Mayor Greg Nickels announced that Longhouse Media is one of seven recipients of the fifth annual Mayor’s Arts Award. The Mayor’s Arts Awards recognize the contributions made by artists, arts and cultural organizations and community members who make a difference through arts and cultural activities. Mayor Nickels recognized the non-profit Indigenous organization for its innovative and inspiring youth program, Native Lens. Longhouse Media is the only Indigenous organization to receive the award.
“Seattle artists and cultural organizations enhance our quality of life, they inspire, engage and contribute to our economic well being,” said Nickels. “This year’s award recipients reflect the diversity and extraordinary artistic achievement throughout the city, ranging from arts education to the literary and visual arts to jazz, film and hip hop.” Longhouse Media’s Native Lens program teaches Native youth not only how to make films but how to collaboratively tell stories that challenge stereotypes about Native Americans while bridging a gap between Native youth and digital media. In addition to providing life skills, alternative education and career development in the media field, this program offers youth an opportunity to express the stories they want to tell while giving back to their communities. Longhouse Media was launched in January 2005 by Executive Director Tracy Rector and Artistic Director Annie Silverstein with the support of the Swinomish Indian Tribe. It houses the Native Lens program, which got its start in 2003 in the Swinomish Tribal Community. Since its inception, Native Lens has reached youth across the country and around the world. In just over two short, dynamic years Longhouse Media has introduced hundreds of students – many who come from low-income and at-risk backgrounds – to the art of writing and filmmaking. Much of Longhouse’s success hinges on partnerships with regional tribes, funding agencies and other nonprofit organizations. In a partnership between Longhouse Media and the Seattle International Film Festival, Longhouse produced the first youth Superfly Filmmaking Experience in Seattle. Superfly is an exciting 36-hour challenge where youth from around the country come to Seattle to plan, write, shoot and edit four complete films. The resulting production is screened at SIFF to an audience of 850 film-goers. With a mission to catalyze indigenous people and communities to use media as a tool for self-expression, cultural preservation, and social change, Longhouse Media’s Native Lens program is one of a handful of programs across the nation that focuses specifically on empowering Native youth via film and digital media.
The recipients will be honored at the Mayor’s Arts Awards ceremony, noon, Friday, Aug. 31 at Seattle Center’s Northwest
Court.
Jamie Donatuto
