The Burien Creative District Committee works in collaboration and strategic partnership with Arts organizations as well as businesses and community stakeholders to research, create and establish a state-designated Creative District within the City of Burien. Creative districts (also called Cultural Districts, or Arts and Culture Districts) are defined as well-recognized, labeled areas of a city, with defined borders, in which a high concentration of cultural facilities and programs serve as the main anchor of attraction. They are a tool that supports economic development to strengthen local economies, create an enhanced sense of place, and deepen local cultural capacity.

For more information about the Burien Creative District, please visit: https://www.buriencreativedistrict.com/

What is a Certified Creative District?

A Creative District is a fun place to live, work, and visit. It's geographically defined area of cultural and economic activity. It's the heart of a community. It is a place for people to gather and enjoy their community's arts and culture.

A district is a place where innovation and creativity can thrive. A place that helps the community move enthusiastically into the future.

How will certification benefit your community?

State certification endorses creative activities in your community. It recognizes the potential for growth. Certification can help you:

• Promote your community's creative identity
• Grow jobs in the creative sector
• Increase tourism and bring new visitors
• Attract artists, start-ups, and creative businesses
• Create opportunities for affordable housing. This may include live/work and maker spaces for artists.
• Boost livability
• Redevelop historic assets in your community

How does ArtsWA support your community?

We provide guidance to communities during and after certification. We are able to provide:

• Specialized resources
• Grant opportunities
• Technical assistance, training, and networking
• Tracked progress of your community's creative economy

Our Land Acknowledgment:
As we gather, we respectfully acknowledge that our event is taking place on occupied Coast Salish land and that Seattle Southside Chamber is on the homelands of the Duwamish people. We pay respect to Coast Salish Elders past and present and extend that respect to their descendants and to all Indigenous people. 

Why do we recognize the land? 
To recognize the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory you reside on and a way of honoring the Indigenous people who have been living and working on the land from time immemorial. It is important to understand the long-standing history that has brought you to reside on the land and to seek to understand your place within that history. Land acknowledgments do not exist in a past tense or historical context: colonialism is a current ongoing process, and we need to build the mindfulness of our present participation. It is also worth noting that acknowledging the land is Indigenous protocol.
http://www.lspirg.org/knowtheland