One of the most intrinsic values at ARTE NOIR is leadership. In everything we do, we value leadership qualities in every aspect of our work and we encourage all of our collaborators to acknowledge and witness leaders who are engaged in making our community better. Not as passive observers but as active servant leaders. One such leader to be celebrated is Ebony Arunga.
Ebony is a member of the honored Arunga clan of Kenya and Seattle, and even though her life takes place on two continents, her presence in Seattle is felt far and wide. Ebony Atieno Arunga makes things happen!
When author Ijeoma Oluo and music aficionado Gabriel Teodros put their heads and hearts into creating the Seattle Artist Relief Fund, Ebony was hard at work behind the scenes linking partners and making certain artists in need could find help through the fund. You may also remember a little spot in the Central District called Seaweed, where the most unique clothing, jewelry, and collectibles were available, thanks to Ebony’s entrepreneur mother Marcia Tate Arunga. The physical location is no longer, but Ebony maintains the business, along with her sister Nia through pop-ups and festivals, and luckily you will find some Seaweed goodness in ARTE NOIR's retail shop too.
Ebony is a tireless community servant and her love of arts advocacy, arts management, and project management has landed her in a couple of spaces that mean a lot to ARTE NOIR. Ebony is now the Community Liaison for the Cultural Space Agency, which means we get to interact with her on a regular basis. The Cultural Space Agency has been a supporter of our development since day one, and we have forged a partnership that will bring us together to educate and encourage the next generation of arts and cultural space leaders. She also serves on the Seattle Arts Commission and gives her time regularly to support artists and arts initiatives.
We love and appreciate you, Ebony, and thank you for your leadership and partnership. You are the kind of servant leader that makes our community so much better!
Comments