02/13/2008: "Westcott Bay Institute Awarded Grant"

The Westcott Bay Institute (WBI) of San Juan Island has been awarded a two-year $20,000 grant from the Norcliffe Foundation in Seattle. The grant will support the WBI Arts Education Programs

The award is in recognition of the Institute’s continuing efforts in arts education, and supports its Family Art Days, Artists in Action, and Adult Workshops programs for 2008.

The award is granted in two parts; the first part was received in December 2007 and the second will be received in December 2008.

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The Institute’s popular arts education activities take place throughout the summer months: Family Art Days is a series of free drop-in workshops held every Saturday during the summer, where children and their families can create a work of art to take home, under the guidance of well-known local artists.

Artists in Action is the Institute’s semi-annual residency program for sculptors, showcasing up to twelve regional artists who demonstrate their craft and give presentations about the history of their art, how they began as artists, and what inspires and motivates them.

Adult Workshops (15 workshops last year) give beginning and intermediate aspiring artists a chance to learn from the masters. Generally geared for people aged 16 and up, these one- and two-day workshops are held on weekends from May through September, with faculty that consists of prominent artists from the San Juan Islands and the Pacific Northwest, including Tom Small, Don Latimer, Susan Bennerstrom, David Ridgway, and others.

In 2007, 1,151 people spent Saturday afternoons at the Sculpture Park for Family Art Days, 100 students attended 15 Adult Workshops, and approximately 2,100 people took part in the two Artists in Action series in spring and fall.

“This is the first grant the Institute has received from the Norcliffe Foundation and we would like to thank them for their generosity,” says Nina LeBaron, President of the Institute’s Board of Directors.

“This grant allows us to provide these wonderful programs for youth and adults that would otherwise not be available. Since we are in a rural island environment in the Puget Sound area, it is so vital to be able to provide this art exposure to our community and visitors alike. We rely on these types of grants to fund these important educational programs in arts & culture, that improve the quality of life by making the visual arts easily accessible.”

Founded in 2001, the Westcott Bay Institute for Art & Nature is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve and protect the natural beauty of the San Juan Islands for the benefit of the public by providing educational opportunities that focus on the arts, culture and the environment.

The Institute operates the Westcott Bay Sculpture Park at the 19-acre Westcott Bay Environmental Reserve, as well as the Island Museum of Art in downtown Friday Harbor, which features rotating exhibits by local and regional artists.

For more information about the Institute and its programs, please contact the Institute at edu@westcottbay.org or 360.370.5050.