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Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas 

Description

CD Forum presents King County's only full season of cultural events exclusively dedicated to presenting Black culture through the performing arts and the humanities. We utilize multiple performance spaces to present events featuring national touring artists and local performers working in dance, music, theater, and the literary and spoken word arts. Our audience profile -  40% Black, 40% Caucasian, 20% Asian, Latino, or Other – is among the most diverse for any cultural organization in the area.

Mission Statement
CD Forum's mission is to offer progressive cultural programs that encourage thought and debate in the greater Seattle region.  Our vision is to inspire new thoughts and challenge assumptions about Black culture.
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Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas
PO Box 22824 
Seattle 
WA
98122-0824 
(206) 323-4032 

Sharon N. Williams 
Managing Director 

Programs

Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas Programs

Performing Arts
Our performing arts series focuses on Black local and national artists presenting high quality contemporary work that is seldom seen in Seattle. The work we present showcases artists who are emerging or under-recognized, who create innovative and distinctive work in contemporary and multidisciplinary genres (theater, dance, music, film), and who represent the extraordinary breadth of Black culture.    

CREATION Project
Our CREATION Project is a new works and professional development program for Black performing artists in King County. Each participant, selected by a panel of arts leaders, receives a stipend to cover production costs and takes part in professional development seminars and peer discussions over a 12-month period. The program culminates in the CREATION Project Showcase, a ground-breaking presentation of innovation and excellence in local contemporary performing arts. CD Forum conducts this intensive program every two to three years.  

Humanities
We strive to utilize the humanities in the service of social change in our community. Telling stories of history, of courage, of struggle, of inspiration, of triumph, and even of failure inspires and empowers each new generation to better the conditions of their lives and those of their neighbors. Through lectures, author readings, film screenings, and panel discussions, we hope to give members of the general public, especially members of the Black and other underserved communities, a comfortable yet intellectually challenging forum to engage with public scholars in conversations about the impacts of history.

Recent Successes and Current Challenges

A significant artistic accomplishment was producing and presenting Uncensored: Black Strings, an all-out jam session featuring local and beloved house band Big World Breaks and dynamic, Black string artists Evan Flory-Barnes, Cristina Orbe, and Paul Rucker.    

One of CD Forum’s current needs is for funding to support our next iteration of The CREATION Project, which will happen in 2013. Two to three new emerging performing artists will be selected to embark on an exciting period of artistic exploration, mentorship with experienced professional artists and arts administrators, and refinement and public production of their original works. Financial support from individual donors and family foundations helps to make Seattle a fertile home for artistic risk-taking and the cultivation of new artistic voices.

Evaluation


The Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas (CD Forum) presents King County’s only full season of cultural events exclusively dedicated to presenting Black culture. In addition to its performing arts series, CD Forum also creates space for dialogue and community building through its Humanities Series.

Accessibility and Cultural Relevancy
As the demographics within King County continue to change, CD Forum has broadened its cultural and ethnic emphasis to include broader groups – for instance, it recently offered numerous lectures and discussions that have focused on topics related to the Afro-Mexican, Black Indian and Afro-Caribbean communities.

Collaboration
As an organization without its own dedicated performance space, CD Forum partners with other local nonprofit organizations by co-presenting or co-hosting programming at their spaces. Partners have included Velocity Dance, Erickson Theatre on Capitol Hill, and the Northwest African-American Museum, Seattle University, Town Hall, Rainier Valley Cultural Center, and the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. In addition, CD Forum has developed a strong partnership with Elliott Bay Books which provides access to top tier authors who come to town on book tours.

Sustainability
Because CD Forum is a “presenter” rather than a “producer” organization, it can rely on a lean core staff to coordinate, administer and market events rather than having to maintain a larger staff to build, rehearse and perform them. As with many other arts groups, there has been a downward trend in attendance and the CD Forum plans to do fewer performances in 2012 and will also focus on strategically promoting its events and building brand awareness, particularly through social media.

Grant History with The Seattle Foundation:

Grants Awarded through The Seattle Foundation Grantmaking Program:

DateAmountPurpose
9/10/2011 $10,000.00support general operating expenses.
12/10/2008 $35,000.00support general operating expenses.
10/5/2006 $20,000.00support general operating expenses.
6/17/2004 $15,000.00support general operating expenses.

Financials

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