Seattle Department of Neighborhoods

Who has access to experiencing art, and how can we broaden our own idea of how we all experience art? Office of Arts & Culture Seattle’ exhibition, “Please Touch: Together, Breaking Barriers” challenges the traditional boundaries of art appreciation by inviting visitors to engage with artwork through touch. “Please Touch” raises awareness about accessibility for blind and low-vision people in the arts while bridging the gap between visual and tactile.

Open Oct. 3, 2024 through Jan. 4, 2025, come by and touch the art!
https://ow.ly/vaQs50Tzhca

On Tuesday, Seattle Parks and Recreation hosted a Play Streets community event in South Park geared toward older adults with games, chair yoga, salsa dancing, food and refreshments, and even a live DJ! The event was developed in partnership with The Seattle Public Library and South Park Senior Citizens and was supported by Community Liaisons.

Play Street event fosters fun, laughter, and social connection for older adults in South Park - SDOT Blog On September 24, we hosted a Play Streets community event in South Park geared toward older adults to build social connection and fun.

Community showed up in a big way at the Seattle Parks Foundation 25th Anniversary Gala last week surpassing the fundraising goal and raising $389,000! We were excited to celebrate the community award winners, including Paige Reischl from which has been supported by the Neighborhood Matching Fund.

Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI)

🎨 Calling all artists! Enter your submissions for the Seattle FIFA World Cup 2026 Host City Poster Contest! This is a unique opportunity for local artists to have their work featured globally. We encourage all artists to submit designs that capture the heart of Seattle’s community, culture, and love for soccer. Don’t miss this chance to be part of history!

Learn more and register here before September 27: https://seattlefwc26.org/poster-contest

Mark your calendars! On Friday, October 4, Waterfront Seattle is opening Overlook Walk to the public! Located where the Alaskan Way Viaduct once stood, this new elevated park will provide a direct pedestrian connection between Pike Place Market downtown and the entire 20-acre Waterfront Park.

Overlook Walk is perfect for sightseeing with its elevated panoramic views, has ample space to relax with seating, landscaping and a covered area under a canopy, and even has a short slide and climbing wall for children to play. Its incredible 360-degree views out to Elliott Bay and Seattle’s downtown skyline are certain to make it one of Seattle’s most visited and treasured locations.

Stay tuned for more info about public celebrations from Friends of Waterfront Seattle.

“I cannot overstate the significance of Washington’s first registered Black architect designing a public building for use in a neighborhood in which he would not have been welcomed to live, enclosing a pool he would not have been permitted to use as a child."

Designed by famed architect Benjamin McAdoo, the Queen Anne Pool represents a monumental break in a destructive historical pattern and an important societal shift for our nation and our city. Learn more about the significance of this Historic Landmark on the Front Porch Blog: https://ow.ly/KuL250TrX3P

The Black Heritage Society of Washington State
Queen Anne Historical Society
Seattle Parks and Recreation
City of Seattle Government

The important legacy of a Historic Landmark and Washington's first Black architect, Benjamin McAdoo - Front Porch Often, when people hear the phrase historic preservation, the first thing they think of is saving old buildings. And while, yes, that is sometimes the outcome, it is certainly not that simple. Historic Landmarks are rooted in community. They are tangible connections to the people and events that hav...

We had a wonderful time celebrating 15 years of our Community Liaison Program! Community Liaisons support departments across the city by connecting traditionally underserved communities with City of Seattle Government programs and resources. A big thanks to Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle Department of Transportation, and Deputy Mayor Wong for joining us!

To learn more visit: frontporch.seattle.gov/2024/09/18/celebrating-15-years-of-the-community-liaison-program-and-honoring-those-who-have-served-since-the-beginning/

Through our P-Patch Program and Food Equity Fund grant, we work to expand access to healthy food and combat inequities in our food system. We're excited that the updated Food Action Plan focuses on outcomes most important to communities impacted by food system inequities 🍊

The Plan includes 47 actions organized by 8 strategic priorities to develop thriving and sustainable communities across Seattle 🤸 To learn more about Mayor Bruce Harrell and City of Seattle Government’s Food Action Plan visit seattle.gov/food-action-plan.

📷Jenifer Chao, DON Director; Kenya Fredie, P-Patch Program Supervisor; Lisa Chen, Food Equity Fund Supervisor; Bridget Igoe, Food Policy Advisor; City Councilmember Tanya Woo

Volunteers Needed!! Help the Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs provide essential support to legal permanent residents seeking U.S. citizenship. They are seeking attorneys, interpreters, and general volunteers for this event.

