THE PROJECT TIMELINE

1996

Initial concept spawned for regional partnership

Representatives from the three Pacific Northwest state arts agencies (Idaho Commission on the Arts, Oregon State Arts Commission and Washington State Arts Commission) and others began discussing the possibilities of a joint regional project to respond to the National Endowment for the Arts' initiative on Leadership Projects in Underserved Areas during the annual Northwest Booking Conference in 1996.

Winter 1996

Community identity issue identified as core theme of project.

In spring 1997, community development directors and agency Executives met to discuss a potential project, and to explore issues rural communities across the Pacific Northwest might be facing in common.

Spring-Fall 1997

Idaho wrote NEA grant

The Spirit of the Northwest grant was written and submitted. $500,000 project.

NEA funds project at one-half projected budget.

Budget and project reworked, the number of project sites cut to six, evaluator eliminated, documenter added.

"I think the title we chose — 'Spirit of the Northwest' — confused folks in the field and took the focus away from how the arts build community identity."
—Bill Flood

Winter-Spring 1997-98

Early regional project planning;
Steering Committee enjoined

Three state community arts coordinators began developing project workplan and timeline, down-scaling initial plans within budget constraints. Developed and distributed 1-page community application to assess community needs, issues, leadership investment.

State, regional and federal partners invited to sit on Steering Committee.

Summer 1998

Participating communities selected; more project framework developed.

Steering Committee involved in community selection process; Oregon and Idaho undertook community assessments in pre-selected sites. Washington distributed community applications across the state. Documenter recruited and hired. Organizing retreat planned.

December 1998

Flying M Ranch: Organizing Retreat.

Six community teams, three state community development directors, one documenter, one artist, one state Economic Development director and five Steering Committee members (2 technical assistance, 2 folk arts, 1 rural development). Discussed: What is community identity? What is Spirit of the Northwest? What are we going to do and how are we going to do it? Presentations and experiential learning: Heart and Soul community mapping, folk arts cultural assessment, worked with clay together, considered use of arts to address persistent community issues, arts as an economic development strategy, community cultural planning.

"I saw the 70 year old (who had lived his entire life in a town in the middle of the Nez Perce reservation) stand up and say that what he'd learned during the retreat was that 'Native Americans show respect by not looking you in the eye' and that he hadn't ever known that in all his years of living."
—from the Flying M Retreat

Winter 1999

Local planning processes developed; community discussions, interviews; partnerships considered; projects identified, proposals written.

Community teams, energized by the Flying M retreat, returned home to work within their communities to discuss their community identity and to brainstorm an arts-based response. A variety of community-involvement strategies developed and were implemented across the six sites. Applications were due in March. Forks was replaced by Republic.

"It was disappointing that Forks couldn't find ongoing, stable leadership. Selecting Republic to replace Forks was a 'gut response' — the state steering committee members were involved, but a widespread application process wasn't."
Bitsy Bidwell, Washington State Arts Commission

May 1999

Community project applications reviewed by Steering Committee; Julie Numbers Smith resigns from Idaho Arts Commission;
Bitsy Bidwell assumes Project Lead.

Spirit Steering Committee met to review project applications and provide suggestions for improvement. Application process not completed, as some projects needed more detail and one state coordinator had provided communities with different instructions from the other two states regarding expected community project outputs.

"We were almost two years into the entire project when we realized that of the three states, Washington had a whole different "take" on the project concept; we were much more focused on the "process" while Oregon and Idaho were looking for a lot more "product". That was a real revelation, one of those gestalt moments."
Donovan Gray, Washington

Kamiah project coordinator resigns from local arts agency.

Summer-Fall 1999

Community project start up and revisions.

Community leaders given application feedback by community development directors and some began implementation; other communities stayed in planning and revisions. Spirit project leadership transition. Kathleen Keys joins Idaho Commission on the Arts staff.

"It has been difficult understanding my exact role both administratively and in my role in guiding (or not guiding) each community...I long for clarity and organization and advice on how to balance experience, accountability, process and product."
—Kathleen Keys, December 1999.

December, 1999

Project Update Meeting, Portland, Oregon.

Teams from White City, Joseph, Republic, Pend Oreille County and Teton Valley plus community development directors, documenter and two Steering Committee. Progress reports, questions and answers, a discussion of obstacles and achievements. Established project calendar January ­ July, 2000 (project wind-down).

March, 2000

Project Mid-Term Progress Report.

Joseph project coordinator resigns; Joseph team redesigns project for fall 2000 implementation.

May 2000

Bear Paw Retreat, Final Project Meeting.

Teams from White City, Pend Oreille County, Republic plus CDCs, documenter and two Steering Committee. Final progress reports, questions and answers, project review and lessons learned discussion. Established project completion expectations.

April ­ June, 2000

Documenter "Lessons Learned" community visits.

Documenter visits all six communities, tours local Project sites, collects local documenting materials, interviews key community members, works with team to build both local project history and synthesize team lessons learned.

July, 2000

Final Community Reports Due;
Reports collected from all completed sites.

July 31, 2000

NEA extension request filed

With Joseph's project redesign for fall 2000, and multiple leadership changes in the Spirit Team, deadline for final reports was pushed back to July 31, leaving limited time for writing of documentation.

Fall, 2000

Documentation written and designed

January 31, 2001

Project Completed

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The Spirit of the Northwest is a regional partnership project of the Idaho Commission on the Arts, the Oregon Arts Commission and the Washington State Arts Commission, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal Agency. It is made available on the Web as a courtesy by the Community Arts Network. Questions or comments regarding this project can be addressed to Bitsy Bidwell, Community Arts Development Manager, Washington State Arts Commission, P.O. Box 42675, Olympia, WA, 98504-2675, (360) 586-2421 or email bitsyb@arts.wa.gov.