Eight local arts nonprofits selected as tenants for Olympia’s Armory Creative Campus
The City of Olympia is in the process of transforming the historic Olympia Armory into a creative campus to better support the arts and local artists. Now, officials have selected eight arts nonprofits to move into the building and serve as anchor tenants.
A committee created by city officials selected The Bridge Music Project, Capital City Pride, Community Print, Kokua Services/Hummingbird Studio, Olympia Film Collective, Olympia Lamplighters, the PARC Foundation, and TCMedia.
According to a news release from the City of Olympia, the eight nonprofits were selected because they each have a strong track record in community arts education and training. They will relocate their operations to the site with a long-term lease once the building reopens after construction.
The grand opening is slated for 2026.
According to the city, anchor partners will be expected to help create spaces for gatherings and events, host arts classes and creative experiences for the public, and more, while keeping in mind the historic aspects of the building.
Anchor partners will help bridge barriers to access and work with the city on ways to provide affordable artist live/work spaces in the future.
Anchor partners also will help the city design the campus.
Anchor partner background
▪ The Bridge Music Project is a Thurston County nonprofit whose mission is to use music, mentorship and community to give youth the tools to express themselves that they’ll carry with them throughout their lives.
▪ Capital City Pride’s mission is to create a safe and empowering stage to uplift, celebrate, heal and inspire the LGBTQIA2S+ and BIPOC community while being environmental stewards, and while creating relationships with local businesses to boost the local economy and more.
▪ Community Print is a letterpress studio that works mostly with reclaimed materials. It offers introductory and specialty classes.
▪ Kokua Services provides supported living for adults with disabilities in Thurston County. Kokua’s Hummingbird Studio was created from the belief that art is an essential part of the human experience and critical to a healthy, vibrant community, its website says. The art program currently has 11 sessions four days a week where people work independently or with minimal support to express themselves through art.
▪ Olympia Film Collective is an open community of South Sound filmmakers. According to the nonprofit’s website, members benefit from the collective talents and resources of its contributors to create professional productions that reflect the beauty and vibrancy of the Northwest.
▪ Olympia Lamplighters is a nonprofit art gallery and coworking space that specializes in providing space and resources for artists and creators, according to its website. The nonprofit has a recording booth for audio artists, desks, a resource library, and workshops and classes for the public.
▪ The PARC Foundation is a Thurston County nonprofit that is dedicated to preserving green spaces, while also making them more accessible. The foundation works to develop and maintain financial resources to leave a legacy of Parks, Arts, Recreation and Culture programs for present and future Thurston County residents.
▪ TCMedia was Thurston County’s sole public broadcast station until the end of 2023. The nonprofit manages the county’s public access channel, channel 22. Volunteers with the nonprofit also help the public and local jurisdictions with training, consulting, tech support and more to produce broadcast programs.
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