Hear ye! Hear ye!! Join The CLAW at tomorrow evening’s OPEN SWIM Meeting, where we will attempt to answer the question: “WHERE ARE THEY NOW?” We will be taking beloved childhood icons of commercial excess that have fallen into disuse and pairing them with new career and lifestyle paths, hopefully to the amusement of everyone involved!! So come and join us Wednesday evening at 8:00pm down at King’s Books in lovely downtown Tacoma!!

The Tacoma Arts Commission recently awarded $255,000 to nine Tacoma-based arts organizations through its Arts Anchor Fund program, and $40,000 to 16 Tacoma artists through its Tacoma Artists Initiative Program. The Arts Anchor Fund program awards range in value from $20,000 to $35,000 each, and the Tacoma Artists Initiative Program awards are $2,500 each. Funding for both programs is for the 2013-14 biennium.

“The arts are an important economic driver and community builder for Tacoma, and assist in building our cultural identity,” said Robin Echtle, chair of the Tacoma Arts Commission. “Organizations and artists funded reflect and strengthen the rich diversity of arts and cultural experiences happening throughout Tacoma.”

Arts Anchor Fund Program Awards

The 2013-2014 Arts Anchor Fund program award recipients are: Hilltop Artists, Museum of Glass, Northwest Sinfonietta, Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma Musical Playhouse, Tacoma Opera, Tacoma Symphony Orchestra, Tacoma Youth Symphony Association and The Grand Cinema.

In 2012, these nine organizations served 462,539 people, provided free admission to 76,021 people, and generated an estimated $8.82 million for the local economy.

The Tacoma Arts Commission established the Arts Anchor Fund program in 1995 to provide financial support to major local not-for-profit arts organizations that significantly improve the quality of life for Tacoma. These arts organizations serve Tacoma’s community through regularly scheduled performances, exhibits and events, and school and outreach programs.

Tacoma Artists Initiative Program Awards

The 2013-2014 Tacoma Artists Initiative Program funded artists are: Sean Alexander, Carla Barragan, Bill Colby, Alice Di Certo, Kyle Dillehay, David Domkoski, Oliver Doriss, Josie Emmons Turner, Sarah Gilbert, Erin Guinup, Meghan Mitchell, Mark Monlux, Kat Ogden, Scott Scoggin, Erik Steighner and Noah Struthers.

Funded Tacoma Artists Initiative Program projects include the choreography and production of a contemporary dance piece, creation and exhibition of two- and three-dimensional art, direction of a theatrical production, performance and recording of music, production and screening of a film, public reading of poetry, and production of whiteboard animation videos.

The Tacoma Artists Initiative Program was established in 1999 to assist artists with the generation of new work, and to share their talent with the public in a free and accessible format.

The Arts Anchor Fund program and Tacoma Artists Initiative Program are two of three funding programs administered by the Tacoma Arts Commission. For a complete listing of funding programs and information about the Tacoma Arts Commission, visit tacomaculture.org.

Monlux reports, “The title of my project is “© PSA RSA”.”

RSA is an acronym for The Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. It was via the RSA that “Whiteboard Animation” was developed. The status of the RSA has led its acronym to be widely-used eponymy for “Whiteboard Animation.” Whiteboard Animation differs from traditional animation, as it’s a video, usually informative in nature, in which a human hand drawing cartoons, text and other graphics on a whiteboard is accompanied by narration.

My goal is to create two one-minute RSAs, Public Service Announcements on Copyright, specifically on two issues:
1. The difference between “having” and “filing” a copyright.
2. How an artist’s copyright is not sold with the physical work.
This is an era in which intellectual property is quickly becoming more valuable, even as it is infringed upon, and at a higher rate than previously. These public service announcements would be informative and useful to the general public, as we all have a desire to create.

I’m going to provide updates as this project progresses on this website. These postings will be announced via Twitter and Facebook. The stages currently blocked out:

1. Writing the scripts
2. Storyboards
3. Capturing the narration of the script
4. Music composition
5. Capturing the visual elements
6. Editing narration and visuals together
7. Premier announcement of video
8. Permanent post of video

I’m very excited to be doing this project. I appreciate all of the kind support I’ve received. And I hope you will enjoy being part of the process.