PORT TOWNSEND — Ownership of the Port Townsend Creative District will be transferred from the Port Townsend Main Street program to the city of Port Townsend.
While Main Street has overseen the creative district since its formation in May 2020, transferring it to a permanent administrator was always part of the plan, Executive Director Mari Mullen said.
“PT Main Street has done an exemplary job of truly being the nursery and incubator of the creative district,” said Melody Sky Weaver, the city’s community services director.
The creative district will find its home in the community services department, Sky Weaver said.
The district, which encompasses historic downtown and uptown as well as Fort Worden, was the fifth in the state to be designated, Sky Weaver said.
“We wanted to be earlier than that, but we tried to claim that our entire city was a creative district,” Sky Weaver said. “The state wanted us to firm up our boundaries.”
There are at least 18 creative districts statewide, as listed on the state art commission’s website.
Mullen said the creative district’s goal is to support visual, literary, performing and culinary arts as well as makers and artist services.
“The goal is to connect artists with audiences,” she said. “To sustain a vibrant year-round arts economy.”
Among its successes, the creative district has organized Soundcheck Arts Festival in recent years. It also has increased branding for the Port Townsend Art Walk and created an artist directory, where artists can be found or find each other, Mullen said.
Wayfinding art markers have been installed throughout the district, made by artist Jonah Trople, Mullen said.
Sky Weaver said the city hopes to install highway signs, saying Port Townsend has a creative district.
The creative district prepared an arts and culture plan with AdvisArts Consulting, Mullen said. Released early in 2024, the 42-page document includes near-term and long-term goals.
“We won the economic sustainability award for the arts and culture creative district plan from the Washington State Main Street Program,” Mullen said.
The creative district program is designated through ArtsWa, Washington’s state arts commission.
Tuesday’s city council meeting agenda included an email from ArtWa’s creative district program manager, Annette Roth, showing support for the transition to city ownership.
“I want to commend you (Mullen), Kris (Nelson), and your entire team for your excellent stewardship of the Creative District these past several years,” Roth wrote. “You have done great work to create a strong, sustainable district, and you should be proud of all that you have accomplished. I have enjoyed working with you all, and look forward to seeing how the district will evolve with the City as the administrator.”
In addition to annual check-ins with the commission, the Port Townsend Creative District has to reapply for its status every five years, Sky Weaver said.
Also on the to-do list for the near future is hiring an arts and culture coordinator for the city, Sky Weaver said. In the council meeting, she thanked the city’s Lodging Tax Advisory Committee for contributing to funding the role.
Sky Weaver said that work will fall on her shoulders in the meantime. In the case that the city has any staffing issues for whatever reason in the future, the district’s output is scalable, she said.
The job is posted on the city’s website, https://cityofpt.applicantpool.com/jobs/1181649.html.
“The other thing I just want to state is how exciting it is for us to offer another living-wage job to someone in the creative sector,” Sky Weaver said. “That we are able to provide that in Port Townsend feels very significant.”
Council member Owen Rowe was on the city’s arts commission when ArtsWa approached the city about the idea of a creative district about seven years ago, he said.
“ArtsWa reached out to Port Townsend and said, ‘We’re thinking of starting lobbying the Legislature to create a creative district program for the state of Washington,” Rowe said. “They knew at that point that any creative district program in Washington, Port Townsend has to be included.”
The agenda item before the creative district ownership transfer also involved Port Townsend Main Street. The council passed a motion to authorize City Manager John Mauro to execute a transfer of ownership of Tyler Plaza’s lighting project and a bike shelter project from PT Main Street to the city.
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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@sequimgazette.com.
