Jim Kelly to Retire as Executive Director of 4Culture
Jim Kelly has announced that he will retire as 4Culture’s executive director as of March 31, 2018. 4Culture is an independent public agency supporting arts, heritage, preservation, and public art in Seattle and surrounding municipalities in King County.
Under Kelly’s leadership, 4Culture has become the largest cultural funder in Washington State. During his tenure, over $130 million has been distributed into the sector to 2,800 individuals and groups.
Kelly was hired in 1993 to provide funding and technical assistance to the King County Arts Commission and the Landmarks and Heritage Commission, then a small division of the Parks Department. Forging partnerships with elected officials, Kelly advocated successfully for increased cultural investment throughout the region and managed the County’s first wave of investment in cultural facilities. The Office of Cultural Resources was elevated to a department of the Executive’s Office in 1997 and Kelly was appointed Executive Director in 1999.