CANDIDATE: Nilu Jenks, Seattle City Council District 5 Candidate
- Website: https://www.neighborsfornilu.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neighborsfornilu
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nilujenks/
ARTS PLATFORM
The arts are such an incredible way for us to connect with one another, to maintain and celebrate our cultures, and to help us get through difficult times. We saw this in the pandemic, and we must continue to honor and celebrate these strengths that the arts and creative expression bring for all of us. District 5 is quickly becoming one of the most diverse parts of Seattle: we see this reflected in our restaurants, our refugee artist initiatives, our colorful murals, and a thrilling Lucha Libre event I recently attended.
With that said, District 5 needs more spaces for art as well as gathering. Bringing these spaces to my community will be important to me. In addition to spaces, I want to make sure we are working on our affordability crisis by upzoning throughout Seattle to make sure we have housing for all. I would love to see more partnerships with the PDA Cultural Space Agency to see that our growth also includes the important component of preserving cultural spaces and ensuring that there are spaces where artists have space to do their work. We have lost so many spaces for art, and I want to make sure that we address the need for artists to have affordable places to live AND work.
Further, we must make sure that some of the access to art is supported by government to be free to provide access for all people. I would like to see partnerships with unions, schools, and Seattle Parks and Recreation to see apprenticeships and job skills training to make sure we are supporting career pathways into the arts for people. Continued workforce development so that the people of Seattle can continue to enjoy and benefit from the arts.
As a member of the Seattle Iranian Choir, I see the arts as an important way for people to preserve and enjoy their culture and to create connections amongst our vibrant and diverse communities. I know that for many recent immigrants that the ability to connect through the arts is an important step to feeling welcomed and connected, and this connection can even be an important path to citizenship. The arts are a vital contributor to the health and wellbeing of our city, as they also help drive our tourism and hospitality industry, restaurants, and shopping as people go out for a day to enjoy a show, gallery, etc.
My goal on the Seattle City Council is to be an accessible council member, and I look forward to collaborating with others serving our city. We have a new Director at the Office of Arts and Culture, Gülgün Kayim, and I would love to support her in her efforts. As someone who loves to read and sing, the arts have carried me through all kinds of life experiences… both joyful and challenging. One of my favorite Seattle arts experiences is 14/48:The World’s Quickest Theater Festival – super fun, amazing creativity, dinner with friends beforehand, and lots of opportunity for discussion with friends and family afterward. How could I not want to support more of that for our city?
Seattle Arts Voter Guide 