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Pat Graney Company 

Description

The Pat Graney Company serves a wide range of populations; from the 200 incarcerated women we serve each year in the women's prison to the 25 ex-offenders and their families in Seattle, to the dance audiences in Seattle (1500). There is no other organization in Seattle with the mission to provide arts-based opportunities for incarcerated women & female ex-offenders as well as to maintain a creative cycle that produces unique, contemporary work that tours on a national level. Our goals are to create the highest caliber of dance performance, and to give voice to those that have not been heard. 

Mission Statement
The mission of the Pat Graney Company is to create, perform & tour new dance/performance works and to conduct art-based educational programming for incarcerated women and female ex-offenders and their families in Washington state. "Giving voice to those that are not heard..."
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Pat Graney Company
606 Maynard Ave S, #201 
Seattle 
WA
98104 
(206) 329-3705 

Pat Graney 
Executive Director 

Programs

Pat Graney Company Programs

Creation, Performance & Touring of Contemporary Dance and Installation Performance
Our recent creation House of Mind, returned to Seattle after a 9-month exhibition at the John Michael Kohler Art Center in Wisconsin. 'House of Mind' had over 50,000 viewers during its tenure at the Kohler Center.  We are currently creating a new work 'girl gods' - which will be the basement of House of Mind, which we hope to open to Seattle audiences in 2015.

Keeping the Faith/The Prison Project
Now in its 15th year, Keeping the Faith hosts performances at Mission Creek Women's Prison. About 200 attendees from Seattle make the journey to the prison each year to witness performance in tandem with the 400 person inmate audience & participate in discussions following the performances.

Town of Mind
One of our new projects is to create a new housing community for ex-offenders that is arts-based. Called 'Town of Mind', this project is beginning in 2013 with the support of 4Culture and Seattle's Office of Arts & Culture Affairs.  We hope to garner other Foundation support for this large-scale house-relocation project that will serve as an artist residency site using existing structures slated for demolition, relocating them to surplus city property and re-creating each house as an artist residency project. After each house is finished it will serve as housing for female ex-offenders, artists and other low income populations.

Recent Successes and Current Challenges

Sponsored by Seattle University, Keeping the Faith Transitions is in its second year of offering arts-based workshops to female ex-offenders on a weekly basis. KTF/Transitions is the first arts program to be offered at Seattle's only female work release facility, the Helen B Ratcliffe House. In 2009, Company Executive Director Pat Graney received both an Alpert Award as well as a US Artists Award in Dance. The Company was honored by an American Dance Masterpieces award to re-mount Faith/Sleep/Tattoo at On the Boards in October of 2010.            

We really need operational support right now. In these difficult financial times, we see one organization after another folding, leaving a gap both in the cultural fabric of our community as well as the small amount of services available to female offenders, ex-offenders and their families.

Evaluation

The Pat Graney Company has successfully created, produced and toured new work locally, regionally, nationally and internationally since their inception in 1990.

Proven Success
The Pat Graney Company plays a key role in the local contemporary dance scene and their leader, Pat Graney, is an internationally recognized choreographer with a strong commitment to the local dance scene.

Best Practices
Their “Keeping the Faith - the Prison Project” program which works with incarcerated women has proven effective (women in this program have demonstrated a 10 percent recidivism rate compared to 40 percent of the general prison population). The program model has been replicated throughout the country and has shown similar success rates in other prisons. Due to the success of this program, they launched “Keeping the Faith - Transition Program” as a partner program for women transitioning out of prison.

Accessibility and Cultural Competency
They have a strong commitment to accessibility through pay-what-you-can performances, classes, lectures and readings open to the general public.  They also ensure their program is relevant by having Keeping the Faith participants sit on advisory committees and on their board of directors.

Grant History with The Seattle Foundation:

Grants Awarded through The Seattle Foundation Grantmaking Program:

DateAmountPurpose
9/10/2012 $5,000.00support general operating expenses.
6/10/2010 $10,000.00support general operating expenses.
6/26/2008 $25,000.00support general operating expenses.
6/21/2006 $10,000.00support general operating expenses.
3/18/2004 $25,000.00support general operating expenses and purchase computer equipment.

Financials

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