Mayor Brown, Spokane Arts Announce Plan for Office of Arts and Culture

Mayor Brown, Spokane Arts Announce Plans to Form Office of Arts and Culture

Erin Hut, Director of Communications, [email protected]

Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 12:33 p.m.

Mayor Lisa Brown today announced plans to form a new Office of Arts and Culture at the City of Spokane. Mayor Brown and the leadership of Spokane Arts have mutually agreed to a 6-month contract extension starting January 1, 2025. During this period representatives of the Administration, Spokane Arts, and the Arts Commission will work to determine which portions of the existing Spokane Arts portfolio will come into the City office.

Mayor Brown announced her intention to name Skyler Oberst, current Executive Director of Spokane Arts, as the Director of the Office upon its establishment. The office will also include Elisabet Edwards, who currently serves as Constituent Services Coordinator and Arts Liaison in the Brown Administration.

"Arts and Culture are the lifeblood of our community, and this move gives us an opportunity to double down on our support for creatives in all sectors," Mayor Brown said. "By bringing the arts back into the city, we can identify new funding opportunities, give added stability to existing arts infrastructure, and find new and innovative ways to blend the arts into everything we do. In Spokane, We All Belong, and arts and culture create the fabric of that belonging."

"We are thrilled to be a part of this historic moment," said Spokane Arts Executive Director Skyler Oberst. "We believe that this is what's best for our creative sector, and are confident that we can create a smooth, effective transition to the new city Office of Arts and Culture. This move opens new channels of opportunity and imagination."

"Every city deserves a rich and vibrant arts community with full support from the government, philanthropy, and business sectors," said Karen Mobley, arts consultant, artist and writer. Mobley served as the City Arts Director for 15 years before being laid off in the 2012 move to outsource the city's arts and culture programs. "I look forward to our future in service of the creative sector, the audience, and the community."

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