SPOKANE, Wash. — What started as a vision from four neighborhood members has transformed into something bigger, and more welcoming. The Hillyard Creative District is marking its first anniversary as a Washington State–designated Creative District, reflecting on a year of growth with projects and community engagement.
“Celebrating one year of the designation, this is grown on top of a lot of work from generations of folks here in Hillyard,” said Dee Boyle, marketing manager for the Hillyard Creative District.
Since receiving its designation, the district says they tracked a 20% increase in visits to the north Market Street corridor. The average time a person spends there is 88 minutes.
“I’m definitely going to be back and I’m going to bring more of my friends because this place is really cool,” said Federico Brown, a visitor to Hillyard.
The journey to becoming a creative district began with four community members who wanted something greater for Hillyard. The district’s executive director took a pivotal step by joining a federal fellowship focused on creative economies. After the program, the group became one of the state’s designated creative districts. With the help of federal and state funding, Hillyard Creative District worked with the community to create five window art pieces and three murals. Local high schoolers were also invited to participate in the art projects, through a program that introduced them to muralists.
“Spending their summer with local muralists to learn how to become muralists themselves,” Boyle said, describing the youth engagement component of the project.
To celebrate the milestone, the district hosted a special Third Thursday Art Walk, an event welcoming families with games and prizes. There are two more Third Thursday Art Walks left for October and November.
“Those are fun holiday themed months. We’ll be doing some really cool, spooky things come October. Some really great holiday things in November. So, keep an eye out for that,” Boyle said.
The creative district says dozens of volunteers contributed to events throughout the year, and looking ahead, the organization shares a new goal: becoming a nonprofit.
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