Foreword

Documenting a three-year, multi-state collaboration with projects in six widely separated communities was challenging.

Most challenging, however, was the foundational Spirit of the Northwest question: What is community identity and what can be the role of the arts?

The Spirit of the Northwest was designed to encourage local answers to this question to emerge. In a world that usually standardizes process or product requirements, the freedom of the project was a continual challenge to all involved. Most of us, even the most creative leaders, still want at least some of the answers delivered from the teacher at the front of the room.

Throughout, much was learned. Each project team carved a unique perspective on their particular community identity issues into the etchings of both process and product.

Some communities spent all three years building relationships, holding meetings, in discussions. Other communities immediately got their hands dirty: rolled up their sleeves and went to work. The range of results expressed here is an unvarnished answer to the foundational question posed by the Spirit of the Northwest.

Marta Mellinger
Documenter, October, 2000

< Previous Section | Home | Next Section >

The Spirit of the Northwest is a regional partnership project of the Idaho Commission on the Arts, the Oregon Arts Commission and the Washington State Arts Commission, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal Agency. It is made available on the Web as a courtesy by the Community Arts Network. Questions or comments regarding this project can be addressed to Bitsy Bidwell, Community Arts Development Manager, Washington State Arts Commission, P.O. Box 42675, Olympia, WA, 98504-2675, (360) 586-2421 or email bitsyb@arts.wa.gov.