📝Citizenship Application Workshop
🗺️ Delridge Community Center
📅September 28

Learn more and register to volunteer at:
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=RR7meOtrCUCPmTWdi1T0G3xCXpetlxVEmfC1WLyN4n5UODZWWEdaMzdJRkVVTThERFUzRFRKMkdRUi4u

As part of the Swim Seattle Initiative, Seattle Parks and Recreation is partnering with Oshun Swim School to offer trauma-informed and Afro-Indigenous centered swim opportunities to our Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) + Allies community.
These BIPOC + Allies Open Swims are geared towards women and non-binary BIPOC beginner swimmers to practice your skills and improve your water comfort, and for advanced swimmers to have a safer space to swim in community! Please note, allies are welcome to join! Come enjoy music, and the magic of playing in water with community. Open swims are offered monthly for BIPOC+ Allies who are 16+, Saturdays 6-7:30PM at Rainier Beach Community Center & Pool.
The remaining dates in this searies are happening on Saturdays at Rainier Beach Pool from 6-7:30pm on:
September 14
October 5
November 2

As part of the Swim Seattle Initiative, Seattle Parks & Recreation is partnering with Oshun Swim School to offer trauma-informed and Afro-Indigenous centered swim opportunities to our Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) + Allies community.

These BIPOC + Allies Open Swims are geared towards women and non-binary BIPOC beginner swimmers to practice your skills and improve your water comfort, and for advanced swimmers to have a safer space to swim in community! Please note, allies are welcome to join! Come enjoy music, and the magic of playing in water with community. Open swims are offered monthly for BIPOC+ Allies who are 16+, Saturdays 6-7:30PM at Rainier Beach Community Center & Pool.

The remaining dates in this searies are happening on Saturdays at Rainier Beach Pool from 6-7:30pm on:
September 14
October 5
November 2

https://parkways.seattle.gov/2024/04/08/swim-seattle-partners-with-oshun-swim-school/

Check out the Puget Sound Puppetry Festival this weekend, a recipient!

We are pleased to offer “Jawbone Theatre Presents: Beer & Puppet Theater” Saturday, September 14 2024 at . Doors at 10:30p this event is 21+

Join Jawbone Puppet Theater and their ragtag team of misfit puppeteers, esoteric clowns and transcendent underachievers, as they bring you their most inappropriate material, dirtiest puppet shows, and weirdest performance art to close the festivities of the Puget Sound Puppetry Festival!

Fasten your seatbelts and let down your hair, because there’s no turning back once the dice are cast! And don’t forget to grab a drink from the bar, because you never know what you might encounter! There might be a dirty Bible story, or graphic puppet s*x! Maybe a s*xy mule or a pile of s**t! There’s no telling! There might even be some material so heavy and deep and thought provoking that you’ll cry or puke! But above all, there will be lots of laughs! It is our sacred duty to entertain, and if you’re happy, we’re happy! You won’t regret coming to this late-night cabaret!

Following the Henson related book event and conversation with Karen Prell, enjoy a screening of “Televisionary” from The IlJim Henson Legacy on 9/14 at 3:45p.

Approx. 75 mins.

In 2004, the Jim Henson Legacy presented its first screenings, starting with a special weekend event at BAM Cinema entitled “Muppets, Music, and Magic.” This started a successful international screening series. With the opening of the Jim Henson Exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image, the Jim Henson Legacy screenings began a monthly residency at the Museum as “Jim Henson’s World” and have been playing ever since. Originally titled “Muppet History 101,” the program is a chronological journey from Jim Henson’s first show, Sam and Friends, to The Muppet Show, featuring material you won’t see anywhere else, including early TV appearances, commercials, and more.

All ages and open to the public as part of Seattle Community Puppet Day. Tickets for all events at seattlepuppetday.com

When Janet Taggart's daughter Nadia was denied access to public education and healthcare, she took action. She developed a "church basement" school to accommodate the different needs and learning styles of children with disabilities. This school became Northwest Center, a nonprofit organization that continues to provide comprehensive disability services for kids in the Seattle area.

