911 Media Arts Center facts for kids
The 911 Media Arts Center is a special place in Seattle, Washington. It's a non-profit organization that helps people learn about and create with media. Think of it as a creative hub for digital art! The center started on August 14, 1984. Its main goal is to help people use media tools like cameras and computers to express themselves. They do this by offering classes, equipment, and even grants. The center also provides a space for artists who work with new media. It gets money from its members, class fees, and grants from the government and other groups.
History of the Center
The 911 Media Arts Center was first known as the Focal Point Media Center. It officially separated from another art gallery in Seattle called the AND/OR Gallery in August 1984. Some of the people who helped start the center were Anne Focke, Heather Dew Oaksen, Jill Medvedow, and Norie Sato. The center got its name because it was first located at 911 E. Pine Street in Seattle.
The first director of the center was Jill Medvedow, who worked there from 1984 to 1985. She is now a director at a big art museum in Boston. After her, Glenn Weiss was the director from 1986 to 1988. He now manages public art projects in Times Square in New York City. The current director is Steven Michael Vroom, who is an art historian and educator.
Over the years, the 911 Media Arts Center has been in a few different places in Seattle. It was on Yale Street and 9th Avenue. Today, you can find the center at 909 NE 43rd Street, Suite 206. It shares a building with the Jack Straw Foundation. In 2011, the center received a large grant of $50,000 from the Andy Warhol Foundation. This money helped the center grow and offer more programs.
What the Center Offers
The 911 Media Arts Center provides many educational programs. They have classes and workshops for professionals, students, and young people. These classes teach about media literacy, which means understanding how media works. Topics include making videos, recording audio, and even creating art with computer code.
A big part of what the center does is youth education. They work with other organizations like Coyote Central and the Northwest African American Museum. These partnerships help them reach more young people. The center also lets people use its equipment, like cameras and video editing tools. This is very helpful for artists and students who might not have their own gear.
The 911 Media Arts Center also helps with community programs. They work with the City of Seattle and King County, WA to teach about media literacy. They also partner with other local non-profit groups. Some of these include the Seattle Art Museum, the Wing Luke Museum, and the Museum of History and Industry.
Artists and Their Work
Since it started, the 911 Media Arts Center has shown works by many talented filmmakers and video artists. In 1990, a performance artist named Guillermo Gómez-Peña performed at On The Boards in partnership with the center. In 1994, a group called the Northwest Cyber Artists worked with 911 Media Arts Center. They created an exhibit of interactive art at the Seattle Center House. The famous artist Gary Hill has also shown his work at the center several times.
The center also has programs for artists to work there. One artist-in-residence was the director James Longley. He edited his documentary film Iraq in Fragments at the center. This film was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature! Another artist who worked at the center was Margot Knight. Her art has been shown in magazines around the world.
Images for kids
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A former screening room at 911 Media Arts Center in 2006.
