Ashraf Hasham will join the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) as the Youth Arts Manager, providing visionary, strategic leadership for ARTS Creative Youth Program team. The goals of the Creative Youth Arts program are to incorporate racially equitable approaches and outcomes in public arts education and Creative Youth Development.
Hasham comes to ARTS from The Vera Project (VERA), a nonprofit, all-ages music venue and youth-led arts space where he served as executive director. Prior to VERA, Hasham worked at Urban Gateways, (Chicago, IL) an arts education organization helping to establish new youth engagement programs including a city-wide arts access initiative; and TeenTix, an organization dedicated to empowering young people to take an active role in shaping their arts community as audience members, critics, influencers, advocates, patrons, and leaders.
“Arts education, racial equity, and youth-centered work are all deep passions of mine,” says Ashraf Hasham. “I’m excited to join ARTS and advocate for equitable access to arts education for every single public school student. The arts are a fundamental pillar for success, providing skills and pathways to young Seattleites to be able to stay in this beautiful city and thrive in the creative workforce.”
As the Youth Arts Manager, Hasham will oversee the ARTS Creative Youth Program, which includes The Creative Advantage, a city-wide initiative to establish equitable access to arts education for each and every student in Seattle Public Schools; ARTS creative industries sector research; partnerships and projects focused on career-connected learning for youth; and Creative Youth Development initiatives aimed at addressing social issues (e.g. youth homelessness) through arts and creative engagement. ARTS Creative Youth Programs also prioritize funding for Creative Youth Development through out-of-school time arts engagement, creative careers events and learning opportunities, and teaching artist professional development.