Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels
Interview by Jeffrey Hirsch
Photography by Jennifer Richard
Just ahead of the fifth annual Mayor's Arts Awards ceremony, part of the festivities kicking off the Bumbershoot Festival, Mayor Greg Nickels sat down for an exclusive interview with Inside Encore. Here are some of Mayor Nickels' thoughts on what powerhouse arts and culture mean to Seattle.
Encore: What are your early recollections of experiences with the arts?
Greg Nickels: When I was kid I attended Junior Programs, which eventually morphed into the Seattle Children's Theatre. Performances were where the Intiman is now; back then it was the Seattle Rep. But my favorite story comes from my wife's upbringing. She grew up in Ellensburg. In junior high school the class came over to the Rep and saw Richard II with Richard Chamberlain starring. As a result, she's had a life-long crush on Richard Chamberlain. Shortly after I became mayor we were having dinner with Peter Donnelly and she shared that story with him. Of course Peter was the one who brought that production to the Rep and it really was a watershed in many ways for Seattle theatre. It clearly was for her as a young girl growing up in a small town in Eastern Washington; that opportunity was great. But then to be able to complete the circle and talk to the fellow who made it happen and thank him: that was pretty special.
Encore: How do you define creativity?
Nickels: Creativity exhibits itself in many different ways. I think I have sparks of it in the political realm, but I don't have it in terms of artistic expression. So when I see someone who is able to really demonstrate that kind of creativity, whether it's in the visual arts or performing arts, it's really awe-inspiring. It makes me wonder: Where does that come from? Seattle, in many ways, is a very creative place - not just in the arts, but also in terms of the economy and the impact we've had on the world - really far out of scale with our size. It's hard to define, but creativity is one of the things that helps Seattle lead in so many different areas.
Encore: It's widely accepted that the arts are an important part of every great city. But why is that so?
Nickels: You need it all. One of the things about a great city is that it has a diversity of people and activities - things to be engaged with or involved in. The arts inspire and motivate and captivate the imagination in a way that then allows you to go into your own field - whether it's politics or building a great airplane or writing software - and to excel. It's that kind of force.
Encore: How have the arts had an impact on the way that Seattle is perceived by outsiders?
Nickels: It's interesting to track. We're one of the top five arts destinations in the country, according to American Style Magazine. I'll be interested to see how the Olympic Sculpture Park and the expanded SAM affect that ranking. We're right up there with Chicago, San Francisco and Boston as a center for arts and culture.
Encore: How does this perception benefit the city?
Nickels: In a number of ways. When you're trying to attract top talent, one of the things people look for is a vibrant, dynamic city. That includes the arts and cultural life of the city. The arts in Seattle make it easier to get people to come here to contribute their talents to our city. And it certainly helps in terms of the bottom line: tourists and people who live here contributing dollars to our economy by participating in the arts. That helps me to balance my budget and provide for the arts - and for many other important services.
Encore: How important are the arts to Seattle's economic prosperity?
Nickels: We track that. Arts and culture add one-third of a billion dollars a year to the Seattle economy. That's a lot of activity. We lead the nation in the number of arts-related jobs per capita. It really is a driving force in our economy.
Encore: Why do you think that is? Why is this an arts center?
Nickels: It has to do with the kind of people who choose to live here. Very creative people, whether they're in the business of designing and building the best airplanes in the world or writing the most powerful software in the world or figuring out how to charge people three dollars for a fifty-cent cup of coffee. They demand and support a very active and dynamic artistic community.
Encore: What can people do to support the arts and benefit from them in their lives?
Nickels: Seattle citizens do an amazing job of supporting the arts, whether as voters in funding the building of Benaroya Hall and McCaw Hall; or as private citizens contributing to various artistic organizations; or by attending exhibitions and performances - coming to First Thursday in Pioneer Square and enjoying that great community celebration. There are many ways for people to become engaged with the arts. People do and we flourish as a result.
