Historical Note
Bumbershoot, also known as the Seattle Festival for the Arts, was first
organized in 1971. The festival features regional and national visual and
performing arts. By 1973, Bumbershoot was a 10-day event with attendance at
over 100,000; in 1977, it became a four-day festival held at the Seattle Center
during Labor Day weekend. Originally free to the public, Bumbershoot began
charging admission in 1980. Between 1971 and 1976 it was sponsored by the
Seattle Center, the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Seattle
Arts Commission.
Content Description
The Bumbershoot records of the Seattle Department of Parks and
Recreation date from 1973 to 1976 and include minutes from the Executive
Committee, a committee coordinating the three sponsoring agencies, and minutes
for the Advisory Committee, a citizens' committee providing input on the
Festival. However, a complete set of minutes does not exist for either
committee. Also included are budget information, press releases, evaluations,
and other information on the festival. The records primarily reflect the
involvement of Theresa Dinwiddie, Cultural Arts Coordinator for the Department
of Parks and Recreation, in Bumbershoot.
Also included in the collection are photographs of the festival,
including 3x5” black and white prints from 1974, black and white contact sheets
for 1975, and approximately 250 color slides documenting the festival from 1973
to 1975.
Arrangement
The materials are arranged in four subseries:
I: Bumbershoot Festival, 1974
II: Bumbershoot Festival, 1975
III: Bumbershoot Festival, 1976
IV: Color Slides
Use of the Collection
Preferred Citation For text materials:
[Item and date], Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation Bumbershoot
Festival Records, Record Series 5807-05. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle
Municipal Archives.
For photographs:
[Title of image, date. Item number.] Seattle Department of Parks and
Recreation Bumbershoot Festival Records, Record Series 5807-05. Box [number],
Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.