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Specialties
Vera is an all-ages volunteer fueled music and arts venue. By engaging participants at all levels of music production and community organizing, Vera strives to fulfill its mission to foster a participatory creative culture through popular music concerts, arts programs, experiential learning and volunteer opportunities for all ages, especially young people. Vera’s programs are always all ages, with a focus on young people ages 14 to 24. Most Vera programs are at the Seattle Center venue, and include:
— Popular music concerts
— Audio engineering training
— Youth-driven governance
— Visual art exhibits
— Live and studio recording
— Leadership training
— Silkscreen printing/classes
— Event production training
— Internships
History
Established in 2001.
Vera was founded in 2001 in response to the dire lack of all-ages popular music concerts in Seattle. At the time, legislation called the Teen Dance Ordinance made all-ages concerts prohibitively expensive and difficult to produce, leaving youth under 21 with no legal means to experience and participate in popular music.
Vera’s first two years were spent producing all-ages concerts in rented halls with the support of the music industry, local foundations, the City of Seattle, and hundreds of volunteers. In 2002, Vera moved to a full-time space in downtown Seattle, and legislation was passed to ease the restrictions on all-ages music. When downtown redevelopment forced Vera to leave its space in 2006, the organization created a custom-designed venue at Seattle Center.
Vera successfully carved out a space for youth-driven music and art in Seattle, and has become part of a larger national movement defining a culture of all-ages, participatory music and arts.