About

Rainier Arts Center presents performing arts from many diverse cultures, and provides Southeast Seattle with an affordable gathering space for community events. People from the community share their stories through traditional and contemporary art forms, including film, music, dance, theatre, food, and more. We are committed to providing space for youth programs, including performance opportunities, workshops, and summer camps.

SEEDArts produces an annual Summer Series of outdoor movies, concerts, and plays in Columbia Park. Our family friendly Arts Gumbo event highlights the art, food, and celebratory legacies of different cultures. Several community organizations rely on Rainier Arts Center for presenting their programs, including Broadway Bound Children’s Theatre, Seattle International Film Festival, and local arts and cultural groups. In 2019, more than 500 artists performed at Rainier Arts Center, with 18,000 community members in attendance.

Rainier Arts Center is an elegant neoclassical structure, built in 1921 as a Fifth Church of Christ. The Center was purchased by SEED in 1995, with support from our community, the Rainier Valley Historical Society, and the Rainier Valley Chamber of Commerce. The Center opened in 1997 as the Rainier Valley Cultural Center – Southeast Seattle’s first multicultural community performance space. In 2015, the Center was renamed Rainier Arts Center and we embarked upon renovations to improve the Center and meet growing demand.

Rainier Arts Center offers its Anchor Partners a home base for their arts and cultural programs. They have flexible use of the Center for performances, rehearsals, workshops, and meetings, for a monthly fee.

Current Partners are ADEFUA Cultural Education Workshop, Celebrating Roots, Khmer Community of Seattle King County, Sawhorse Revolution, and Wasat.

Rainier Arts Center proudly serves Seattle’s Rainier Valley. Roughly 84,000 people live in Southeast Seattle, which is among the most ethnically diverse and economically challenged neighborhoods in the country. Seventy-one percent of our residents are nonwhite and nearly half are immigrants. People from 40 ethnic groups call Southeast Seattle home, and speak 59 different languages.

The Center has served this diverse population since its inception. Notable events have included the Ethiopian Cultural Arts festival, Vietnamese Remember Saigon Festival, and a children’s international film festival in partnership with NW Film Forum.

Rainier Arts Center is a program of SEEDArts, a department of SouthEast Effective Development (SEED). SEED improves the quality of life in Southeast Seattle by creating partnerships and inspiring investments in affordable housing, arts and culture, and economic development. SEEDArts runs SEED’s arts and cultural programs and builds community by presenting diverse arts experiences, nurturing local artists, and infusing creativity into our neighborhoods.

Rainier Arts Center was purchased and renovated in 1997 into a multicultural performance venue for Southeast Seattle. We thank the following benefactors!

The following supported the purchase and renovation – 1995 – 1999

The following have supported Rainier Arts Center renovations and improvements since 2000