ARTS welcome Mytoan Nguyen-Akbar as the new Impact and Assessment Manager

September 15, 2017 by Erika Lindsay 2 Comments

Mytoan Nguyen-Akbar recently joined the Office of Arts & Culture as a Mellon/ACLS Public Fellow and Impact and Assessment Manager. She has most recently developed curriculum for the Seattle Community Colleges, taught sociology courses on race, immigration, inequality, and belonging at Seattle University and the University of Puget Sound, and published in scholarly journals including Sociological Perspectives, Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, and the Journal of Vietnam Studies. Mytoan earned her PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was a Fulbright Scholar in Australia, and a Public Policy and International Affairs Fellow at UC Berkeley. In Seattle, Mytoan has been a volunteer with the Rainier Valley Corps and the Vietnamese Friendship Association. A fun fact about the Akbars: they celebrate three New Years holidays at different times of the year.

ARTS welcomes Kelly Davidson to the team

April 6, 2017 by Erika Lindsay 1 Comment

Kelly Davidson recently joined the Office of Arts & Culture as the new finance manager. Davidson has been working with the City of Seattle for 18 years and started as an intern with the Office of Arts & Culture. She has a degree in Fine Art from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where she spent a lot of her time working with the Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery and as an intern working on the grand opening of the Bellagio Fine Art Gallery. Since working for the City of Seattle she has worked in four different departments; Office of Arts & Culture, Department of Neighborhoods, Parks and Recreation and most recently Seattle City Light. In her free time Kelly enjoys biking, skiing and gardening.

ARTS Welcomes Otts Bolisay, Amber Rose Jimenez and Lizzy Melton on staff

February 1, 2017 by Erika Lindsay 1 Comment

The 3 new staff members loosen up in front of a Xenobia Bailey piece.

Ronald “Otts” Bolisay is our new Digital Media Specialist. Fourteen years of social justice work has attuned himto the rhythms of stories and how they can move us to action. Blogs were the newest form of social media back then, and Otts trained the Seattle contingent of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride to document and share their cross-country journey with the family and supporters they left behind. Technology planning and strategic communications led to electronic advocacy and movement building, where Otts learned that all the shiny promise of emerging online platforms meant nothing without mobilizing grassroots participation. Along with video production, he began exploring other visual communications like graphic design, comics and most recently, animation. Otts has seen first-hand the critical role art plays in social change and is excited to learn, experience and share stories from Seattle’s arts community.

Amber Rose Jimenez serves as the Racial Equity and Arts Commission Coordinator for the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. Previously, she worked at Seattle Foundation, where she oversaw the strategy and project management of Community Programs initiatives and grantmaking. Throughout her career, Amber Rose has worked to activate investments in youth-driven democracy, mobilize voters for progressive political campaigns, and catalyze grassroots nonprofit development efforts. She is the current Chair of the KEXP Community Advisory Board and participates in a collective impact fund, Present Purpose Network. She is a former Seattle Arts Commissioner, Board Member at Capitol Hill Housing Foundation, and Chair of The Vera Project Board of Directors. She studied Political Science and Philosophy at Seattle Pacific University.

As Panel Coordinator, Lizzy Melton provides support for the art selection panels for both the Public Art and Cultural Partnership programs. She works with the online application tools CaFÉ and CGO in all stages of the call process, compiles and readies the submitted application materials, and makes arrangements for selection panel technology requirements. Melton is a former professional dancer and later earned a BA in Art History from the American University of Paris. When not attending dance performances or enjoying museum and gallery exhibitions, she can be found indulging in her love of films, books, and French pastries.

ARTS Welcomes Amanda Licorish

April 12, 2016 by Erika Lindsay Leave a Comment

Amanda Licorish is the new Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute Rental Coordinator. Amanda comes to ARTS with a strong background in youth development, building and program management. She was most recently the assistant recreation coordinator at Seattle Parks and Recreation for the Delridge and Alki Community Centers.

Amanda has a Recreation Administration Degree from the University of Idaho and has served on many committees and boards providing enriching programs to the Seattle community including Homestead Community Land Trust, Festival Sundiata and United Way of King County. In addition, Amanda is a passionate advocate for teens, especially surrounding issues of access and equity. She volunteers on her Sorority’s youth committee and enjoys being a mentor for others in her field. Amanda is happiest when she has had an adventure, is surprised with treats or anytime she is playing with her son Lawford.

