Friends of Inscape

Friends of Inscape’s mission is to:

• Preserve the Inscape Arts Building as affordable arts and culture space
• Engage broadly with the community to develop and maximize Inscape’s position as a historical and cultural center.

An art-making haven for the city, holding space for history and community in perpetuity

Friends of Inscape is a tenant-led grassroots organization working to preserve the Inscape Arts Building as an affordable arts and culture space for the benefit of the community.

From 1932 till 2004, the US Immigration & Naturalization Service building served as Seattle’s detention and processing center for immigrants. In 2008, a group of investors purchased the building, renamed it Inscape, and built the spaces out as artist studios with the assistance of arts-friendly tax help from the city. A thriving artist community has been growing there ever since.

Friends of Inscape emerged from that community in March 2021, when the owners put the historic building on the market.

Rarely do cities have the opportunity to both preserve a vital and often overlooked piece of history and strengthen the future of creative and underrepresented communities in the process. The Inscape Arts and Cultural Center presents such an opportunity.

We are working to realize this goal in collaboration with public and private partners, to build something that truly demonstrates how powerful the intersection of place, people, past and present can be.

In this, our first GiveBIG campaign, we're hoping to raise $5,000 in capacity building funding to expand our outreach and prepare for a future capital campaign. 

Please also consider visiting our website to join the growing list of community members who support our cause!

Join today!

Friends of Inscape is fiscally sponsored by the 501c3 non-profit Northwest Film Forum, contributions are tax-deductible. Tax ID # 91-1702331.