailored for Black and urban Northwest audiences, names award-winning author, TEDx speaker and broadcast host, Cindi Bright as its first Chief Operating Officer. Bright’s 30 years of corporate leadership experience made her the ideal choice to accelerate growth and expand Converge Media’s innovative platform beyond the Pacific Northwest.

On Thursday, February 16th 2023, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Seattle Center, in partnership with WorkSource, is hosting a job fair as they look to increase staffing by 22% over the next two years. This event provides a unique opportunity for job seekers to connect with employers, gain insight into open positions, and learn more about the Seattle Center culture.

Following a recent “triumph with the emotionally trenchant Blue” (Oregon ArtsWatch), Seattle Opera is doubling down on its commitment to champion new American opera and bring today’s stories to the opera stage. On February 25, 2023, McCaw Hall will host the world premiere of A Thousand Splendid Suns, written by composer Sheila Silver and librettist Stephen Kitsakos, based on the gripping novel by Khaled Hosseini.

Jonathan Batista, Principal Dancer with the Pacific Northwest Ballet is at the center of Black protagonism in classical ballet in the United States. He is set to debut the role of “Albert” in the 1841 romantic production of Giselle, re-staged by Artistic Director Peter Boal.

On January 31st, 2023 TBCM Music Publishing will release a new song closing out a yearlong Anti-Gun violence Campaign called “Beloved,” a multimedia and art driven project. Each phase of the campaign explores gun violence in the Black community as a symptom of illness caused by systemic inequality.

Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations is the electrifying, new smash-hit Broadway musical that follows The Temptations’ extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. With their signature dance moves and silky-smooth harmonies, they rose to the top of the charts creating an amazing 42 Top Ten Hits with 14 reaching number one.

General Director Christina Scheppelmann announced today the lineup of artists and repertoire for Seattle Opera’s 2023/24 season, which celebrates the company’s 60th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Seattle Opera offers a range of titles spanning nearly all of opera’s history, from the eighteenth century to the 1980s. From intimate character portrayals to fantasy epics, the season features works never before seen in Seattle (Alcina, X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X) alongside enduring favorites (Das Rheingold, The Barber of Seville).

The Garfield Super Block will be releasing a call in the Spring of 2023 to hire seven artists to create permanent artworks for the GSB. These artworks will celebrate the seven cultural communities that made the Central Area what it is today; Duwamish, African American, Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Italian and Jewish. In preparation for the launch of the call, the GSB is holding a public art academy to demystify the public art process. This workshop is open to any artist who may wish to apply for this project or is interested in learning more about being a public artist engaged in a community led project.