ARTS Welcomes Payton Bordley and Amanda Standley

July 2, 2015 by Erika Lindsay Leave a Comment

Payton Bordley, Racial Equity Liaison

Payton Bordley supports a variety of Cultural Partnerships programs, specifically focused on the internal capacity building of the Office towards racial equity, and in collaboration with other community organizations. She manages the Seattle Arts Leadership Team, and coordinates the office’s Race & Social Justice Initiative Change Team. Payton first joined us in 2014 as the Communications intern, and loved getting exposure to the incredible work of everyone in the office before coming into her new role. She currently studies Creative Writing at the University of Washington—focusing specifically in poetry. Outside of work and school, Payton enjoys gathering traditional plants and medicines, and spending time with her family on the Skokomish reservation.

Amanda Standley, Operations Coordinator

Amanda Standley (previously Stoddard) joins the Office of Arts & Culture as the new Operations Coordinator. In addition to working with contracts, Amanda also serves the Cultural Partnerships Team, providing administrative and community support. Amanda is an activist, organizer, and collaborative theater artist. She is the Board Chair of the Satori Group, an ensemble of theatre makers generating new work with an eye toward audience experience. Previously, she worked for the Mayor’s Office in the Office of Policy and Innovation, working as liaison to the Office of Arts and Culture and the Office of Film+Music. Amanda loves old movies, thinks that protests are an act of love, and has not met a cheese she doesn’t like.

Photo: Amanda Standley (left) and Payton Bordley (right) image courtesy Jenny Crooks.

Welcome, Jenny Ku, our new event coordinator

May 28, 2015 by Erika Lindsay Leave a Comment

Jenny Ku is the newest member of the Community Development and Outreach team. As the event coordinator, she will coordinate events such as summer concerts, public art dedications, and the Mayor’s Arts Awards.

Originally from Taipei, Taiwan, she moved to Seattle in June of 2002 and has been an active member of our vibrant arts community ever since. Prior to joining the Community Development and Outreach team, Jenny served as the Director of Arts and Culture and Programming Coordinator for BurlyCon.

She is also the cabaret curator and coordinator for The Wing Luke Asian Museum and artistic director for numerous theatrical productions. Additionally, Jenny is a practicing visual and performance artist herself, and is thrilled to support the arts in this new capacity.

New Staff: Welcome Kristen Ramirez

March 24, 2015 by Erika Lindsay 1 Comment

Please join us in welcoming Kristen Ramirez, as the new Arts Program Enhancement Project Manager at the Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) and Seattle Department of Transportation. Prior to ARTS Ramirez worked at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle in a variety of capacities including: Art Faculty, Manager of Summer & External Programs, and Manager of Academic and Community Engagement. Kristen has also taught at the University of Washington, Tacoma Museum of Glass, Pratt Fine Arts Center, Edmonds Community College, and Path with Art, a non-profit that serves adults in recovery. In addition to teaching, Kristen is an artist, whose artwork explores many media, including printmaking, drawing, painting, installation and public art. Her work is often about place, conjuring an affection for disorienting urban/suburban places by appropriating signs and symbols of commerce. Her studio practice takes her increasingly into the public realm through community-based projects and murals. Ramirez earned a BA from UC Santa Cruz, a MA in Education and California Teaching Credential from San Francisco State University, and a MFA in Printmaking from the University of Washington.

Photo credit: Dan Carrillo

The City’s Kathy Hsieh receives prestigious 2015 Community Voice Award for the Arts from the International Examiner

March 16, 2015 by Erika Lindsay Leave a Comment

Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture is thrilled to announce that our very own Kathy Hsieh, Cultural Partnerships and Grant Manager, was chosen to receive the esteemed 2015 Community Voice Award for the Arts from the International Examiner. Kathy is being recognized for her inspiring leadership, dedication to artistic excellence in the local Asian Pacific American theatre arena and her ceaseless efforts to increase public access to arts and cultural resources.

It is an incredible honor to have Kathy’s amazing work recognized by the International Examiner, a leading voice in the Asian/Pacific Community. The Examiner specifically lauded Kathy’s commitment to increase arts access for underserved populations to City funding and her endeavors to dismantle institutional racism through the city’s RSJI efforts. In particular they acknowledged her work on the forum Artistic Freedom & Artistic Responsibility, which addressed new and historical artistic productions in a way that is meaningful, relevant and equitable in response to the spirited conversation on this topic occurring in Seattle. The forum created an opportunity for our community to learn from one another and spurred the wider community to address next steps for creating change in how race is represented in the arts.

In her ‘spare’ time Kathy is co-founder of SIS Productions, which works to dispel Asian American stereotypes and uplifts Asian American women with new works in a creative, meaningful and entertaining way, while developing new playwrights, directors and actors in the process. She also teaches an Asian American Theatre as Social Change course for the UW School of Drama.

We couldn’t be more proud of Kathy’s selection for the 2015 Community Voice Award for the Arts. It is a well-deserved acknowledgement of her incredible accomplishments.

