Olympia Arts Commission to revisit Artist in Residence program

The Olympia Arts Commission will review the city’s Artist in Residence program to assess how to address low participation in its expanded rollout.

The commission is scheduled to discuss the program at a meeting on Thursday, April 9.

The Artist in Residence program offers a series of three-month drumming workshops designed to build interaction among residents in transitional and supportive housing.

The program was launched in 2023 at Drexel House. It drew steady participation, typically six to eight people per session, and was seen as a success in helping residents connect with one another.

Encouraged by that outcome, the city expanded the program in 2026 to include Unity Commons and Lotus Court, with the goal of increasing a sense of community among the residents, and providing more opportunity for engagement.

However, attendance has been inconsistent, ranging from no participants to only a few people per session despite outreach efforts like posters, reminder calls and texts, refreshments and changes in location.

At a March meeting, Arts Program Manager Stephanie Johnson said several factors may be contributing to the low turnout, including limited interaction between housing communities, building policies that restrict outside visitors, and hesitation among residents to attend activities outside their own sites.

Arts commissioners are expected to discuss possible changes to the program, including returning workshops to individual housing locations, hosting sessions outdoors to increase visibility, or conducting additional outreach to better understand the interests of residents.

Another challenge is whether the program’s focus on drumming reflects the interests of residents across different sites. Johnson cited earlier surveys that showed varied preferences, raising questions about whether a single activity can effectively serve multiple communities.

The commissioners directed Johnson to reach out to other residences to gauge their interest in hosting drumming workshops, including Pear Blossom Place, Plum Street Village, Community Youth Services and Billy Frank Jr. Place.

The program is funded through Olympia’s Municipal Art Fund at a cost of $4,950 annually.