During his long career in politics, Governor Inslee has been very clear about his love and respect for the arts, and specifically his support for the Washington State Arts Commission and for K-through-12 arts education.

Governor Inslee values public funding of the arts and the role and impact that public investment in grants to artists and arts organization have on communities throughout the state. This is especially true when considering the many smaller and more rural communities across the wide expanse of his state. Governor Inslee was an early supporter of a Creative District Certification program that he signed into law in 2018. The program leverages arts and culture to generate economic activity in local communities.

Governor Inslee also brought his arts leadership to the national level by facilitating sessions on arts and culture at the National Governors Association. From the arts as an economic engine to understanding the importance of arts education as integral to the development of 21st century skills and to creative healing for our returning military and veterans, Governor Inslee has inspired many governors to also be a strong champion of the arts and culture.

In fact at the 2018 meeting of the NGA, Governor Inslee unveiled a recent painting he made himself, titled “Bear in the Woods” and announced that he was going to auction it off to support arts education programming at Americans for the Arts. He stated, “Art helps teach our children to think creatively and critically about our communities and the ways we shape them. I’m honored to support arts education for students across the country.”

Then last year, Governor Inslee paired up with former Washington State House Speaker and Tacoma Mayor Brian Ebersole for a month-long art show, entitled “Nonp(art)isan” at a gallery in downtown Tacoma, in which they each showcased 15 works of art. This is a governor who always has his paintbrush, and his support for the arts at the ready!