Creative Washington: Growing and Strengthening the Creative Economy
A Strategic Plan for Washington, December 2023
Document Library
Welcome to Creative West’s document library. Here, you will find an extensive collection of our past papers, reports, and archival materials that capture both our history and ongoing contributions to the arts.
2021
2021 Creative Vitality™ Summit Report
The Summit brought together thought leaders and creative economy experts to discuss opportunities and challenges for creative workers and entrepreneurs, as well as building a more community-centered creative economy.
2021
Creative Economies and Economic Recovery: Case Studies of Arts-Led Recovery and Resilience
Our study, developed in partnership with the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, examines the role of creative industries in economic recovery post-crisis, offering insights and strategies for resilience.
2020
Arts + the Rural West Session Report
The Arts + the Rural West convening brought together funding and policy organizations with practitioners to consider future directions for rural arts as a policy priority and practice of the field.
2017
A Future History of Public Art
Convened in Honolulu, Hawai’i in 2017 in collaboration with Forecast Public Art and the Hawai’i State Foundation on the Culture and the Arts, this symposium provided a significant platform for high-level discourse to explore existing challenges alongside emerging strategies for the successful growth of the public art field.
2016
The Status and Future of State Arts Advocacy
Convened in Denver in 2016, this gathering of arts and policy experts focused on the subject of the status and future of state art advocacy.
2016
Communication and Information Management in the Nonprofit Arts
This report contains findings from a survey of arts organizations and arts administrators on the behaviors, protocols, preferences, and perceptions of communication and information use and management.
2014
Creativity and Innovation in Public Education: Areas of Need, Mechanism for Change
This symposium was co-hosted by the California Arts Council and Frank Gehry Partners and convened in Los Angeles in 2014.
2013
Portland: How to Pass an Arts Tax
This report examines the Portland art tax that was passed, overwhelmingly, by voters in 2012 and offers ways Portland may be used as a model for other communities.
2010
Creative Vitality Index: Washington State Arts Commission
In 2005 we teamed with WESTAF and the Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs to establish the Creative Vitality Index (CVI) to help us to understand the context of artistic and creative enterprises, educate the community at large about the creative economy, and inform public policy decision-making about trends and related issues.
2009
Engaging the Now: Arguments, Research, and New Environments for the Arts
Convened in Aspen in 2009, this symposium’s topics included: Developing a new generation of arguments in support of public arts funding and rethinking the structure and scope of state arts agencies, and more!
2009
Listen Local: Research on Music in Denver
WESTAF commissioned and completed an in-depth study of music in Denver as part of a report it prepared for the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs to assess the economic vitality of Denver’s music community.
2008
Perspectives on Cultural Tax Districts
Convened in Seattle in 2008 and sponsored by the Washington State Arts Commission, this symposium featured discussions about the history and formation of cultural tax districts. It focused on the benefits, drawbacks, structure, and impact of cultural tax districts.
Web Services powered by
Creative West
CaFÉ is an online application submission system that strives to make art opportunities available to all by offering arts organizations an affordable submission platform and artists an easy way to apply.
GO Smart is an affordable grants management software that offers pre- and post-application forms, panel reviewing, and data reporting for grantmakers.
The Public Art Archive (PAA) is a free, searchable, and continually growing online database of completed public artworks throughout the U.S. and abroad, with a suite of resources and tools built for managing public art collections.
ZAPP provides art fair and festival administrators with a suite of tools to digitally collect and jury applications, manage booth payments, and communicate with applicants all in one easy-to-use digital platform. Artists can apply to hundreds of shows nationwide through a central website.