Sharing our stories. Strengthening our communities.

Get Excited About What's New in 2024!

Join us for a monthly series beginning in January

Do you wish your creative process wasn't isolated from other artists and ideas? Do you feel unsupported, uninspired, or artistically unmotivated, especially since the pandemic? We hear you!

Come learn from and with other artists. Work on a creative project, build skills in your chosen artistic practice and gain insight from other creatives during your process.

Window Seat is hosting a space to support community members engaging in creativity. Bring a storytelling project in your chosen medium that you want to work on in a group setting - memoir-writing, poetry, script-writing, composing, painting, audio editing, collaging, cross-stitch, or something else. Sessions will have a mix of dedicated creative work time and peer-to-peer process sharing guided by Window Seat hosts. “Salon” time features an artist-narrator to share about their own creative process. We’re partnering with local practicing artists and cohort members of our oral history projects for featured artist-narrators. “Shop” time focuses on creative process work. We’ll ground ourselves in six fundamental questions of artistic expression:

• EVIDENCE - What do you know and how do you know it?
• PERSPECTIVE – Whose viewpoint is being presented or represented?
• CONNECTIONS – How does this connect to anything else?
• SUPPOSITION – What if things were different?
• RELEVANCE – Why is this important?
• TRANSITION – What’s next?

Where and When
The series is on the second Tuesday of the month from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. beginning in January at YWCA Friendship Hall, 220 Union Ave SE, Olympia, WA 98501, the building next to the YWCA. Friendship Hall is a space stewarded by our partner for the series, The Liberation Collective.

Why this? Why now?
Our goal is to support our community's capacity to tell our own stories. We are all knowledge-holders. When we create opportunities to cultivate collective wisdom through intergenerational conversations and peer-to-peer sharing, we can more readily tackle the challenges of today and imagine the possibilities of tomorrow.

Cost
This series is free and by donation, because we believe access to arts and humanities programming is a human right. We encourage community members to join our Friends of Community Storytelling Program. Become a "subscriber" by committing to a recurring donation for as little as $5 monthly to show your support of our access-for-all community programming.

‍SUBSCRIBE NOW

Upcoming Playback Theatre Worksho

Stories of Bravery: Improv for Young Adults

For people 18-25 interested in community-building, leadership, and learning how to use theatre for social change.

Come join Brave Practice, a community resource for storytelling and deep listening.

• Sunday, January 21, from noon to 3 p.m.
• ASHHO Cultural Community & Job Training Center, 5757 Littlerock Rd SW #4, Tumwater, WA 98512, across from Costco in Tumwater
• FREE to the community with delicious food provided by ASHHO

What does bravery mean to you? When have you practiced bravery in your everyday life, in big and small ways?

No previous theatre experience is necessary to participate! This opportunity is open to community members who can actively participate and benefit from this experience in a community setting. Email us if you have questions about whether this workshop will be a good fit for you.

Cost
This workshop is supported by an Arts in Education grant from ArtsWA, with the goal of enriching local arts offerings and accessible community programming. Community donations are gladly accepted to support the continuation of this program. We encourage those who are able to make a contribution to support our ability to make this offering accessible to all.

Please register ahead of time if you are able so that we can determine how much food is needed.

Questions? Accommodation requests? Email meg@windowseatmedia.org.

Register Now

Save the Date!

Community Roots Oral History Project Exhibit Opening

Thursday, February 8, 2024 | 5 - 7:30 p.m.
Olympia Timberland Library

Give Local Thank You!

We raised almost $3,500 with 29 donors

Thanks to your generous contributions, we are able to keep cultivating local oral history and community storytelling!

There's still time to make your year-end gift!

‍Donate

Food for Thought

stories, projects, events, and works we love

Dr. Thelma Jackson will be at United Churches of Olympia, 110 Eleventh Ave SE, Olympia, on December 9, 2023, 2pm-4pm, to talk about and sign her book, Blacks in Thurston County, Washington: 1950 to 1975: A Community Album.

Dr. Jackson is a long-time resident of Thurston County, as well as a well-known community leader.  She has spent her life challenging the status quo. Whether through teaching, advocating for policy changes related to social justice in all aspects of society, particularly education, or guiding and mentoring people of all ages. She is past Chair and currently serves on the City of Lacey Commission on Equity.

Blacks in Thurston County is a collection of 55 short biographies about Black people who came to Thurston County between 1950 and 1975. The book is published by the Northwest Institute for Leadership and Change.