Olympia's Creative District seeks a second certification from Arts Commission

Olympia is seeking recertification for the Creative District from the Washington State Arts Commission to further support the local creative sector in the next five years.

The Washington State Arts Commission designated a 30-square block area downtown an official Creative District in 2019.  The area is home to over 150 creative businesses, including more than 25 makers and fabricators working in art studios.

The Olympia Armory Creative Campus is located outside of the designated area; its entrance is three blocks east of the District. 

At Wednesday's Community Livability and Public Safety Committee meeting, Daisha Versaw, Olympia's economic development senior program specialist, said that major projects completed over the past five years have helped strengthen the district's activity. These include new public murals, restoration of historic signage, and documentation of Olympia's indie music roots.

For the next five years, Versaw outlined the five goals of the strategic plan for the Creative District:

• Build community – interconnect people, organizations, businesses and grassroots groups engaged in collaborative relationships.
• Support - provide educational, financial, and physical resources and advocacy to uplift and
• Empower artists and creative businesses.
• Promotions – amplify the voices of artists while providing marketing tools and support for community visibility.
• Space – advocating for artists and creatives who need specific and affordable space to create, practice or conduct business.
• Access - equitable accessibility for artists and the broad community to engage without barriers.

According to Versaw, the city has been a key partner and leader in driving the initial certification and establishment of the Creative District. She added that part of the plan for the following years is to transition the Creative District administration from the city to a locally existing arts nonprofit, which would facilitate community involvement and ownership.

Versaw added that the Creative District Advisory Committee recommended that the most effective approach would be for an existing local arts nonprofit to manage it to support long-term community-led leadership.

Versaw highlighted the Creative District's next project, including a partnership with the Olympia Artspace Alliance, a local arts nonprofit whose mission aligns with the district's strategic goals. In the past, OAA has been involved in programming, such as installing public murals, and is responsible for bringing artists to create murals.

With the city's funding and support, the OAA will undertake several strategic goals and will include:

• OAA will continue supporting the Creative District through programs such as Art in Olympia Storefronts, murals, space grants, and other activities focusing on promoting and branding the Downtown Olympia Creative District.
• Inventory and data collection – develop a Downtown Olympia Creative District Directory to identify creative enterprises within the designated boundaries.
• Continuous Outreach and Community Building – compiling and sharing resources for artists and creatives, such as information on support programs, grants, financial opportunities, and educational partnerships.
• Building Brand Identity – including creating a logo, signage, asset usage guidelines, and key messaging. That aligns with the Creative District's strategic goals of community building, artist support, promotions, advocacy for affordable space, and equitable access.

History of indie music

The other project she highlighted is phase two of indie music history, which is built upon the comprehensive research and documentation completed in phase one.

Versaw said phase one involved 25 recordings of oral histories, with 30 related to local music history. The project team also identified 75 historically significant music venues and created a timeline of 66 key events in Olympia's music scene.

Phase two of the project will involve compiling all the work from phase one into an accessible website for the general public.