by Molly Walsh
[Also read: Nonprofit Anchor Partners Set to Begin Olympia Armory Project’s Creative Campus – Part One by Molly Walsh, published September 29, 2024.]
At the heart of the Draft Vision, Mission and Values for the Olympia Armory, are the principles of community access, the pursuit of learning and working together, especially with the arts. One way the Armory plans to immerse the local creative community is through eight nonprofit anchor partners who are set to become long-term tenants of the Armory when the building is projected to open in 2026. The eight anchor partnerships were officially announced in February of this year. The lineup consists of The Bridge Music Project, Capital City Pride, Community Print, Kokua Services/Hummingbird Studio, Olympia Film Collective, Olympia Lamplighters, the PARC Foundation, and Thurston Community Media.
Each anchor partner is set to have its devoted area inside the Armory or on the Armory grounds, taking on spaces that will best accommodate their operations, whether for administration, art studios or classrooms. These partnerships are intended to provide a greater sense of consistency for the nonprofit anchor partners, including through multi-year leases and more reasonable rent. According to Valerie Roberts, building manager for the Armory, the support offered through this anchor partnership model is also intended to help nonprofit partners have an even greater reach in the community.
For the Kokua Services program, Hummingbird Studio, this access to a long-term lease and a devoted, customizable home base will ease a significant burden. Randi Miller, community programs director for Kokua Services, said that when Hummingbird Studio was returning to in-person operations after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, rental costs in Olympia were high, and it has been a challenge to find a consistent space to house the studio.
Hummingbird Studio is currently in a communal space at Friendship Hall inside the Olympia YWCA, offering an open art studio multiple days a week, where community members from all walks of life can gather to make art, chat, and celebrate each individual’s creative talents.
With the help of Roberts, Miller has already felt a growing sense of community between the anchor partners and is looking forward to the expanded opportunities that regular visitors of Hummingbird Studio will have to interact with different artistic mediums inside the Armory.
When the Armory opens to the public, Miller said, Hummingbird Studio will continue to offer inclusive spaces to create art at no cost to community members, with additional opportunities to expand hours of operation, resurrect past programming options that were geared toward families, and offer new programming during evening hours. Another exciting venture for Hummingbird Studio will be the Hummingbird Cafe, a coffee shop in the lower level of the Armory that Miller said will also serve as employment preparation for community members with disabilities.
In addition to programming offered directly through the anchor partners, Roberts, said there will be multiple portions of the Armory property, including the spacious drill hall, conference room and kitchen space that community members and local organizations will be able to use for creative festivals or other special events.
As the Armory prepares to undergo construction for vital health, safety, and accessibility-related fixes at the start of 2025, many of the anchor partners are already plotting how to make best use of their space inside the Armory. The partners plan to use the space in a myriad of ways, with some anchor partners planning to operate direct programming from the Armory. Other organizations may have a smaller footprint, and use the space partially for administrative support that will help them to further carry out their mission in the region. But a common thread that ties each anchor partner is an aim to cultivate a welcoming environment for visitors and to be of service to the community.
Community Print is looking forward to a slightly expanded space in the lower level of the Armory that will allow for increased efficiency and flexibility, especially for community events such as workshops. In Community Print’s current home, space to host workshops is limited, but inside the Armory, including through communal spaces, there is hope that the organization will be able to accommodate more workshop attendees at one time. Another anchor partner, Thurston Community Media, is considering which of their many community offerings will initially take place at the Armory, including possibly the organizations youth media program, a number of media-related courses, as well as administrative space.
The Bridge Music Project employs the transformative power of music, including music as a resource to help young community members navigate hardship. Bobby Williams is at the helm as Executive Director, and is excited about upgraded facilities in the future space, including the construction of a recording studio, ability to potentially expand programming, and opportunities for collaboration.
Ashley Chandler, board president for the PARC Foundation, said that a core part of the foundation’s mission is to strengthen local parks, arts and recreation opportunities across Thurston County, and this backing can take on many different forms, including collaboration with local park divisions or community nonprofits. The PARC Foundation initially became interested in anchor partnership because of the potential for a dedicated and easy-to-access base inside the Armory, where the foundation can create much-needed office, administrative, and meeting space. Chandler said this can help streamline operations and collaboration with community organizations.
With a home inside the Olympia Armory, there is also a built-in connection to the local art scene, which can potentially help the organization to even better identify and meet public demand.
Through anchor partnership, Chandler is looking forward to seeing the positive impact that this dedicated art space will have for fellow anchor partners. “I’m really excited to just see those organizations get the resources that they need, especially in terms of space and the ability to expand their opportunities to fun their mission,” said Chandler. “Because I think that when they succeed, we all succeed.”
WHAT
Armory Creative Campus Concept
WHERE
515 Eastside St SE, Olympia
LEARN MORE
https://engage.olympiawa.gov/help-name-these-future-parks-facilities