About The Port Townsend Creative District
Established in 2020 as part of the Washington State Arts Commission’s Creative District program, the Port Townsend Creative District recognizes and supports the breadth and diversity of art in our community. Port Townsend has a rich history of creative pursuits, with world-class visual, literary, performing, culinary artists, makers, and arts organizations. From traditional wood crafts to internationally-recognized authors, chefs, musicians, and playwrights, there’s never a lack of experiences to be found in Port Townsend.
The Creative District’s geographic footprint includes the Downtown and Uptown historic districts as well as Fort Worden, a state park that is home to many cherished arts and culture organizations including Centrum, Northwind Art, Madrona MindBody Institute, Copper Canyon Press, Port Townsend Marine Science Center, Port Townsend School of Woodworking, Corvidae Press, Rainshadow Recording, and KPTZ Radio and others. While the boundaries of the Creative District comprise these areas of concentrated commercial and creative activity, its resources and programs are designed to serve the entire community.
A key goal of the Creative District is to support a thriving year-round economy for artists. Six focus areas include:
VOICE
Strengthen the role and voice of the creative sector in City of Port Townsend and Jefferson County public and private sectors to achieve community goals and ensure Port Townsend’s identity as a vibrant arts community
WORK
Support jobs, paid project work, and workforce training opportunities that reinforce key Creative District Arts and Culture Plan goals and build a stronger future as an arts community
AWARENESS
Expand and coordinate communication and marketing to build awareness and access for creatives and audiences in three dimensions: (A.) creative to creative information sharing, (B.) creative to marketplace opportunities, and (C.) arts marketplace opportunities reaching residents and visitor audiences
RESOURCES
Provide creatives with exemplary resources to help them thrive professionally and enrich the Creative District and Port Townsend community
COLLABORATION
Link together existing arts and cultural events and activities in the Creative District and experiment with new endeavors to amplify impact for artists and audiences
SPACE
Encourage and incentivize use of physical space in the Creative District for creative endeavors, expanding opportunities for artists and artisans and increasing access for audiences
