Fine Arts Advisory Council
Fine Arts Advisory Council
WHO WE ARE
The Mercer Island Fine Arts Advisory Council (FAAC) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation dedicated to supporting K-12 fine arts education in the Mercer Island School District.
Our Board of Directors is comprised of volunteers, all parents of children variously enrolled, across many grades, in our district’s band, orchestra, choir, drama, dance and visual arts classes. We meet monthly throughout the academic year. Our meetings are also attended by our non-voting district liaisons, David Bentley, MISD Fine Arts Coordinator and Julie Biggs, IMS Visual Arts Teacher.
The FAAC has evolved through several decades of intensive volunteer work by parents and other community leaders dedicated to fine arts education in the Mercer Island School District (MISD). With thorough research and tireless advocacy, volunteer members of FAAC’s predecessor organizations – the Music and Visual Arts Advisory Committees, formed respectively in the late 1950’s and 1970’s – proposed, promoted and achieved implementation of several key components of our schools’ fine arts programming, including:
​
-
Full time MISD Music (now Fine Arts) Coordinator position
-
District-wide annual fine arts celebration and fundraiser: Showcase
-
Art Docents and Artists-in-Residence programs
-
Inclusion of the fine arts as core subjects in MISD educational goals for all grade levels
-
Donation of funds to establish full time Visual Arts Teacher serving all three elementary schools starting in the 2012-2013 school year.
WHAT WE DO
FAAC raises funds to support arts education in the schools, and especially the talented teachers and staff who tirelessly train, guide, and inspire our students. Our flagship fundraiser is the Fine Arts Showcase, a tradition on Mercer Island for over 50 years. The Showcase combines performances by musical groups from all MISD schools, as well as Visual Art displays from all arts classes and elementary students. This tradition takes up two evenings each Spring, and planning for the Showcase occupies much of FAAC's efforts throughout the year.
Along with the Fine Arts Showcase, FAAC also spearheads initiatives such as bringing certified art educators to the elementary schools, enhancing district art education excellence, and ensuring continuity of arts curriculum goals.
OUR TEAM
2025-2026 Board of Directors:
Julie Hsieh, President
Jessica , Treasurer
Lisa Vig
Alice Finch
Jessie Kennedy
Patricia Pelter
Jennifer Day
Amy Mears
Orawan Anuntakul
Sumedhaa Kothari
Annalise Rockow, non-voting MISD liaison (Music)
*We are now accepting applications for Board Membership. We welcome you to find out more about us and consider joining our active and creative board of volunteers. Please contact us at info@mifaac.org