Opening reception Thursday, November 7, 2019, 5-8 p.m.
Featuring CityArtist Shareout, a facilitated artist Focused conversation

Brighter Future: To be heard. To be seen. To be free., on view at ARTS at King Street Station November 7, 2019 through January 11, 2020, is an exhibition featuring artworks created by more than 50 local artists of color reflecting on freedom. The exhibition is organized by the Ethnic Heritage Art Gallery (EHAG) Board, a collective of City of Seattle employees including people who are of Black, Latinx, Native, White, Asian, and Indian backgrounds who showcase local artists of color and build appreciation for diversity and social commentary expressed through art.

The exhibition features 100 artworks including paintings, photography, sculpture, print, video and four installations. Artists on display include Aaliyah Guptah, Angie Hinojos Yusuf, Barry Johnson, Blanca Santander, Carina del Rosario, Erin Shigaki, Hugo Moro, Juliana Kang Robinson, Lauren Iida, Marilyn Montufar, Naomi Ishisaka, Susan Ringstad-Emery, Tatiana Garmendia, Vikram Madan and Xavier Lopez Jr.

Brighter Future: To be heard. To be seen. To be free. was organized through an open call, asking artists of color what it means to be heard, to be seen, and to be free. The call was open to the Ethnic Heritage Art Gallery artist roster, the Office of Arts & Culture Ethnic Artist Roster, and artists of color from the general public. All artists who submitted work were accepted in the exhibition.

“We believe in the power of artists and the voices of those most impacted to redefine how we as a society address structural racism,” says Bradley Wilburn, Land Use Planner IV at Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections, the Ethnic Art Heritage Gallery Board Chair. “Brighter Future asks artists to envision a place where we can foster trust, respectful discourse, openness, liberty, and expansion of the human spirit.”

The Ethnic Heritage Art Gallery Committee was founded in 2009 to build and strengthen relationships with communities of color, and to foster pride and appreciation for diverse cultures. In collaboration with Arts & Culture, EHAG presents quarterly exhibitions showcasing local artists of color selected by the EHAG‘s team of City of Seattle employees.

ARTS at King Street Station is a new kind of cultural space where communities of color have increased opportunities to present their work, and be seen and heard. Grounded in community feedback, the programming and cultural space on the third floor of King Street Station is an incubator for artists and communities, experimenting with the best ways to respond to the cultural needs of an ever-changing city. A cohort of King Street Station Advisors select and respond to community exhibition and programming ideas. ARTS’ goal for King Street Station is to be a resource for the city and the embodiment of the Office’s commitment to racial equity. Admission is free.