In 1991, the International Examiner instituted its Community Voice Awards to honor the unsung heroes of the Asian community in conjunction with the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APA) celebrations. The International Examiner recognizes outstanding API individuals and organizations in the Pacific Northwest through the Community Voice Awards. Every year, community members select nominees who have distinguished themselves by actively working towards the betterment of the community, making significant contributions to uplifting and raising awareness of local Asian Americans.

This year’s awardees are recognized because of their history for making a difference in the community. The International Examiner 41st Anniversary Benefit Gala & Auction and 23rd annual Community Voice Awards will be held on May 21, 2015 during APA Heritage Month at the New Hong Kong Restaurant, 900 S Jackson St., Seattle, WA 98104.

For more information visit: http://www.iexaminer.org/cva2015/

Welcome to Lubbock! By Elisheba Johnson

March 9, 2015 by Erika Lindsay 1 Comment

My first meeting as a member of the American’s for the Arts (AFTA) Emerging Leaders council meant flying to Lubbock, Texas and enjoying 70 degree weather in February — don’t hate me. Lubbock is located in the northwestern region of Texas, and while small compared to Seattle (p. 239,538 in 2013) has its own unique and thriving arts scene.

We started our tour at the First Friday Art Trail. From 6-9 p.m. on the first Friday of every month the art trail is a free, self-guided, public art happening in the Lubbock Cultural District, encompassing a variety of art centers, museums, galleries and businesses. “Trail goers” can grab a map and explore, or jump aboard one of their free First Friday Trolleys and ride to the galleries along the route.

For my first evening, our crew went to the Charles Adams Gallery, which showcases local and emerging Lubbock artists by the gallerist whose career was established in New York. Adams also started the Charles Adams Studio Project (CASP), to create affordable studios and live/work spaces for artists. The mission of CASP is to cluster artists at the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts (LHUCA) by building and maintaining studio space for working artists. On our second day, Chad Plunket, the project manager for CASP, showed us CASP’s print and metal studio and we were able to tour the artist residencies. It’s always fascinating to see how cities and arts communities respond to changing economics and the needs of artists that provide vibrancy to their region.

We also visited the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra and got a glimpse into what it takes to run a mid-size orchestra. The most fascinating part for me was hearing how David Cho, the music director, curates the symphony’s season.

But back to business, our meeting was at LHUCA, a visual and performing arts campus, which acts as an arts hub for Lubbock artists and residents. My 14 diverse colleagues hail from all over the country and have varied positions from executive directors of arts non-profits to working at public sector arts agencies. They also brought a variety of interesting perspectives to the discussion. As a cohort we delved into what it means to be an emerging leader and how to bring equity into the arts administration field. Over the course of 16 hours, we enjoyed a lively discussion, brainstormed and came away with a number of plans for the next session. At the end of our meeting I had contributed some fresh ideas and received copious strategies for local issues.

Looking back at my whirlwind trip, I am reminded of the role art has in placemaking and being the catalyst for affordable housing and livability in a community. I’m excited to be part of AFTA’s Emerging Leaders council and what we can do to help advocate for and support leaders and individuals in the arts.

From the journal of Elisheba Johnson, executive and commission liaison.

Photo credit: Lindsay Tucker So

Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture’s Elisheba Johnson Elected to Americans for the Arts’ Advisory Council

January 28, 2015 by Erika Lindsay Leave a Comment

Elisheba Johnson, executive and commission liaison, was elected to the Emerging Leaders Network advisory council of Americans for the Arts, the leading organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America. She will advise Americans for the Arts’ staff on developing programs and services that will build a deeper connection to the field and the network membership.

In the Emerging Leaders Network, Johnson will work with fellow arts leaders to assist in developing programs and resources to promote professional development and networking opportunities for emerging arts professionals nationwide. In addition to Johnson the city is also represented by Ruri Yampolsky, Seattle’s Public Art Director, who is a member of the Public Art Network Council for Americans for the Arts.

“One word describes how I feel about this opportunity: sponge,” enthused Johnson. “I want to learn as much as I can from my peers while building bridges to the Seattle arts community. Seattle is doing dynamic and responsive work in arts and I am honored to be able to share that with the greater arts community.”

“The success of our organization is dependent on leaders in the arts and culture industries, such as Elisheba Johnson, who are willing to dedicate their time and expertise to work with peers across our country to shape national programs and messages and help craft services for states, communities and local organizations,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “We are grateful for Ms. Johnson’s dedication to promoting and cultivating arts and arts education nationwide.”

Johnson will serve a three-year term, from Jan. 1, 2015 to Dec. 31, 2017.

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