Thank you so much.
It's so fun to go after Director Ayala
because she's someone I've known and respected for a long time.
Good afternoon, good morning, good evening.
My name is Councilmember Dion Foster,
and I have the pleasure of serving as the chair
of the Housing, Arts, and Civil Rights Committee.
And I get to be here today to talk to you about
Office of Arts and Culture Director Amy Nguyen.
Am I right or am I right?
So here's the thing about Director Nguyen.
White Center's own.
White Center in the house?
I can tell you she's got a master's in urban policy
and a bachelor's in urban studies from the
New School in New York.
I can tell you that she spent more than a decade leading
here locally in OPCD, in arts and culture, in community.
I can tell you that she is smart.
She is intelligent.
She is connected.
But by the applause, you all already know this.
So let me tell you some things you might not
know about Director Nguyen.
Sorry, friend.
She has the best Zoom background I have ever seen in my life.
You get on a call with her and you're talking about the future
of arts and culture in the city, and then you're met with
this background of arts and culture in the city.
And she brings this integrity, this connection,
and this spirit of fun that we all need so much in
our lives doing the incredibly difficult work that we do.
Let me tell you a second thing about director Amy Nguyen.
She brought me the most fun I have had in council
chambers in this job.
Sorry to everybody else.
During her confirmation process because the chambers was
full of people with her face on popsicle sticks.
And you could feel both the art, the creativity, and the spirit
of joy that Amy brings with with her and you could feel the
spirit of community in chambers.
I'll tell you, I walked out into chambers that
day and it was so full, I turned to my clerk
and I was like, "Do we have something on the
agenda that I forgot about?"
I was like, "No, those are Amy's people."
I was like, "Okay."
So know that when Amy leads the Office of Arts and Culture,
she's not just standing there as a singular director,
she is standing there with hundreds of community
members behind her, And she is thinking about the
thousands and the hundreds of thousands of residents
that our city serves with the spirit of service that
she brings to that office.
So it is my pleasure to get to introduce.
I think I'm introducing her.
I'm going to do it.
It's my pleasure to invite Director Amy Nguyen here
to share a few words.
Thank you so much for your service.
Even with heels on, I got to move the mic down here.
Wow, that was such a fantastic introduction.
So I'm going to take a moment here.
and I want to also start by thanking you, Mayor Wilson,
for this profound opportunity.
All the council members here, I am so honored
to get to work alongside you over these next several years.
My colleagues and friends, family,
and my Office of Arts and Culture staff,
you've turned out again and again.
And I don't want us to sound like a cult,
but I feel like Kelly Davidson, my deputy,
you can also attest to this, you never get away
from the Office of Arts and Culture, you just keep
coming back.
So thank you for being here today, and
thank you for the trust you have placed in me.
It is an honor to stand alongside this remarkable
group of public servants as we take this oath
together. While we lead different departments,
we share a common responsibility to help shape
the future of Seattle and improve the lives of
the people who call this home.
My path to this moment has come full
circle. I was born in White Center, grew up in
Seattle. Some of my earliest memories are looking out
over Jackson Street from my grandfather's SRO.
I spent afternoons playing cards at
Magic Dragon on 23rd Ave.
For the Vietnamese folks, it was 13.
Yeah, you know that.
And my perspective widened by long evenings on
Rainier, learning photography in the darkroom, and
discovering the power of creative expression.
At the time, I didn't realize those
experiences were shaping how I understood cities and
communities. It wasn't until I left Seattle to study
urban policy and planning in New York that I fully
appreciated what this city had given me.
I came to understand that people don't
solely fall in love with the city because of its
exceptional policies, plans, or infrastructure alone.
They fall in love with a city because of how it
makes them feel.
Through the places that hold
memories, through culture and tradition, through music, art,
food, language, and community, through the people who
make place feel like home.
Over the past decade, I've had the privilege of serving Seattle
in many department roles.
Across every position, I've carried the same question.
How do we meet the needs of a growing city while preserving
the culture, creativity, and sense of belonging that
make people love this place?
This is why I believe arts and culture are essential
civic infrastructure.
Arts and culture help us understand who we are,
imagine who we can become.
They help young people discover their voice.
They strengthen neighborhoods and local economies.
They preserve stories and traditions.
And they create opportunities for people to see themselves
and one another with great empathy and understanding.
Over the next three years, I guess three and a half, my
commitment is to champion artists, cultural
organizations, and communities
and to ensure that arts and culture remain central
to how we build more affordable, connected, and
vibrant Seattle.
I will also lead with curiosity,
collaboration and a deep belief that the people
closest to our challenges are also closest to the solutions.
And while I have the privilege of leading this
office, creativity is not confined to one department.
Every director standing to to hear today is engaged in
the act of building a city.
And a building a city requires imagination.
It requires us to see possibilities
where others see constraints, to listen before we act,
and to create the conditions for future generations to thrive.
Seattle's story is still being written.
I look forward to helping ensure that artists, communities,
and culture remain at the heart of that story.
Thank you.
All right, Amy.
You already have that right hand up, and I love it.
I'll get even closer to you here so you don't
have to move so far.
Thank you so much.
But you know what?
- Actually, whatever is best for your picture is you.
- I don't know, Tim, what's gonna look better?
Like this?
Are you ready to repeat after me?
- I am ready.
- All right.
I, Amy Nguyen.
- I, Amy Nguyen.
- Swear that I possess.
- All of the qualifications prescribed.
- In the Seattle City Charter.
- And the Seattle Municipal Code.
And the Seattle Municipal Code.
For the position of Director of Arts and Culture.
For the position of Director of Office of Arts and Culture.
And that I will support the Constitution of
the United States.
I will support the Constitution of the United States.
The Constitution of the State of Washington.
And the Charter and Ordinances of the City of Seattle.
The Charter and Ordinances of the City of Seattle.
And that I will faithfully conduct myself.
I will faithfully conduct myself.
As Director of the Office of Arts and Culture.
Thank you.
Congratulations.
I'm going to take this time.
Can you right here?
Such an honor to be pinned by you.
You're welcome.
I don't ever do this.
Really? I heard you do good pinning.
No, I never do the pinning.
It's usually a family member.
Don't call me out for not having a family.