Just in from Seattle Public Schools:

On Thursday, February 6, 2020, The Creative Advantage will host the first of multiple regional arts festivals, starting in the southwest region of Seattle. The festival will take place at Chief Sealth High School from 5-8:00 p.m. and will feature visual and performing arts by elementary, middle, and high school students from the community.

From 5-6:00 p.m., there will be a free community dinner featuring African and Latin cuisine, along with visual and media arts displays, and community art activities, hosted by the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). At 6:00 p.m., student performances will begin in the Chief Sealth High School Performing Arts Center.

The Southwest Regional Arts Festival will be the first of three regional arts festivals, with others taking place in the southeast and the central regions of the city. Each regional festival will highlight arts learning in SPS schools and arts programs, and will feature student art and performances from all grade levels.

“We have incredible artists in Seattle Public Schools – creatives in dance, media arts, music, theatre,” said Gail Selhorst, SPS Manager of Visual and Performing Arts. “Regional Arts Festivals are a way to highlight this creativity with the broader community, and students have asked for more opportunities to showcase the arts in our district. Come see the show – all are welcome!”

The participating southwest region schools include Arbor Heights Elementary, Chief Sealth International High School, Concord International Elementary, Denny International Middle School, Gatewood Elementary, Highland Park Elementary, Interagency Southwest at Youngstown, Roxhill Elementary, Sanislo Elementary, and West Seattle Elementary.

The Creative Advantage, a citywide initiative to expand equitable access to arts learning for every SPS student, is a coordinated network that includes Seattle Public Schools, the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, the Seattle Foundation, and more than 100 community arts partners. All of this is made possible through a generous grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.