Janet Taggart: A Key Player in Making Seattle More Welcoming to People with Disabilities - Front Porch By Colin Wilfrid WARNING: This story talks about a disability-accessible school that the person this story focuses on, Janet Taggart, founded. The school’s original name uses ableist language that some readers may find offensive. Just like all mothers across the world, Janet Taggart loved her daug...

Join our team and make community dreams come true with funding and support! We're hiring a Community Grants Manager and we think you should apply. Application closes September 10, 2024.

https://ow.ly/nCxY50T7Xec

"Seniors do daily shopping and socialize in Hing Hay Park and at the Community Center. Kids, often with their grandparents, use both Hing Hay and Donnie Chin International Children’s Park, and teenagers are all over after school at every bubble tea shop. And there are often tourists. To me, this says that many people, from all different walks of life, are comfortable here, and that’s special." There's no question that the Chinatown International District neighborhood is special. In honor of the
Seattle's hosting of the 2024 National APIA Historic Preservation Forum, NW Asian Weekly interviewed MaryKate Ryan of Historic South Downtown to learn more.

Preserving Seattle’s legacy — A focus on historic buildings and community engagement As anticipation builds for the 2024 National APIA Historic Preservation Forum in Seattle (Sept. 12-15), our ongoing series continues to explore the profound significance of historic preservation wi…

Love the history of Pioneer Square? Want to help preserve it? Apply for the Pioneer Square Preservation Board! We are looking to fill three open positions for a property owner, attorney, and at-large community member. Submit an application by Sept. 20!

Learn more: frontporch.seattle.gov/2024/09/03/mayor-harrell-seeks-new-member-for-the-pioneer-square-preservation-board/

Wanna dig deep into Seattle's history while getting your steps? Follow the Wing Luke Museum’s Japanese American Remembrance Trail through Pioneer Square and Chinatown International District--paper copies of the trail can be found at Wing Luke Museum or copy this link and follow the digital tour: https://revisitwa.org/leg/japanese-american-remembrance-trail/
“You can’t fully understand the experience of the incarceration without knowing what was lost,” says Kurt Ikeda, Minidoka National Historic Site's director of interpretation and education in Idaho.

Tour created by Washington Trust for Historic Preservation

10 Seattle-area landmarks reflecting on Japanese incarceration From Seattle to Puyallup, these historic sites help tell the history of our region's Japanese communities — and their World War II inprisonment.

We are really excited and grateful to be hosting guest writer Colin Wilfrid. He is exploring important people in the history of disability activism in Seattle and the movements they led and participated in. Stay tuned for more from him and then here's this article from Hoodline that features him, too! Woot! We are always so proud when our local creatives get lit up like this.

Illustration:

Seattle Celebrates Inclusion: Colin Wilfrid's Role in Advancing Disability Activism History Colin Wilfrid contributes to the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Historic Preservation Program, advocating for disability activism and inclusivity through research and storytelling.

Mural Fest and Paint Jam! Watch this short to celebrate the creation and unveiling of 40 murals across downtown neighborhoods.

Belltown United
Office of Arts & Culture Seattle

Mayor celebrates Belltown Mural Festival, unveils 40 new works of art | seattlechannel.org Mayor Bruce Harrell joined community members and artists at the Belltown Mural Festival and live community Paint Jam on Saturday to celebrate the unveiling and creation of 40 murals, the majority of which will be completed throughout downtown this summer. The first-ever Belltown Mural Festival is ...

We are excited to collaborate with guest writer, Colin Wilfrid on a project focused on disability activism in Seattle. Colin will be helping us share stories and experiences of the disability community that highlight advocacy efforts for equitable access and disability justice.

Learn more:

Guest writer Colin Wilfrid helps research stories on disability activism in Seattle - Front Porch In 2023, the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Historic Preservation Program received a grant to support work toward building inclusion in our history writing and landmarking process. Historic Preservation staff have been supporting a team of researchers and advisors to gather information on the h...

Seattle’s Landmarks Preservation Board will consider the nomination of the former Phillis Wheatley YWCA Building as a historic landmark on Wednesday, December 4. The building played a crucial role in Seattle’s African American community and is being consideration due to its historical significance and its legacy in promoting racial equity.

Thanks to The Seattle Medium for the article! Check it out to learn more about the legacy of the Phillis Wheatley YWCA.

Historic Preservation Board To Consider Landmark Nomination For Seattle's Phillis Wheatley YWCA Building Seattle's Landmarks Preservation Board considers nomination of the Phillis Wheatley YWCA Building for historical landmark status.