Fresh Green

Social Responsibility

The Bumbershoot experience involves community connections between youth and adults, friends and family, and those new to the city and long-time residents—creating a bridge through understanding and nurturing the social ties that underpin our flourishing society.

Arts participation is civic participation—building community, sharing heritage, finding connections, shared learning and mutual understanding.

Bumbershoot’s commitment to our community includes:

• The Bumbershoot Send-a-Kid program where your contribution of just $15 will send an under-served youth from our community, and an accompanying adult, to the Festival to learn, explore and imagine.

• Giving away hundreds of free Bumbershoot tickets to local non-profit organizations as a means to support fundraising activities.

• Lending $30,000 worth of festival production equipment to local community events (including Issaquah Salmon Days, Northwest Folklife, Bite of Seattle and Seattle International Children’s Festival). This equipment is expensive but critical for a successful event. We loan two-way radios, gridmat, dance floor, electrical equipment and other props to local community-building events. In addition to those, One Reel organizes and operates heavy equipment operator certification programs free of charge to anyone in the local festival trade.

• Production of the annual Mayor’s Arts Awards, helping to recognize the creative community we’re fortunate to be a part of. Seattleites nominate individuals or organizations who are actively making a difference in the community through arts and culture. The 2008 nominations closed with 229 nominees! This year’s Mayor’s Arts Awards will take place at Noon on Friday, August 29th. Following the ceremony, Bumbershoot’s visual arts exhibits will open early, for a free pre-Festival preview through 8pm that evening. When the exhibits close at 8pm, Bumbershoot will kick off the 1 Reel Film Festival early with a free special screening of award winning shorts from around the world.

• And of course, with that recognition of local talent, we’re lucky to directly support a host of local artists, musicians, authors and performers, as well as those who contribute to our local community through art curation and education. Bumbershoot 2008 will feature an amazing array of local artists, and programs curated by local organizations that include Theatre Puget Sound, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle International Film Festival, On The Boards, Henry Art Gallery, Gage Academy and Benham Gallery.

• As a Festival focused on the arts and our local community, One Reel looks to local leaders in advisory roles including staff members from venues and organizations such as On The Boards, The Triple Door, Neumo’s, Town Hall, Chop Suey, Seattle International Film Festival, and others.

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