Olympia Armory Building Manager Valerie Roberts introduced the eight anchor partners selected to lease long-term spaces in the building and help the city develop business plans for the Armory project.
Through a request for qualifications issued by the city, Roberts said, the local community arts nonprofits had the opportunity to apply for tenancy at the Olympia Armory. A selection committee made up of community representatives then reviewed the applications received.
Following this process, eight nonprofit organizations were identified as potential partners.
At Tuesday's city council study session, Roberts explained that these eight groups were offered the opportunity to enter into contract negotiations for long-term leases – between five to 10 years - at the Armory.
The selected community arts nonprofit groups are:
The Bridge Music Project, led by Bobby Williams, uses music as a tool to support youth development. Through music performance, education, songwriting, and mentorship, the organization works with young people to help them express themselves creatively and build life skills to navigate challenges.
The Bridge Music Project hosts songwriting workshops where youth collaborate on original music. It also provides audio engineering training that is open to all ages. However, the primary focus is serving at-risk youth experiencing hardships like homelessness or time in foster care or juvenile detention.
The Bridge Music Project plans to continue hosting workshops and building a recording studio at the Armory. That will allow consistent access for youth to develop their musical talents. Bobby emphasized his goal of helping the Armory become a welcoming, engaging space for all local youth through the healing power of music.
its mission is to create a safe, empowering space for the LGBTQIA2S+ and BIPOC communities. They seek to uplift, celebrate, heal, and inspire these groups.
Capitol City Pride plans to offer classroom software training programs at the Armory. They will provide access to creative tools like Adobe programs. This is in response to feedback from community surveys. Capitol City Pride also hopes to support LGBTQIA2S+ journalists through access to resources and space for an independent newspaper.
Run by Kelsey Smith for over 12 years, Community Print is a community-supported printmaking studio focused on letterpress printing and collaborations. It started in 1996.
Community Print offers classes, access to its printmaking equipment, and studio space for members.
In 2023, Community Print taught 20 classes from its new location and collaborated with Evergreen and the Girl Scouts.
So far, in 2024, they have taught 13 classes and hosted four collage nights and three events with printmakers from around the region.
Hummingbird Studio is a community program run by Kokua Services that supports individuals with disabilities. Hummingbird Studio believes art belongs to everyone and aims to foster an inclusive, healthy community through creative expression.
At the Armory, Hummingbird Studio plans to host art sessions per week that are open to people of all ages and abilities. They will provide supplies and space for community members to connect through art. Hummingbird Studio also hopes to open a cafe called Hummingbird Cafe at the Armory. This social enterprise will provide job training for people with disabilities while offering coffee to patrons.
Founded 11 years ago by Jeff Barehand to support local filmmakers, who said Oly Film elevates and empowers the creative economy by facilitating, promoting, and producing local films while developing the next generation of filmmakers.
At the Armory, Barehand said, the Oly Film plans to continue its programs by providing educational or training events, hosting screenwriting groups, documentary groups, production groups, networking groups, participating in film competitions, creating monthly podcasts, providing microgrants for film shoots while gaining access to equipment, indoor filming space, and computer.
Lamplighters provides artists with a dedicated space for their work and gallery. It offers classes like drawing sessions for adults. They also partner with local nonprofits to provide art programming for youth.
At the Armory, Olympia Lamplighters aims to continue providing co-working opportunities and art exhibitions and would collaborate closely with other partners.
The PARC foundation will join the Armory partnership by taking an office there. Roberts explained that the foundation supports individual artists in the community through grant opportunities and contracting assistance.
At the Armory, the PARC foundation plans to make their office a thoughtful workspace where artists can connect with other organizations and resources. As a key partner already working closely with the City and Parks Department, the foundation will help link individual artists to opportunities at the Armory and beyond. Their involvement aims to help more community members engage with programming and each other through the creative hub.
At the Armory, TC Media hopes to be a resource and collaborate with other partners. It aims to assist organizations through its expertise in digital media-making.
According to Roberts, the eight selected nonprofit partner organizations will be working with the city staff, Department of Enterprise Services, and Ameresco, contractor for Armory Building Phase 1 construction, by providing input and their perspective and expertise to help guide the design and renovation process.
Roberts presented preliminary floor plans showing how the anchor partners' spaces may be arranged within the Olympia Armory. The top floor layout featured shared classrooms and offices allocated to each organization. The main floor drill hall, kitchen, and conference room were designated for short-term community reservations. Partners were assigned spaces in the basement, including studios, offices, and a shared media classroom. An ancillary building's spaces were planned for TC Media, ceramics programs, and more workshops.
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