The Northwest Lost Art & Music Foundation began as the Salish Sea Arts Foundation in 2024. Its mission is to preserve, document, and archive Northwest music history that might otherwise be lost. We've been gathering up master recordings, photos, film, video and ephemera that will eventually be part of an archive that is available for the researchers and the public to access  Our work so far has been  remastering nearly lost analog tapes by The Spectators, The Visible Target, Ze Whiz Kidz, Three Swimmers, Idiot Culture and more, all of which are slated for release in 2025.  

The first of a multi-volume compilation will arrive in December 2024. It covers  some of the bands on the 1980s Seattle scene including The Beakers, Red Dress, The Enemy, Audio Letter, The Fags, Pop Defect, Chinas Comidas, Student Nurse, Beat Pagodas and about 20 others.. We've been gathering oral histories of artists and their friends. Among them are notable bands of the 1960s; The Frantics, Easy Chair, Ron Davies, Crome Syrcus, The Bards, The Daily Flash, Floating Bridge.. Other histories include documentation of Northwest artists from throughout the 1950s to the 1990s.

A speakers series to begin in January 2025 is being booked.  Sadly, our first planned speaker, Charles R, Cross passed away suddenly in August.  Keeping Charlie in mind, we'll be including Northwest authors in the series

There are other projects in the works, but the ones above are tangible, and well on their way to completion.  In other words these are projects both us and the artists involved are committed to.Your winning bids will help support this and other work.

The Northwest Lost Art & Music Foundation has been run as a non-profit from the beginning,but we're looking to register as a charitable organization by the end of 2024. Some of the proceeds of this auction have been earmarked  for an attorney to draw up the 501(c) (3) documents needed-to filed with the IRS and the State of Washington. We'd love to hear from you if you're familiar with setting up 501 (c) (3)s and can work pro bono or at a reduced rate.

We want to thank these people for their support of the Northwest Lost Art & Music Foundation and  generous contributions: Steve Turnidge, Helena Rogers, Karen Moskowitz, Tom Dyer, Robert Newman, Mark H.Smith, Rebecca Hamilton, Gary Minkler, Mark Wheaton, Sheli Story, Ron McNeill, Michael Campbell,Erich Muhs, Dr. James Lord,  Shawn Farnsworth, Jeff Kelly, Gillian Gaar, Maire Masco,David Erich,  Art Chantry, Jesse M. Reyes, Peter Barnes, Ashleigh Talbot, Jan Gregor, Bruce Pavitt, Larry Reid, Martin Imbach, Charlie Thunders, Dr, William Schaffer, Kurt Bloch,Jack Endino, Pony Maurice, Gordon Raphael, Gillian Gaar, Charles R. Cross,Gordon Doucette, Al Milman, Carmaig DeForest, David Microwave, Coreen Haydock, Steve Sego, Nancy Hom, J. Randall Jahnson, Terry Morgan, and all the members of the bands,  that have made important contributions to the history of Northwest music without their proper recognition. You're why we do what we do.