CANDIDATE: Dale Kutzera, Seattle City Council District 6 Candidate
ARTS PLATFORM
Thanks for your interest in my Arts Platform. I have to admit that due to the dominant issues of Housing and Homelessness, the arts are likely to receive scant attention this election season. The economy of the past few years hasn’t done artists any favors, pricing many out of the city as properties that were once home to lofts and studios have been remodeled or replaced. And if things weren’t bad enough, the pandemic strained performing arts organizations to the breaking point.
Having written novels and screenplays, I consider myself a member of the artist class. I know how important education and opportunity are to creating a vibrant arts community. To that end, I’d like to see a continuation, not a curtailment, of school arts programs. I’d also like to clearly define a road-map to making a living as an artist, much as the maritime and aerospace industries are promoting their fields to high school students.
The creation of the Harbor Island Studios by King County will give area filmmakers a shot in the arm (as will the more robust state rebate program for film productions). Seattle should investigate similar opportunities to create artist and maker spaces in every part of the city. The recently passed social housing program should provide more affordable housing for our artists class, helping painters, sculptors, and writers to remain in the city.
In short, we need to be intentional about our support for the arts. We can no longer assume artists will find a space to live, create, and exhibit. It needs to be part of a larger strategy to make the city more habitable for everyone.
This weekend I will attend the Seattle Arts Fair and look forward to being fascinated and surprised at what I see. Not that long ago, every First Thursday in Pioneer Square offered a similar chance to be enlightened by art. Today, many art lovers won’t venture back downtown. Solving our big problems will go a long way to restoring Seattle as a city of the arts.
Seattle Arts Voter Guide 