Encore: If you were to challenge people to do a little more, where would that be?
Nickels: I have a special fondness for smaller community arts organizations. I would urge people to look for an arts organization near where they live. They'll find opportunities to roll up their sleeves and make a huge difference with their time and energy.
Encore: Tell us about the Mayor's Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs.
Nickels: When I became mayor it was known as the Seattle Arts Commission. We still have the commission, but I wanted to broaden the mission of the office. There's so much to our cultural life - some of the heritage activities, for example, that help us to remember why we got to where we are. The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs is an advocate. It's a bridge between arts organizations and my office. It helps me to be aware of what's going on and how we can be most supportive of the arts.
Encore: How do you work with the Arts Commission?
Nickels: It's an advisory group. I've worked hard to appoint really outstanding commissioners. We've done some very good outreach to broaden the representation on the commission. I think that's been very successful. As citizens, they're able to advocate in a way that staff can't. We have good internal conversations, but there are times when I make a decision and staff's got to fall in line. The commissioners can be a little more assertive when they think that there is a policy or funding issue that needs to be addressed.
Encore: What's an example?
Nickels: When I first came in as mayor, we were going through a recession. Boeing was in the process of laying off 30,000 people in our region. I was cutting the city budget every place I could, including for the arts. I made a promise that when we recovered economically, I would restore those dollars. The Arts Commission was very good at reminding me of that promise, which was absolutely fair. And I kept my promise.
Encore: This is the fifth year of the Mayor's Arts Awards. How did the program start?
Nickels: I'm a history buff. Bumbershoot originally was the Mayor's Arts Festival. But over the years, the city stopped providing major financial support to Bumbershoot. I wanted to reconnect the city and this premiere festival that we have every Labor Day. So I challenged the office to help find a way to do that and the Mayor's Arts Awards - as part of the festivities kicking off Bumbershoot - was one of the recommendations. There's real buzz about the program now. This year we had some 200 nominees and they really represent the length and breadth of the artistic community in our city.
Encore: Why is it important to honor local artists in this way?
Nickels: For one thing, it's an awful lot of fun. Over five years I've had a chance to meet a wide variety of folks who have, often in very humble and unsung ways, made a huge difference in the life of our community. It's appropriate to recognize folks for excellence, particularly when they otherwise might not be recognized. People might not know that they exist, that they have done such wonderful things. It's a nice chance to be able to highlight that and, as a city, to brag a little bit.
Encore: In 2009, you become president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Will you be an advocate for the arts?
Nickels: Absolutely. The Conference already recognizes the arts and their importance in the life of the city. We have arts awards that have been made to a number of cities. I will continue that. And I'll find a "Seattle way" to expand upon it as well.
Encore: How important is arts education?
Nickels: It's very important. Years ago, arts education kind of fell off the table at the Seattle Public Schools and we've been working to try and put it back front and center. During the selection process for the new superintendent and during campaigns for school board members we try and highlight the arts as an important part of the basic education mission of the Seattle Public Schools.
Encore: What's your thinking on public art?
Nickels: Seattle has been a leader in public art. The 1% for Art program that was developed here thirty or forty years ago has been picked up in cities all across the country. It really enlivens civic life. When you see a city facility that has artwork built right into it, which was thought about from the very concept that led to the facility's design, it just makes it a more special place for the people of Seattle to enjoy.
Encore: Are you going to Bumbershoot?
Nickels: Yes. My wife is from Ellensburg and the Ellensburg Rodeo is the same weekend as Bumbershoot. So during the early years of our marriage, we'd visit her parents and go to the rodeo. I didn't know that much about Bumbershoot until my kids started to grow up. As soon as the insert in the paper was available, they would grab it and mark what they wanted to see. That's when I started to think about the idea that this was the city's first arts festival - originally the Mayor's Arts Festival. How do we take this energy and excitement I saw in my kids and share it more broadly? So yes, we will be going to Bumbershoot. I'm about to go online now and look at who's coming.
