Mission

CoCA serves the Pacific Northwest as a catalyst and forum for the advancement, development, and understanding of Contemporary Art.

CoCA has been a vital part of contemporary art in the Northwest since 1981, and has operated galleries and produced events throughout the Seattle area over that time.

“CoCA does not accept the standard definition of Contemporary Art used by many galleries and museums of “work by living artists”. Doing so not only unfortunately includes modern traditional artists whose work is in no way Contemporary (in our view), but also risks passing over those artists, so although are no longer living, were indeed Contemporary in their own day. Rather, we see as Contemporary that work which has a certain subversive, thought provoking edge, takes bold, experimental risks, or provides a fresh way of looking at the issues facing the culture, environment, or milieu in which it was created.”

- Ray C. Freeman III, CoCA President, 2024

CoCA supports a fully empowered creative life for all people. We commit to championing policies and practices of cultural equity that build an inclusive community for artists and art lovers. We recognize the history of exclusion that has led to ongoing disparities. We embrace positive systemic change and transformation of our organization by confronting our biases and operationalizing our values. We challenge ourselves to deconstruct frameworks of exclusion while building opportunities for expression and growth for all. We prioritize accommodating artists from traditionally underrepresented communities, including providing need-based financial support as we are able.

Mailing Address: 114 Third Ave South., Seattle, Washington 98104

Phone: +1 (206) 728-1980

Email: info@cocaseattle.org