Seattle Artists, Musicians Call on Paul Allen and Vulcan to Help Ensure Livability for Local Creatives

If Paul Allen and Vulcan can afford to throw a massive music festival, why not put some money towards affordable housing? Courtesy of Upstream

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s Upstream Music Fest + Summit, a three day concert held in Pioneer Square, is launching on May 11. Although the festival is intended to help uplift emerging Seattle artists, some local creatives are calling on the billionaire to meaningfully commit to this goal.

In a Change.org petition sent to Allen, nearly 130 local artists, musicians, and cultural organizations are calling on him and his private investment firm, Vulcan Inc., to pour money into permanent equitable development to “truly preserve Seattle art, music, and culture.”

The petition and accompanying open letter ask Allen and Vulcan Inc. to offer “permanently affordable housing” and work with community organizations such as Africatown to “integrate collective community ownership” over Central District landmark Promenade 23, Yesler Terrace, and future developments. A similar project is underway at the historical Liberty Bank building, the group noted. Their request for permanently affordable housing comes shortly after Allen’s $30 million donation toward a permanent housing facility for people struggling with homelessness.

Additionally, the group asked Allen and his investment firm to offer affordable rehearsal spaces and art studios and to fund research into “who benefits and who is left out of the music economy and strategies for equitable participation.”

Here’s an excerpt from the artists’ open letter:

Will you emerge as leaders of innovation by pioneering a new era of equitable development? Or will you defer to the superficial tactics of honoring the Central District symbolically without function? We, artists and supporters of Upstream, urge you to make the right decision. If we want art, culture, and music to be vivid elements of our city’s daily life, let’s not put that burden on the artists themselves to innovate and disrupt their way to survival. Let’s establish that art-making is our shared responsibility. Let’s draw a line in the sand now, and commit to keeping space for art makers and musicians. Let’s treat art as essential to examining and understanding and imagining our life here together, not solely as an amenity to consume.