About The Ellensburg Arts Commission

About...

The Ellensburg Arts Commission was established in 1980 for the purpose of appropriately advising the city council and staff regarding the furtherance of performing and/or visual arts within the city for the benefit of both the local public and visitors and tourists whom the city desires to attract.

The seven-member Arts Commission is to

  • The Arts Commission operates under the authority of Chapter 1.33 of the City Code and its purpose is to:
  • Advise, consult, and make recommendations to the City Council on matters pertaining to the performing, literary, and visual arts
  • Encourage and promote art activities of individuals, organizations, and government agencies in the City
  • Formulate and recommend to Council strategic plans for an arts advancement program for the City
  • Provide leadership and advocacy for the arts and artists
  • Manage, build, and maintain the city's public art collection

In November 2019, the City Council approved the Ellensburg Arts Commission Arts Policy. It provides the foundation for the mission, vision, core values and focus areas for the work of the Commission (EAC) in addition to Chapter 1.33 of the City of Ellensburg Code.

Meetings

  • 4:00 pm
  • Second Thursday of each month
  • City Council Conference Room 
         501 N. Anderson Street 
         Ellensburg, WA 98926
  • Commission does not meet in July
  • Via Zoom

To search agendas or subscribe to agendas, review these instructions.

Agendas & Minutes

Members

There are seven Arts Commission members, which are not required to be City residents. There is one non-voting City Council liaison to the commission. Members of the Arts Commission serve four-year terms. The current Commission members are:

  • Courtney Blackstock, term expires May 31, 2026 
  • Jerald Dougherty, term expires May 31, 2025
  • Alex Eyre, term expires May 31, 2025
  • Jeffrey Snedeker, term expires May 31, 2026 
  • Jill Scheffer, term expires May 31, 2027
  • Erin Oostra, term expires May 31, 2025
  • Brian Kooser, term expires May 31, 2025

David Miller is the current City Council liaison to the commission.

Responsibilities

The Arts Commission operates under the authority of Chapter 1.33 of the City Code and is responsible for:

  • Advising the City Council on matters concerning performing and visual arts
  • Encouraging and promoting art activities of individuals, organizations, and government agencies in the City
  • Formulating and recommending to Council an arts advancement program for the City

Additional Information

For more information, please contact Kelle Vandenberg, the Arts Commission contact, at (509) 962-7149. You may also visit the Ellensburg Arts webpage.