This Framework will guide our work through 2026. It was designed to be responsive, forward-thinking, flexible, and grounded in our values. It called for us to revisit our mission statement, create our first-ever vision statement, and encourages us to build the relationships, resources, culture, and infrastructure necessary to make this happen. Read Artist Trust’s mission, vision, and values at artisttrust.org/about.
Our Strategic Framework was made possible thanks to the support and partnership of our community. We are grateful that we get to learn and grow with you by our side. To support this work, visit artisttrust.org/donate.
Process
The Framework is the result of the collective work of hundreds of members of the Artist Trust community, including artists, partners, staff, committee members, and our Board of Trustees. Foundational to this process was a racial equity audit by AV Consulting and an artist-led process to create new organizational values completed in 2021. Our planning process was developed by a work group of board and staff, with three strategic areas defined during an organization-wide retreat held at Seattle Art Museum in September 2022. Feedback was collected through focus groups, conversations, program evaluation, and surveys, and drafts were fine-tuned in collaboration with artists and community members. The resulting Framework was finalized and approved by the Board of Trustees in May 2023, with a revised mission and vision approved at our annual organizational retreat in Tieton, Washington in September 2023.