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THE ARTERY A Seattle Theatre Collective The Artery is a theater co-operative comprised of ten theater organizations from the Seattle area. The primary mission of The Artery is the acquisition and management of viable and dedicated performance spaces on behalf of our member theaters. Through a co-operative effort and a combined voice of advocacy, The Artery will provide its members not only with a dedicated theater facility, but also increased visibility within the community, and a creative and supportive environment conducive to growth and maturation. THE ARTERY MODEL Our model is based on a concentric circle metaphor, in the spirit of a true co-operative. Our member organizations form the Member Board, a body which determines the course and policies of the organization. In addition to the Member Board, there is also a Community Board of Directors, and a Steering Committee, comprised of the original founding members of The Artery. The Steering Committee serves to facilitate communication between the member groups and the board, and between The Artery as a whole and the community. The Community Board is charged with fund raising, public relations, and the development of relationships with allies in the community. AN INCUBATOR In addition to addressing the critical issues surrounding the loss of viable performance spaces in Seattle, The Artery will encourage powerful collaborations between our member organizations, and create new art as a collective while nurturing each group individually. The health of the Seattle theater community depends on the health of companies making the transition from the fringe level to mid-sized independence. As our companies mature and perhaps acquire their own space(s) in the future, Artery will be ready to accept new, developing theaters into its membership. GOALS Primarily, we exist to acquire and manage new and existing spaces for the purpose of creating dedicated and viable performance spaces for our membership. To this end, there is much more work to be done. The Artery has identified not only the need for one dedicated performance space in this area, but for many. It is the considered opinion of our membership that there is less performance space in Seattle than can support the number of companies they cater to. In addition, we are currently in negotiations with developers and community leaders for the acquisition and management of additional spaces including: shop space, administrative offices, rehearsal space, etc. Once The Artery member theaters are producing in cooperative performance spaces, we are committed to expanding the collaborative environment of The Artery to provide:
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