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Coyote Central 

Description

In the last 27 years, Coyote Central has engaged over 13,000 Seattle area adolescents in arts and vocational workshops with creative professionals – from photographers, metal artists and chefs to glass blowers, fashion designers and animators. Adolescence is a pivotal age when kids are first exploring what they can do and who they want to become. Learning how to work with their hands, think on their feet, and create something from their own talent and imagination gives them a sense of competence and confidence that can help them make good choices in all facets of their lives.


Mission Statement
Coyote Central jumpstarts the creative competence of adolescents through hands-on projects with professionals in the studio and out in the community.
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Coyote Central
2300 E Cherry Street 
Seattle 
WA
98122 
(206) 323-7276 

Claudia Stelle 
Executive Director 

Programs

Coyote Central Programs

Studio Coyote engages 1,400 youth every year in twenty-hour courses taught by talented professional artists, filmmakers, welders, chefs, web designers, glassblowers, animators and more.  Coyote youth aged 10-14 from a wide variety of ethnic and economic backgrounds learn creative, technical, and problem-solving skills as they tackle hands-on projects and discover new talents.

Hit the Streets is a summer work program in which 24 low-income teens work with professional artists to design and build public art for their community. They learn not only technical skills and creative problem-solving but also job skills like teamwork, reliability, and initiative.  They also learn the satisfaction of creating something with their own hands and the pride of building their community.

CityWorks engages 25 to 50 adolescents aged 12-18 each year in making public art commissioned by businesses and organizations. Talented participants in Studio Coyote or Hit the Streets are invited to apprentice with professional public artists to produce site-specific art in prominent commercial or municipal settings citywide.

Recent Successes and Current Challenges

Coyote Central’s first full year in its new Central District facilities showed a 40% increase in the number of enrollments.  A high-profile presence at 23rd and Cherry and ample space to put up courses – over 170 for the year – has meant that Coyote is reaching more and more youth, especially from the Central District.  That increase in enrollment has also meant a sharp increase in scholarship requests; Coyote gave over $70,000 in scholarship awards in its first year alone, and that number continues to rise.  Last term, almost half of Coyote’s students received either a full or partial scholarship.   

Coyote is dedicated to continue serving every interested youth.   To continue to do that in the face of ever rising requests, we will have to increase scholarship funding dramatically.  At present we receive Youth Arts funding from the city and receive substantial donations from individuals at our annual fundraising auction and throughout the year.  We are now seeking additional scholarship funding from foundations, businesses, and new individual donors.

Evaluation


Coyote Central (Coyote) engages adolescents with creative professionals in apprenticeship settings. All projects are hands-on and focus on problem-solving elements that help kids develop intellectual and artistic talents and critical thinking skills.

Sustainability
In its 25th year, Coyote Central just moved into a newly renovated space on the corner of 23rd and Cherry. This new site gives the organization a visibility that it has never had, as there was never a central location that students went to for classes. It will also free the Director from needing to locate spaces to hold classes, negotiate rental agreements and transfer equipment from one to another. This time can now be spent on programming and community outreach.

Accessibility and Cultural Competency
Coyote’s Hit the Streets program, a summer work program in which at-risk youth work with professionals creating public art for their neighborhood, works to engage diverse communities. Participants always represent a wide range of ethnic communities, and as many as 85% come from families where English is not spoken in the home. This program offers participants a small stipend, and is often the first “job” the students have.

Coyote provides over $40,000 in scholarships, offering a sliding scale for its classes. Families can also offer exchanges in skills or services (such as providing a specially prepared meal to be included in Coyote’s auction) as payment for courses. Coyote staff work with families with the goal that no child is turned away for inability to pay.

Collaboration
Coyote connects with many schools to share its opportunities directly with students. They also do outreach with a number of youth organizations reaching underserved youth, such as Treehouse for Kids, Casey Family Foundation, El Centro de la Raza, Atlantic Street Center and the YMCA to reach as many at-risk youth as possible. Coyote collaborates with other arts non-profits like Pratt Fine Arts Center, 911 Media Arts and Seattle Glassblowing Studio among others, sharing equipment and expertise.

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 $10,000.00support general operating expenses.
10/5/2006 $15,000.00support general operating expenses.
6/17/2004 $15,000.00support general operating expenses.

Financials

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