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Art Patch: Healing the Arts Community

Posted Feb 27, 2006

In 2003, Prevention & Wellness Services at Cornish College of the Arts collaborated with the Campus Health Action on Tobacco Study (CHAT Study), a project of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The CHAT Study found a disturbing trend at Cornish: of all surveyed colleges in the Northwest, Cornish held the highest smoking rate.

This data inspired three questions. Why were art students smoking more than other same-age college students?  Was there a relationship between being an artist and being a smoker?  What could Cornish do in cooperation with local tobacco prevention efforts to reduce the smoking rate?
Meanwhile, Big Tobacco, namely Lucky Strike, was using marketing dollars to fund the local arts scene in Seattle.  Artists were paid by Lucky Strike to create new work and the community was infiltrated by subtle tobacco marketing tactics (coasters, napkins, etc.).  Galleries and other art venues became canvassed with the deadly and addictive product.  For example, a local artistic director was the recipient of tobacco funding and generously gifted cartons of cigarettes to provide her dancers. 

To respond, the Tobacco Prevention Program at Public Health collaborated with graphic design students at Cornish College of the Arts to design a new campaign directed against tobacco funding of the arts.  In 2004, Allyson Vanstone (Department Chair) and Claudia Meyer Newman (Design Faculty) organized and mentored a team of five students - Justine Corcorran, Ira Gunawan, Anri Pangestu, Nathan Winkel and Beth Wood.  The team created five exploratory proposals from which the Tobacco Prevention Program selected, “The Patch Project: Healing the Arts Community.”

To launch the campaign, Art Patch volunteers visited the [Lucky-Strike-Funded] Stranger Genius Awards in 2004 and stocked the venue with Art Patch coasters, napkins, stickers, buttons, and other surprise items to raise awareness of tobacco funding of the arts.  The materials directed people to the Art Patch website (http://www.artpatch.org) and as stated by Jennifer Wing (KPLU), the Patch Project was, “...an anti-smoking campaign that (went) beyond bus posters and preachy messages.” 

Since this time, smoking rates at Cornish have dropped by 10% and Art Patch has become an alternative and sustainable funding source for Seattle arts and culture.  Art Patch is on-going project of the Tobacco Prevention Program as well as non-profit organization.  Over the past year, Art Patch has granted thousands of dollars to local artists, musicians, theaters, dancers, spoken word artists, film-makers, publications, events, and venues.  Art Patch has also organized and funded a one-month artist residency opportunity at the Art Patch Gallery, located at the Tashiro Kaplan Building in Pioneer Square, which culminates in a one-night-only event each month during the First Thursday Art Walk. 

Art Patch is a collaborative and community-based organization focused on creating and advocating for sustainable funding for the arts. 

For more information check out www.artpatch.org or drop by the Art Patch Gallery.

Written by Megan Kennedy. Megan is the President of the Board of Directors of Art Patch and the Wellness Program Coordinator at Cornish College of the Arts.

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