Supporter Profile: Colin Plank, Original Art Foundation
Can art change the world? Seattle Colleges supporter Colin Plank is definitely in the Yes camp.
Motivated by an Oscar-winning short documentary, "The Last Repair Shop," Colin set out to learn about, and ultimately invest in, skilled trades programs at Central and South Seattle Colleges.
The 2023 film, directed by Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers, highlights the Los Angeles Unified School District's musical instrument repair workshop, one of the last of its kind in the United States. Opened in 1959, the facility repairs as many as 7,000 instruments a year, ensuring that public school students — many from underserved communities — have access to free, functional instruments. The documentary profiles four dedicated technicians as they meticulously restore instruments while reflecting on their own lives and struggles. The film also features students whose lives have been transformed by music, culminating in a moving performance by alumni who benefited from the program.
“It's just super cool and inspiring,” says Colin. “When I saw it, I thought to myself, ‘That's the kind of documentary I'd like to make. It's so impactful and interesting.’” (Plank himself is a filmmaker, including producing a 2012 drama, “Eden,” that won multiple awards at South by Southwest, including the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature).
“‘The Last Repair Shop’ got me thinking about how we’ve devalued those who work with their hands, and told young people that the only way to get ahead and have some standing is to go the traditional college route,” Colin remarks. “But what happens if we don’t have people who are great with their hands, who can make things and fix stuff? People who can build a house. Or a good stone wall. Or do plumbing. Or get the right power to a server farm. I just admire any kind of craftspeople, and so grew interested in how the Seattle Colleges help people get into the trades.”
He continues: “What I’ve learned in talking to deans at the schools is that, in these roles, you can make a middle-class living and still have a future — even while AI takes over other jobs like in customer service, or marketing, or even what attorneys do. I also discovered that students in these trades programs can really benefit from some financial support. A lot are coming from low-income backgrounds, and can struggle to make ends meet while in school — even while working, as most do.”
After meeting with leaders of four trades programs across the colleges, Colin secured a shared grant through a philanthropy he manages, the Original Art Foundation. It supports creative endeavors in the arts, humanities, and society.
The grant will particularly support students going through short-term programs that set them up for earn-while-you-learn apprenticeships in construction and maritime fields. (Get a sense of the impact of one of these pre-apprenticeship programs, at Seattle Central’s Wood Technology Center, in a short video here.) The support from the Original Art Foundation is purposely flexible, so program managers can direct resources where they’ll have the biggest impact, for example stocking a dwindling food pantry, or getting a student the $200 steel-toed boots she otherwise couldn’t afford.
“We’re glad to help this diverse group of folks secure a better future for themselves,” Colin reflects. “And build a better world for everyone."
To learn more about supporting a skilled trades program at the Seattle Colleges, please email advancement@seattlecolleges.edu.