09/24/2022
No one was more surprised to learn that One Reel was selected to be honored at the Washington State Governor's Arts & Heritage Awards presentation this fall then we were!
This is both a huge honor and an incredible validation for the work One Reel has accomplished over the past couple of challenging years. Through our ART SAVES ME program, One Reel was among the first organizations to step up to (safely) produce a indoor public exhibit in the fall of 2020 with the COVID HOUSE OF HORRORS, More recently, One Reel found new success though the launch of PUBLIC DISPLAY ( https://publicdisplay.art/ ), the free arts-focused publication we started publishing in 2021 to encourage arts exploration among residents & visitors and to recognize the work of local artists, when they needed it most.
Public Display, in particular, has allowed One Reel to emerge from the pandemic with a renewed purpose, serving as a champion on behalf of Seattle's creative community.
Yet, this award is a well-timed reminder of the lasting legacy that One Reel has left on the Pacific Northwest ever since the organization's inception in 1972 — as a troupe of traveling vaudeville performers who entertained regional audiences from the back of a transformed 1931 Model A truck.
Between then and now, there have been scores of contributors who have made the impossible, possible. The organization's leader, Norm Langill, was the driving force behind One Reel's greatest successes during the lion's share of the last five decades, which included Seattle's iconic Bumbershoot Festival, as well as WOMAD USA, Summer nIghts at the Pier, Teatro Zinzanni, and Family 4th, to name a few.
This well-deserved award recognizes the accomplishments of Norm and the army Samaritans who have contributed to One Reel's legacy over the last five decades and is a fitting tribute to honor One Reel's 50th anniversary of creating magic and memories for Washington residents.
Thank you, Governor Inslee!
