You Gotta Fight for Your Right to be Artsy
Capitol Hill's hardest working man in show business, CHAC's Matthew Kwatinetz, has been devoting long hours to the survival of Odd Fellows Hall as an arts space, ever since he found out about the planned sale.
A pragmatist, Kwatinetz isn't tying all his hopes to keeping the Hall for arts use; he's more interested in it as evidence of the arts being forced out of Capitol Hill, an area they once defined. After hosting an "Capitol Hill Arts SOS" event at CHAC back in January, Kwatinetz thought he saw enough downtown support to lobby for real action. (In The Wire-ese, it looked like he might have suction at City Hall.)
The City Council's Nick Licata, reports the Seattle Times, was eager to keep the conversation going:
"When I was at the [January] meeting, I looked around and saw a tremendous amount of interest in how to preserve Seattle homegrown culture," said Licata. "I was thinking that as an elected official what tools I had at my disposal and the easiest and the quickest one, at least to make this issue a carrot to the other council members and the mayor, while holding something at City Hall."Kwatinetz has just fired off an email to us about a meeting at City Hall, in fact, on April 2nd, in support of arts and entertainment in our neighborhoods. So far, five of our nine city council members say they'll be there. He invites anyone with an interest to show up for:
...an informal “pep rally” type event which will showcase rapid-fire two minute speeches from leaders in the community including developers, arts organizers, entertainment businesses, public policy advocates and elected officials.It's from 5-6:30 p.m., in the Bertha Knight Landes Room. Full details after the jump.I strongly encourage you to attend! Even if you can only stop by, sign in, and then leave, this is a major opportunity to make your interest in a better city known to those who have the power to support our neighborhoods. Please come out on April 2nd, and/or send an email to your City Councilmember!
Make Room for Arts & Entertainment in Urban Planning
April 2, City Hall
Bertha Knight Landes Room, 5p-6:30p
On April 2nd, leaders from business, culture, arts, entertainment, real estate development, public policy and residents of Capitol Hill will converge on City Hall to collaboratively envision a City that maintains, nurtures, and creates arts and entertainment facilities as the backbone to neighborhood livability and economic sustainability.
Sponsor: Councilmember Nick Licata
Organizers: 4Culture, Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce, Capitol Hill Arts Center
Co-Sponsors: Councilmembers Clark, Rasmussen, Harrell, Godden
City Partners: Mayor's Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, Mayor's Office of Economic Development
Supporters:
4Culture, Annex Theatre, Barrientos LLC, Capitol Hill Arts Center, Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce, Capitol Hill Community Council, Century Ballroom, the Dubois Apartments, Emerging Arts Leaders King County, Grove Land Productions, Heartland LLC, Image Productions, Mithun, Northwest Film Forum, the Pork Filled Players, Save Odd Fellows Hall Coalition, Seattle Theatre Group, Rainier Valley Cultural Center (SEED Arts), Shunpike, Sustainable Capitol Hill, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (Delridge Neighborhood Development Association).
Speakers:
Jim Reinhardsen, Heartland LLC
Angela Luechtefeld, Freehold Theatre Lab
Josh LaBelle, Seattle Theatre Group, Paramount, Moore
Maria Barrientos, Barrientos LLC, Cap Hill Developer
Ann Donovan, Save Oddfellows Hall Coalition, CH Arts Council, former Velocity BOD member
Evan Johnson, Image Productions, Film Production Company
Jim Kelly, Director, 4Culture, King County's Cultural Development Authority
INTERMISSION: Youth Speaks Poet
Michael Seiwerath, Northwest Film Forum
Laura Curry, Mithun, Cultural Research Specialist, Artist
Liz Dunn, Dunn & Hobbes, Capitol Hill Developer
Hallie Kuperman, Century Ballroom
Lesley Bain, AIA Urban Design Committee
Richard Muhlebach, Kennedy Wilson, Cap Hill Developer
Randy Engstrom, Youngstown Arts Center/DNDA and Seattle Arts Commission
Matthew Kwatinetz, Capitol Hill Arts Center, Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce, Sponsor
Q&A:
Seattle City Councilmember Nick Licata, Sponsor
Seattle City Councilmember Sally Clark, Co-Sponsor
Seattle City Councilmember Jean Godden, Co-Sponsor
Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell, Co-Sponsor
Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, Co-Sponsor
