Americans for the Arts Honors Constantine for Steadfast Commitment to the Arts

Friday, July 22, 2016

Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, in partnership with the National Association of Counties (NACo), will present the 2016 Public Leadership in the Arts Award for County Arts Leadership to Dow Constantine of King County, Washington, on Sunday, July 24, 2016 at the NACo annual conference in Long Beach, California.

Constantine has been an avid supporter of arts and culture for his entire political career in King County, not just through words of support, but in actions that have enhanced the position of the arts and culture as a critical element of a healthy society, a key part of King County’s economic development strategy. 

In June of 2015, Constantine announced a partnership between the county and 4Culture to back a $28 million bond—to 100 arts and cultural organizations—financed through future lodging taxes to support cultural capital projects in every corner of the county, to include new cultural facilities, as well as expanded, preserved, and improvements to existing ones. It is the largest investment in arts and culture ever undertaken by King County. The county and 4Culture further agreed to finance a $1 million investment in equity and inclusion to provide financial support to organizations of, by, and for people of color. The application process will begin in July of this year. 

The full press release is available here.