King Street Station in Seattle was all abuzz on Saturday, November 11th. It was Veteran’s Day, and the trains were running, but the buzz was happening on the main and upper floor of the elegant 1906 structure whose bell tower was fashioned after the San Marco tower of Venice, Italy. Hundreds gathered on the chilly fall day to celebrate the opening of Station Space, an interdisciplinary hub for some of the city’s most vibrant arts and cultural organizations.
It was a year ago that the newest resident organizations gathered to break ground on what is now a vital space for Totem Star, Red Eagle Soaring, The Rhapsody Project, Whipsmart, and the Jackson Street Music Program.
Station Space is more than just a reimagined use of a historic building. It is a testament to what can happen when government and community come together to imagine the creation of a viable organization like the Cultural Space Agency, to put the knowledge and skills of real estate development into the hands of arts leaders and enthusiasts. The result can be something empowering like providing critical space to five organizations that are led by people of color, serving people of color. It’s a lot like the adage - “give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.” That’s the kind of power the Cultural Space Agency is putting into the hands of the community. Saturday’s show of support was a clear indication that this is the kind of transfer of power that is wanted, needed, and that works for communities who have been left out and left behind.
Learn more about Station Space and the Cultural Space Agency as covered by KNKX/NPR.
