Who are we?

Mission

To cultivate creativity and inspire our community through the arts.

Vision

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council values the arts as basic to the human spirit, as creative connections to a diverse world, and as a measure of civilization. The vision of the Council is that the arts will be a valued and integral part of the Shoreline/Lake Forest Park community thus ensuring a high quality of life for all residents and the community as a whole.

We:

  • promote public awareness of the arts in the community;
  • coordinate and sponsor of performances, exhibitions, and other arts programs, activities and events which will benefit and compliment the total community development
  • advocate for support of the arts and arts programs and organizations in the community
  • sponsor, present, promote and support educational programs for the benefit of the community concerning all aspects of the visual and performing arts
  • provide financial and other support for arts organizations, artists, arts activities and projects.

History

In 1989, a group of volunteers seeking to enhance our community formed the Arts Council to support, present, and encourage the arts in Shoreline and Lake Forest Park. This nonprofit, community-based organization enriches the life of every resident by promoting public awareness of the arts, and by making the arts available in all its forms.

For one weekend in June since 1990, the Shoreline Arts Festival brings all the arts together to a crescendo bursting with creative energy and life. The celebration offers a feast for the mind, ears and eyes and invites the community to become part of the arts with hands-on arts. Music, dance and theater, visual arts, crafts, and food are all part of the Festival.

Our Concerts in the Parks on the Showmobile Stage have become a much-anticipated part of summer. Arts & Culture Events and Family Performances deliver quality music, dance, and theater to our communities.The Edible Book Festival is the newest addition to this grouping.

Since 1993, the Arts Council has provided an Artists in Schools residency program in the public schools. Over a quarter of a million dollars and thousands of students later, we are still going strong.

The Gallery at Town Center in Lake Forest Park moved to its current location in 2009 from the Shoreline Center, and features artists representing virtually every medium from paint, to fiber, to photography, to sculpture. We now see over 8,000 visitors a year at the gallery! We also coordinate quarterly exhibits at Shoreline City Hall.

As a local leader in the arts, we support local cultural organizations through the Community Projects Awards. We also give out Arts Mini-Grants to encourage teens and ethnic populations to do more creative activities. We engage our community with Create and Make Workshops, and our current artist in residence project is with local fiber artist, Elsa Bouman, who we refer to as The Loom Lady.

The Arts Council collaborates with other agencies such as the libraries, Shoreline Community College, the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Senior Center, Kruckeberg Botanic Garden, Shoreline Historical Museum, The Secret Gardens of Lake Forest Park, the Cities of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park, and 4Culture to ensure a wealth of quality arts experiences throughout the year.

The arts help us celebrate in the best of times, and they comfort us in the worst of times.
Let’s keep the arts vibrant together!