by jasminemahmoud

ChrisTiana ObeySumner, Seattle City Council District 5 Candidate — 2023 Primary Election

CANDIDATE: ChrisTiana ObeySumner, Seattle City Council District 5 Candidate

ARTS PLATFORM

As someone who grew up within an under-resourced, Black, disabled, artistic family, I fully understand the importance of the arts in our city, and the needs of our community. Both of my parents were DJs, my mother was a singer, my grandparents were visual artists, I have other family members who are seamstresses and fabric artists. I am currently a burlesque performer as well, and there were many times in my life where my basic necessities were paid for by gigs or whether my parents got an artistic opportunity that month. We need to rectify the idea that the arts are only attainable for those with privilege, and that they are the only ones able to fully appreciate and engage in the arts. We need to have museums, loop services, and artistic spaces that are affordable and accessible to everyone. Especially being someone who is a performer reliant on stages, we need more stages in our city, but specifically in District 5. We do not have any real performance theaters and stages in my district, and not many art galleries or museums, which is something that I will push to be addressed by the city when I am in office.

Our city needs to invest more in access to the arts, in terms of stages, opportunities for unionization, and ensuring that there is sufficient funding for the arts overall. I am a member of Building Art Spaces Equitably (BASE) and have worked with them for years to ensure that equity is highlighted in art spaces throughout the city. We need to ensure that we are truly investing in full intersectional access for everyone including people of the global majority, disabled folks, and under-resourced people. One of my biggest priorities is pushing for a greater investment in the arts, and that District 5 has more spaces for artists and performers.

We also need more entities like BASE, and funding community groups that are focused on the arts and improving their condition in our city. This is a way to amplify the voices of those most intersectionaly impacted, and ensure that engaging in the arts is something that is empowering but also affordable and accessible for everyone. I am happy to work with governmental agencies to advance the arts in Seattle, and I actually have previously closely worked with the Office of the Arts and Culture and the Seattle Arts Commission, as well as other arts organizations around the city. In my burlesque work I had the opportunity to be a part of the Puckducktion-hosted Queer Prom at Benaroya Hall and run for Queer Monarch, which was a healing experience. That event was funded by a grant from Shun Pike, which is something I want to increase in our city. I believe we can have more programs and events that are supported by the city to create meaningful spaces for artists, especially those that are most intersectionally disadvantaged.

I wanted to end my statement with one of my first memories in life. I remember sitting on the floor under my mother’s DJ table at a drag ballroom event watching a close relative compete and dance at that ball room. My relative was wearing garments that were sown and created by another family member, and this memory is one of my core childhood memories. Experiencing the beauty of art as a child in its multi-dimensional forms taught me that the arts are diverse and broad and need to be celebrated and supported in all forms. They are the heart of the city’s vibrancy and cultural identity, and I believe that we can, and will, improve accessibility, equity, and funding for them.