Washington Offers Unique Opportunity to Be a Part of State History

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State Opens Doors for WA Artists to Design New Heirloom Birth Certificate Seattle - March 2, 2004 - The Washington Council for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect in a collaborative partnership with Artist Trust and the Washington State Arts Commission is calling on Washington State artists to help re-design the state's heirloom birth certificate. Under this joint project, Washington State artists are encouraged to submit a proposal as part of a plan to involve residents in the new design process of the state's "other" birth certificate. The newly designed heirloom birth certificate will serve as an official birth document and is intended to be a beautiful, permanent keepsake for anyone born in the state of Washington. It will reflect the child's name, date of birth, place of birth, and names of the parents. It is signed by the Governor and the State Registrar, and will be printed in full color. Certificates will be issued from the Washington State Deparment of Health's Center for Health Statistics and will carry the same legal status as the baby's original birth certificate. Proceeds from the sales of the heirloom birth certificates will support child abuse and neglect prevention throughout the state. The call welcomes artwork from all genres, and from all Washington State artists of all generations and backgrounds who are interested in exploring themes associated with Washington State and/or living in the Pacific Northwest. Entries will be accepted from a variety of visual art forms including printmaking, illustration, and photography. The selection panel will be interested in designs that represent Washington State and/or work that is representative of one or more diverse cultures in Washington. The panel will be most interested in innovative depictions, rather than traditional symbols, of babyhood. Application information may be obtained online through the WCPCAN website at (www.wcpcan.wa.gov). Entries must be postmarked by April 2, 2004. About WCPCAN The Washington Council for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect's (WCPCAN) mission is to provide leadership to and a statewide focus on the prevention of child abuse and neglect, and to encourage and support effective community prevention efforts. WCPCAN's goal is to help develop strong programs that can sustain themselves and support the prevention of child abuse and neglect within their own communities. For more information: www.wcpcan.wa.gov. About Artist Trust Artist Trust is a not-for-profit organization dedicated exclusively to supporting Washington State artists working in all creative disciplines. Founded in 1986 by a group of arts patrons and artists who were concerned about the lack of support for individual artists, this organization is shepherded by a 30-member Board of Trustees and a professional staff. For more information: www.artisttrust.org. About the Washington State Arts Commission The Washington State Arts Commission (WSAC) cultivates a thriving environment for creative expression and appreciation for the arts for the benefit of all. WSAC is the state agency charged with the growth and development of the arts throughout Washington State and is governed by 23 members, 19 who are appointed by the Governor and four legislators. For more information: www.arts.wa.gov. Washington Council for Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect (WCPCAN) Children's Trust Fund of Washington 318 First Ave S., Suite 310 Seattle, WA 98014-2597 (206) 464-6151 FAX: (206) 464-6642 www.wcpcan.wa.gov Contact: Chris Jamieson - WCPCAN (206) 389-2412 jamiecd@dshs.wa.gov Barbara Courtney - Artist Trust (206) 467-8734 babaco@artisttrust.org Kris Tucker - WA State Arts Commission (360) 586-2423 krist@arts.wa.go

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