Art Chowder November | December, Issue 18 | Page 61

T he SVAC Arts Preview would not have been possible without the support of businesses and non- profit organizations. The Spokane Symphony Labor Day Concert’s major sponsors, Innovia Foundation, the city staff of Liberty Lake, Kiwanis and Friends of Pavillion Park were essential in making this happen. We are looking forward to growing this event and including more representatives in the future. REGIONAL REPORT SPOKANE VALLEY ARTS COUNCIL The Spokane Valley Arts Council’s first collaboration with the community of Liberty Lake occurred in 2016 when Liberty Lake council member Daniel Dunne made a PowerPoint presentation to the council for help with organizing the Liberty Lake Community Flag Project. The SVAC wrote and received grants from Itron and Spokane Teachers Credit Union, along with vast support of business donations, to administer a flag design contest. We prepared an entry-form narrative with supporting materials based on North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) criteria that nationally rates the effectiveness of city flags. Contestants included an artist description showcasing the geography, history, culture — and any other elements the artist was able to use to produce their entry. The SVAC adjudicated the top 15 entries and guided the design process with assistance from employees of Itron and STCU. Over 100 entries were received from students and adults with the top three final entries each receiving a prize of 300 dollars. The Liberty Lake City Council and Liberty Lake municipal agency members chose the winner of the contest from the three semi- finalists — Rebekah Wilding of Liberty Lake was selected as winner. She stated the design “Symbolizes the mountains that surround Liberty Lake and the silhouette of the historic pavilion. The lines of blue reflect Liberty Lake. The green is for the parks, golf courses and open spaces throughout the community. The crown of the Statue of Liberty is inspiration and also symbolizes the activities and recreation the city provides, especially in the summer.” Her winning design was made into flags that were distributed to all the companies that donated to the project and now proudly fly over the municipal buildings. Liberty Lake Kiwanis is currently administering the selling of flags to the public. SVAC maintains on-going art exhibits in CenterPlace and the main branch of the Spokane Valley Library. These exhibits include local amateur and professional artists, area high school students, and loaned art work from private collections. SVAC has shown support for the Inland Northwest Dance Association, which puts on a yearly free event, DanceFest, showcasing the talents of performing artists of all ages and abilities at Spokane Community College on the first Saturday in March. SVAC is currently looking for energetic and involved community members to join our board of directors. For consideration please contact us: [email protected] November |December 2018 61