The candidate answered a survey about the importance of the arts.
| Janice Zahn | ||
| Please rate your interest in the arts | Very interested | |
| What arts activities have you and/or your family attended, participated in, or supported during the past year? Check all that apply. | ||
| Music | music | |
| Theater | theater | |
| Broadway Shows | broadway shows | |
| Opera | ||
| Dance | dance | |
| Visual | ||
| Film | film | |
| Poetry | ||
| Creative Writing | ||
| Photography | photography | |
| Folk Arts | ||
| Other | ||
| Did you or your children participate in any of the above “arts” activities while in school? | yes | |
| Are you a season subscriber or a member at any local arts organizations? | no | |
| Please give the top three reasons the arts important to you, your family, and/or your community. | ||
| Provide entertainment | ||
| Encourage creativity | 1 | |
| Create a sense of community | 3 | |
| Advance understanding | 2 | |
| Support civic engagement | ||
| Promote cultural heritage | ||
| Draw tourism | ||
| Attract a high quality workforce | ||
| Drive economic development | ||
| Complete a well-rounded education | ||
| How familiar are you with the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA) and its programs? | Some knowledge | |
| The arts create jobs and produce tax revenue, stimulate business activity, attract tourism revenue, and help businesses attract and retain a quality work force. | Strongly agree | |
| The arts are an appropriate concern of state government and should be publicly funded. | Strongly agree | |
| Public art improves and enhances public spaces and should be publicly funded. | Strongly agree | |
| Basic education funding must include sufficient and equitable resources for all core subjects, including the arts. | Strongly agree | |
| The benefits of arts education should be equitably provided to all Washington students. | Strongly agree | |
| Can you describe an instance in which you’ve observed an impact of arts learning? | After two years in a coop preschool where free play and arts was the foundation for play and learning, we were surprised by the lack of arts learning in public education. When my daughter was in kindergarten in the Bellevue public schools, there was no budget to provide arts education. A group of parents (myself and my husband included) would volunteer weekly in the classroom to provide an arts learning activity. I saw the impact on promoting creativity with the kids through art and the gap in their education if parents had not stepped up to provide this. I led two Girl Scout troops, one of which had been together since kindergarten. The girls even when in high school will fondly recall the arts projects they participated in. I believe the arts promotes a growth mindset and spurs creativity and innovation, important traits in all of us. |