Humanities Washington

Speakers bureau: drawing from a vetted pool of leading cultural experts and scholars, hw's speakers bureau provides conversational lectures that are free and open to the public. Topics are as diverse as the communities they serve, with 39 speakers covering history, politics, music, philosophy, and more. In 2024, over 9,700 people attended 335 presentations. Participants overwhelmingly indicated that events sparked meaningful conversations and helped them consider new perspectives.

Cultural traditions: folklife and traditional arts are expressions of peoples' heritage and are critical to cultural communities' health and well-being. In 2024, hw's heritage arts apprenticeship program served 16 master/apprentice groups, preserving important cultural traditions and providing mentorship and job skills to emerging practitioners. In addition, work began on an archival project that will merge three significant collections of materials documenting decades of washington state's folk and traditional arts, making them accessible to the public.

4d. Other program services: live events engage and inspire audiences with context and new perspectives from scholars on current events; washington state poet laureate builds awareness of and appreciation for the rich legacy of poetry in washington state; and a grants program provides financial resources for citizens to engage with ideas and issues through the lens of the humanities. More information on all programs and accomplishments can be found at www.humanities.org.