Reviving Cultural Capital With The Central District Art Walk

Stephanie Morales remembers what it felt like to keep getting told no.

“I would get this sort of suspicious attitude; I had to really prove myself,” said the executive
director and founder of Made Space, an art, culture, and business hub that operates out of a
building on 20th Avenue and East Union Street. “I just didn’t want to deal with any of that
anymore.”

As an artist with experience in multiple mediums, including painting, Morales was tired of facing
exclusionary attitudes and high rental costs at venues. She envisioned her own place and platform
where artists could show their work.

That idea became the Central District Art Walk, a monthly event that reasserts the Central
District’s historical identity. Business owners, artists, and other community members pool their
resources and elevate art to shape the character of a neighborhood. Black artists and business
owners who participate in the art walk, which started in 2024 and happens once a month, say they
seek to cultivate community while preserving culture.

Morales said that Made Space began as a retail shop called The Liink Project [CQ], where customers
could buy things like hoodies and ceramic decor. However, she pivoted when she realized there was a
community need for an accessible third space that could serve as a classroom, workshop or art
studio. As a second-generation Seattlelite, she felt compelled to base this hub in the CD,
connected to Black culture.

The idea of the CD Art Walk had been around for years, but Morales made it happen. She had been
attached to the concept since Made Space opened in 2021, inspired by her own experiences selling artwork at the Fremont Art Walk. However, the idea wasn’t fully realized until she met a
key ally.

“I ran into Rodney King, who is another artist from the CD, and he is also a Seattle arts
commissioner,” Morales said. “He had just gotten his placement, and he was like, ‘This will be
great, let’s do it, let’s make this happen.’”

King’s duties with the Seattle Arts Commission included advising the mayor and City Council on arts
policy, reviewing funding programs, and increasing public awareness of arts activities. He
connected Morales with organizers of established Seattle art walks, who provided pointers on
organization and then established the new event on their art walk website, which helped King and
Morales officially launch the CD art walk in September 2024.

Now, the art walk takes place on the first Friday of every month in partnership with local
businesses. During the event, Made Space transforms into an art gallery for local artists, while
nearby businesses create their own festive atmospheres. Some invite vendors to set up outside their
storefronts, while others host events like fashion shows.

According to Morales, the CD art walk’s greatest asset is its ability to foster a sense of
collaboration between organizations, which in turn strengthens the camaraderie in the neighborhood.

This spirit is the embodiment of “cooperative economics,” a term defined by Morales as a pooling of
resources to benefit all. But participants in the art walk aren’t only interested in monetary
benefits.

Takiyah Ward, the owner of the Re-Sole 206, a sneaker customization and restoration business, views
her services as an art form and her shop as a community hub. “It’s not always money.
Sometimes it’s even just people coming out to bring their energy and attention to a space,” said
Ward of the art walk.

For her, the CD Art Walk holds personal significance. As a Seattle native who has a strong family
history in the area through her mother and grandfather, Ward said she was driven to involve herself
in solution-based work in the face of gentrification. For example, she said she ensured that the
newly developed Midtown Square at the intersection of 23rd and Union Street, where her shop is
located, was developed with community input.

When the art walk first started, Ward displayed local art in The Re-Sole 206, but eventually
shifted to hands-on activities.

“We decided to pivot, and so now we host paint and sip here,” said Ward. “I think that activity
really attracted people in a way that was like, ‘I can get to do something instead of just seeing a
bunch of art.’”

Similarly, Gavin Amos, who is the owner of coffee shop Avole CD, said the art walk is an integral
part of preserving the CD’s identity. He considers the neighborhood the “cultural capital of
Washington.”

Although his shop is small, at around 500 square feet, he makes strategic use of the space during
the art walks, setting up tents on the sidewalks outside, where music and vendors create a lively
atmosphere.

“A lot of artists here just need space, people coping with gentrification, displacement, loss of
space,” said Amos.

Amos also highlighted a service intended to increase accessibility: A free party-bus service
provided by Presidential Transportation links the far-flung locations involved in the art walk.
“I thought that was really cool for them to offer that service, because then it allows more people
to experience more of what we’re trying to build,” said Amos. “It definitely seems like a pretty
good example of the cooperative economics that’s happening–us being able to feed into one another,
given our strengths.”

The organizers hope to maintain the energy of summer days through the colder months. Despite
challenges, their visions are clear.

“I would love the Central District to be a tourist destination,” said Morales. “It has a lot of
history and art and culture, and it’s very accessible from all of the main tourist areas in the
city.”

The overall objective of the event, according to Ward, is to keep expanding the network of the
community, ensuring that the CD remains a space for future generations to commune and see
themselves reflected in their home.

“I hope it gets as big as it can,” said Ward. “I think the CD has a lot to offer when it comes to
art and creativity.”