About ACW
Art + Culture Week / Seattle is a cultural movement dedicated to making art and creativity accessible to all.
Igniting Seattle's Cultural Landscape
Art + Culture Week is a festival dedicated to uplifting Seattle’s makers and the organizations that define and enrich the city through their work. From September 20-27th, 2025, there will be dance, concerts, exhibitions, storytelling, artist talks, making, film, fashion shows and numerous other ways to come together and connect, as each venue curates a unique experience.
This second annual Art + Culture Week transforms 8 Seattle neighborhoods citywide into dynamic hubs of creative expression. The festival is designed to break down barriers to art, offering free or discounted access to immersive opportunities that invite public participation.
We aim to unifiy, highlight, and support Seattle's Creative Economy, spotlighting both emerging and established artists across all disciplines and fostering inter-disciplinary programming. Art + Culture Week hopes to promote innovation, connect more people to art, and cultivate a stronger sense of shared fate in the art economy of Seattle for years to come.
History
In early 2022, a small group of arts leaders began informally discussing ways to help support, boost, and highlight Seattle’s creative economy, especially in a post-pandemic era.
A. McLean Emenegger of AMcE Creative Arts, Phen Huang of Foster/White Gallery, Elisheba Johnson of Wa Na Wari, Judith Rinehart of J. Rinehart Gallery, and Laura Zeck of Zinc Contemporary mapped out ideas, spoke with other industry leaders about their needs, and hosted discussions and info sessions.
From their findings, they began to conceive of how to best illuminate Seattle’s creative and cultural scene for both visitors and residents. The vision was to create an annual weeklong, event-driven celebration of the city’s visual and performing arts through activations hosted throughout the city.
In late 2022, Art + Culture Week officially became a non-profit with Shunpike as its fiscal receiver. Production plans were put into motion, and a fundraising and sponsorship campaign began in earnest.
Founders A. McLean Emenegger and Phen Huang continue steering the organization as Board Members alongside Artistic Producer, Arielle Simmons, for our second annual celebration September 2025.