by jasminemahmoud

Shobhit Agarwal, Seattle City Council District 3 Candidate — 2023 Primary Election

CANDIDATE: Shobhit Agarwal, Seattle City Council District 3 Candidate

ARTS PLATFORM

What is your arts platform?

I am SAG AFTRA member and voted to strike. I support the local art scene and was a member for TPS for a long time.

How do the arts reflect the voices, perspectives, and communities in your district? What are challenges and opportunities?

Capitol Hill has been traditionally the base for Fringe music and arts. However, the surging rental prices are driving many of the theaters out. With I-5 Lifd and developing Metro infrastructure, there is an opportunity to grow the art scene.

How do you envision the arts as part of the Seattle, especially as part of critical issues including access, affordability, displacement, education, and racial equity? Do you have any policy ideas around addressing these issues? 

I would love to see a vibrant art scene as it brings people to Seattle and Capitol hill and helps the economy. It is also the depiction of culture.  I would love to see an Amphitheater on the I-5 lid as well as a graffiti wall. I would also like to support the equity theaters as well as the fringe festival and SIFF.

The aftershocks of Covid are still being felt by artists and cultural organizations. Please share policy ideas you may have that aim to stabilize the cultural industry and increase cultural engagement to increase quality of life for communities across Seattle? If you don’t have policy ideas right now, what process would you initiate to determine new opportunities in these areas? 

See above. I also am the first to say that I don’t have all the ideas. I want to hear from the local community and support their ideas. 

How do you plan to work with governmental agencies including the Office of Arts and Culture and the Seattle Arts Commission?

TBD

Describe a meaningful arts experience that has stayed with you over time. How have the arts affected your life?

I quit my six figure job at Microsoft to pursue acting in NYC and LA. I am a SAG AFRA union member.