advisarts associates

In order to respond to the unique needs of each client we assemble project teams to ensure a customized and dynamic approach for every project. We draw on a pool of individuals who bring extensive skills, depth of experience in a variety of disciplines, and shared enthusiasm for our work.

AdvisArts Associates expertise encompasses:

After several years in academia at the University of Chicago, Annette joined the ranks of the non-profit sector where she has provided management, program evaluation and strategic planning counsel to a wide variety of arts, education, environmental, political advocacy and social service organizations. Her clients include the US Fund for UNICEF, the Children’s Defense Fund and the National Wildlife Federation, as well as grassroots and community based organizations. She has helped develop record-breaking major donor fundraising efforts for organizations including Meany Hall for the Performing Arts, PBS and a host of other worthy concerns. When not with clients, Annette splits her time between building an Outsider Art collection and hiking.

Marc Goldring has been engaged with community cultural planning for over three decades, working with communities from coast to coast and assisting public and private entities find mutual ground to strategically advance their community. Through his national consulting practice, Marc has worked with a myriad of clients, small and large, providing planning and research for projects including feasibility studies for program and institutional growth. A Fulbright Award-winning craftsperson, Marc’s work has been displayed in galleries and museums nationwide. He was Executive Director of the National Crafts Planning Board, and has curated exhibitions and organized international conferences. Marc has served on grants review panels for state and local arts agencies and is a presenter at national, regional and state conferences. In addition to his consulting work, Marc is an avid photographer, showing and selling his current images online and at galleries and shows in the Boston area, where he makes his home.

Susan Kunimatsu is a writer, artist, and project manager who has worked in Seattle’s arts and cultural communities for over twenty years. She regularly contributes artist profiles, exhibition and book reviews to the International Examiner, Seattle’s pan-Asian community newspaper. Her writing and photography have appeared in Fiberarts and Ornament magazines. She has organized exhibitions and symposia and held positions in arts grantmaking and historic preservation. She has a Masters degree in Architecture from the University of Michigan and has studied writing, metalworking, and art history at the University of Washington.

Chris applies demographics, economics and quantitative analysis to inform strategic planning, and is noted for his rigorous analysis of the best data available. He works with jurisdictions, businesses and nonprofits to provide financial feasibility analyses; economic and financial analysis; policy analysis and market research. His expertise in regional economic development; socio-economic and demographic analysis; geographic information systems (GIS) modeling and mapping; land use planning and transportation planning are used on projects for a broad range of clients and civic roles. Chris led teams for local and national consulting firms, and served as a regional economist for the Puget Sound Regional Council before founding Community Attributes International. He speaks to audiences often on regional economy and community development considerations. Chris is passionate about leveraging relevant data and analysis to tell the stories of clients and the communities they serve.

A veteran arts administrator and communications professional, Vivian is the co-founding managing director of The Hansberry Project at ACT Theatre. She has served as Executive Manager of the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, worked for the Seattle Theatre Group (STG) and she continues to represent STG to the national African Contemporary Arts Consortium. Vivian has produced original work for Seattle stages and has performed in several productions and serves as producer and host for award-winning television programs. She has worked with numerous local and national organizations as a public relations and marketing consultant and served as Director of Communications for Seattle Mayor Paul Schell. Vivian is sought after as a vibrant speaker and as an insightful advisor to numerous arts, communications and civic boards.

Ellen Sollod is an artist, arts planner and art facilitator with expertise that spans public art, art master planning, cultural facility development, long range planning and organizational development. Crossing disciplines, she builds relationships with public officials, design professionals, artists and citizens to foster art in civic engagement. As a public artist, she has collaborated in the creation of dynamic places in which art is fully integrated. As an arts planner she has conducted public visioning processes at the federal, state and local levels, formulated plans for arts facilities, developed art master plans for large scale infrastructure projects, and worked with dance companies, media, folk arts, visual arts and multidisciplinary arts organizations to advance their missions. She served as the Executive Director of the Seattle Arts Commission and the Colorado Council on the Arts and was Assistant Director of the Dance Program for the National Endowment for the Arts. Recent clients include 4Culture, Fort Worden State Park, and the City of San Jose. Her public artworks are included in cities through the northwest and California.

Andrea Wagner was the first hired employee and became Executive Director of Seattle’s internationally renowned contemporary performing arts center On the Boards. Her broad experience in nonprofit management has included serving as interim director of the Washington State Arts Alliance, and as Executive Director of Giant Magnet, formerly known as the Seattle International Children’s Festival, where she oversaw annual presentations of artists from around the globe to an audience of over 35,000 children, their teachers, and families and established a new works commissioning program, a satellite festival, forged international collaborations, and an expansion of state-wide teacher education and in-school residency programs. Her expertise includes financial management and fund-development, with a strong commitment to collaborations with community, culturally specific, and international organizations. Andrea has served on numerous funding panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, 4Culture and other granting agencies, and was a founding board member of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, and the National Performance Network.