Arts Commission

Mission:
The Arts Commission facilitates public arts programs that enhance the cultural life of community residents.
 

Members

• Lindsey Wayland, Chair
• Alexis Arrabito, Vice Chair
• Joe Gillard  
• Dan Groussman
• Sheila Long
• Kathie Meyer
• Anna Quinn
• Cosmo Rapaport
• VACANT POSITION 

Council Liasion

• Ben Thomas

Meetings
Arts Commission meetings occur on the first Thursday of each month at 3:00 p.m., and Public Art Committee meetings occur on the third Thursday of the month at 3:00 p.m. All meetings held in City Council Chambers at Historic City Hall, 540 Water Street, are open to the public and public comment is welcome. All scheduled meetings can be found on the Meetings Calendar and meeting agendas and minutes in the records and documents directory. 

• Public comment can be submitted on the public comment submission form, by attending a meeting in-person or virtually and contributing public comment during the meeting, or by sending a public comment in the mail to City Hall, specifying "public comment for Arts Comission" directly on the document. 

About the Commission
The Arts Commission promotes and encourages public programs to further the development and public awareness of and interest in the arts, and acts in an advisory capacity to City Council in connection with the artistic and cultural development of the City. Members are selected based on their knowledge and expertise with respect to the performing, visual, and literary arts.

The Arts Commission manages the following programs:

• Public Art and 1% for the Arts. A Public Art Committee is made up of Arts Commission members appointed by the Arts Commission Chair. 
• Grants to Artists and Arts Organizations. Microgrants ranging from $150 to $3,000 are awarded in six cycles over the course of the year. 
• City Poet Laureate. Appointed to two-year terms, this pilot program started in 2024.
• Angel and Patron of the Arts Awards. Started in 1999, the Angel and Patron of the Arts are two awards provided by the Arts Commission to people in the community whose work supports local arts and culture. The program took a pause in 2020, and will resume in 2024.

Grant Funding
The Port Townsend Arts Commission is dedicated to supporting arts that have a recognized quality and significant connection to the City. 

The Application for Financial Support, Funding Guidelines, and Frequently Asked Questions are available in the links below.

The Commission will review funding applications every other month on odd-numbered months. Applications are due on the 20th of the month prior to the meeting when they will be reviewed. 

• Grant Funding FAQ
• Funding Guidelines
• Application for Financial Support (online form)
• Application for Financial Support (downloadable PDF)
• Funded Event Report (fillable PDF)

Public Art
The City of Port Townsend Art in Public Places Policy and Procedure provides for the City of Port Townsend's One Percent for Arts Program and other public art funding sources, and accession and de-accession of gifts as pertains to the placement of visual art on publicly owned property.

Poet Laureate Program
The City of Port Townsend’s Poet Laureate Program is a collaboration between the Council Culture and Society Committee and the Port Townsend Arts Commission, in partnership with the Port Townsend Public Library. In 2024, the City appointed the inaugural Poet Laureate, Conner Bouchard-Roberts. The Poet Laureate serves the community in ceremonial, educational, and inspirational ways, infusing literary arts into civic dialogue. The Poet Laureate honors the city’s active, creative community, promotes the city’s robust literary arts, and celebrates the written word.

Each term, an open application process will utilize a panel of independent jurors alongside representatives from City Council and the Arts Commission.

"Poetry brings us closer to the truth of being, it is an act of noticing what is real, and some poems remind us of something long-forgotten about ourselves. Welcoming a Poet Laureate in our City welcomes the beautiful opportunity for Port Townsend to articulate the ineffable while holding poetic space for community connection."   
- Lindsey Wayland, Chair, Arts Commission

Curious about the work of the City's Arts Commission? Attend a meeting to find out more, consider an application to participate on the Commission, and contact the Arts Commission via email: artscomm@cityofpt.us