In addition to the 4Culture Doors Open Facilities Grant for Sky Artworks (see our previous post), we are proud to share that we at Third Place Technologies have also received a three-year Sustained Support grant from 4Culture — and that this year our award amount has increased thanks to Doors Open legislation!
In the past two years, Third Place Technologies has evolved into a tale of two cities, supporting mission-driven activities in both Skykomish, Washington and in Capitol Hill, Seattle. We are meaningfully leveraging collaborative spaces, exhibitions, workshops, and events to provide interdisciplinary collaboration opportunities, life-long learning, and public access to innovative art at the intersections of art, tech, design, and civic engagement.
For the next three year, we are very excited this Sustained Support grant will support our following activities:
Sky Artworks (Space in Skykomish, WA). Now starting its fourth year, Sky Artworks is a fully functioning, arts-oriented collaborative makerspace and gallery that provides access to shared resources, specialized equipment and educational workshops, and exhibition opportunities. In the context of a small, rural mountain community, Sky Artworks provides arts and tech access to an otherwise underserved community. In conjunction with our Doors Open Facilities grant, we will be implementing numerous building upgrades that will help us keip the doors open and the lights on!
Electric Sky (Annual Event in Skykomish, WA). Each year Electric Sky brings together artists, technologists, designers, and friends to collaborate in a creative retreat in the woods exploring a theme. For 2023, we explored the interconnectedness of nature, and in 2024 our theme was renewable energy in art. In June of 2025, we will be focusing on kinetic art with the theme “Movin’ IT”!
Passable.Art (Space in Capitol Hill, Seattle). In partnership with our sibling art group Totally Legit, we host monthly pop-up art shows for the Capitol Hill Artwalk at the Passable, an arts-oriented makerspace and collaborative studio in Capitol Hill – exploring leading new technologies in art, such as AI, creative coding, and new electronics.
Other large-scale events: Seattle City of the Future (2023 Event Capitol Hill, Seattle) and Cities of the Future Hackathon (~2025 or 2026). In 2023 we had a unique opportunity in the summer of 2023 to host a month-long, immersive arts experience in Capitol Hill, Seattle asking local artists, designers, and technologists to explore their hopes and aspirations for the future of Seattle. For 2025 or perhaps 2026, we have started early planning to host a similar, intensive, arts-and-tech-oriented hackathon ending with an art show that examines emerging technologies as creative mediums seeking to improve the lived experience.
Again, we want to thank District 3 King County Councilmember Sarah Perry who has been extremely supportive of our endeavors in Sky Artworks, and our King County Executive Dow Constantine and the King County Council as a whole for passing Doors Open unanimously. Particularly for more economically or geographically challenged regions such as the Northeast corner of King County, or historically marginalized LGBTQ+ communities such as found in Capitol Hill, Seattle, support from 4Culture meaningfully affects the scope of arts and culture services we can provide to our target communities.
