The Rise and Fall of Consolidated Works and the Arts in South Lake Union

Seattle’s neighborhoods are at risk of becoming homogenized by gentrification and tech-focused profit-driven development. Though it is well-established that Seattle is a creative and diverse city, cherished arts districts like Capitol Hill and the Uptown region surrounding the Seattle Center have changed. South Lake Union is another a stark example. This case study examines how culturally vibrant neighborhoods are created and what outside factors can inhibit the growth of the distinctive neighborhood identities that are crucial to developing a sense of community and organizing advocacy. It starts with the hypothesis that, without community advocacy, one dominant factor such traffic or a single powerful industry can overwhelm a neighborhood. It will compare three neighborhoods in Seattle and the historical motivations that created them. It will highlight three factors that cultural organizations and arts advocates should consider when advocating for diverse growth in their neighborhood. Underestimating the impact of traffic patterns resulted in problems that have limited the growth of cultural organizations. Loss of affordable sites for arts nonprofits has dramatically shortened the longevity of such organizations in South Lake Union when compared to Capitol Hill and Uptown. Lastly, in the case of the South Lake Union nonprofit Consolidated Works, shifts in their arts programming, coupled with facility instability and a lack of audience in the neighborhood, led to mission drift and were contributing causes of the closure of the once lauded organization

The Wing Takes Flight: How the Wing Luke Museum Built a Home for the Asian American Community

The Wing Luke Museum has been an important center of Asian American art, history, and community outreach for the past 53 years. It opened in 1967 as a folk art museum in a storefront, honoring the memory of Wing Chong Luke, the first Asian American elected to public office in the state of Washington. Today, it is a showcase for Asian American culture, the only museum of its kind to be accredited by the national association of museums. Under the leadership of Ron Chew, its Executive Director for 17 years, the organization’s innovative model for community-based exhibition development gained the respect of the museum world, and the support of a pan-Asian constituency. Their success has resulted in two expansions of the museum, twenty years apart. In 2008, under new leadership and in a new 60,000 square foot space in a landmark building, the museum rededicated itself with new vigor to supporting artists, telling community stories, and preserving historic places. Now attracting a national audience and support, the Wing Luke Museum has entered a golden age. Its commitment to engaging the community and responding to its ever-evolving needs has made the museum an example of what responsible and responsive museum leadership can attain