In late March, the Lands Council announced its lofty goal of planting 500 trees this spring through the help of volunteers and motivation from the 50th anniversary of Expo '74. In a newsletter sent out earlier this month, the nonprofit announced it had surpassed that goal by nearly 300 trees. Thanks to volunteers and partners, 782 new trees have been added to Spokane's urban canopy, providing shade and clean air to the community. If you're interested in volunteering, head to landscouncil.org for more information. (MADISON PEARSON)
In 2023, ArtsFund and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation granted $10 million in grants to 671 Washington state arts and culture organizations through its Community Accelerator Grant program as a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on nonprofit cultural organizations. The arts advocacy and grant-making organization based in Seattle recently announced a new round of 811 grantees. The grants range from $2,500 to $25,000 and are completely unrestricted, meaning recipients can use the money for whatever they see fit. Art Salvage Spokane, the Chewelah Performing and Cultural Arts Center, the MAC, Mobius, Imagine Jazz, Stage Left Theater, the Spokane Tribal Language and Culture Program, Spark Central, Terrain and Spokane Pride are among a long list of local grantees. For more information visit artsfund.org/accelerator. (MADISON PEARSON)
Noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online May 31:
WILLIE NELSON, THE BORDER. Next time you hear someone stereotype stoners as lazy and unproductive, remind them that The Border is 91-year-old Willie Nelson's 75th solo studio album.
AROOJ AFTAB, NIGHT REIGN. The Grammy-winning Pakistani American singer and composer returns to thematically explore the late-night hours with her enthralling blurry blend of minimalist jazz fusion and Sufi sounds.
MAYA HAWKE, CHAOS ANGEL. The Stranger Things star and noted actually cool nepo baby blows most other actors/musicians out of the water with her breezy but melancholy indie folk. (SETH SOMMERFELD)