BRING
THE NOISE!
Legendary
Seattle artist David Toledo makes the leap from street art to political activism.
Seattle is known as both a place of artistic expression and
of issue advocacy. On one hand Seattle
is a place where creativity flourishes and bursts forth in the form of
game-changing music, technology, and art appreciation centers; while on the
other hand advancing the rights of workers, launching innovative youth outreach
programs, and addressing race & social justice issues head-on.
It there is one person that exemplifies Seattle’s dual
personality it is artist and youth advocate David Toledo. A published author, illustrator, musician and
playwright; 10 years ago David stepped back (slightly) from the limelight in
order to focus on youth advocacy; stopping youth violence, and using the arts
to give a new direction to many of Seattle’s at-risk teens.
David and team recently wrapping up the Unified Outreach
summer classes and highly acclaimed “Work Training in the Arts” program. And although David currently makes his home
in West Seattle, he agreed to sit down with us over a plate of wings and
biscuits in Seattle’s Central District.
David: That’s my high
school right there. They’ve done a lot
of renovations but I still like to walk the yard once in a while or slip inside
after hours just to breeze through the hallways.
YAC: Good memories?
David:
Definitely. I wish I could go
back and do it all again… But I’m sure that’s what most people say.
YAC: Has the
neighborhood changed since you attended Garfield?
David: I think there
is truth to the gentrification argument, that families that have lived in the
area for generations being driven out. Families
redlined into the area due to discriminating housing practices that found the
good and settled here to put down roots, bought houses, and planned on
establishing a home for their children and grandchildren.
“City officials have
surrendered to developers, and those that are advocating for the community are
just too radical.”
And now we are talking about micro housing and more
development but no one is talking about how that will affect the quality of
life in the area. What are the pros and
cons? We have to get a handle on
affordable housing issues, and do so in a responsible way. So far it looks like our city officials have
surrendered to developers, and those that are advocating for the community are
just too radical. We need honest mediators
to bring both sides together.
YAC: What would you
like to see?
David: Not all
development is bad. I walked these
streets in the 80’s and 90’s and I’m not afraid to share both the triumphs and
the tragedies of that time period. New
construction is needed, but we need to respect local establishments that have
historical significance. How can the
community partner with the developers to honor these locations?
Anyway, I know you didn’t come here to talk about housing
issues. I’m sure you’d rather talk about
all the exciting things we’re doing with the arts.
YAC: August 30th
the Unified Outreach program held its annual youth Fashion Expose. Can you tell us a little about the work
training in the arts program?
Work Training in the Arts
David: Of course, but
first let me give you some history.
Being artists ourselves, the volunteers have known the importance of
networking and career tracks in being successful. Politicians are quick to use the quote Pastor
Greg Boyle “Nothing stops a bullet like a job”, and we believe that. However, putting a job in a low income area
doesn’t mean that the youth in that area will have access to it. Which, by the way is why I favor tax breaks
or other incentives for hiring employees that live in the same district as the
business, but that’s another subject.
Like most who are involved with youth programs we
continually heard of kids taking art classes or workshops offered throughout
the city- but once the student graduated he/she didn’t know what to do with
their newfound artistic skills. So in 2010 we began engaging Mayor McGinn
regarding the need for career tracks for any arts programs receiving funding
from the city. We suggested that if a group
was seeking city funding that one of the requirements be that the facility
provide their students with direction beyond the classroom, and offered our
Youth Fashion Expose as an example. Now
one thing about Mayor McGinn is he loved and engaged both Seattle’s youth and
the arts. Mayor McGinn didn’t just
listen, he acted, and in 2011 launched the City’s “Work Readiness in the Arts”
program, connecting the Office of Arts & Culture, Seattle’s Youth Violence
Prevention Initiative (SYVPI), and Non-Profit Arts programs in a partnership to
provide job training skills in various artistic mediums. The program doesn’t have the mandatory
“education track or networking” component that we sought, but it is a step in
the right direction.
YAC: Which brings us
to the Youth Fashion Expose’?
David: Exactly! So what this program offers is work training
in event production and management. We
offer the Fashion Expose in partnership with Carlisia Minnis/MAC Fashion House
and Lika Love, as well as a Music Industry course featuring Seattle rap artist
TYRONE (aka Tyrone Dumas) which is incredible.
“Kids need educational
or career direction beyond the initial classroom training.”
In these programs Unified Outreach partners with SYVPI to train
10 at-risk youth (per program) to plan, promote, and deliver an industry level community
event. During a 6-week period students learn
facilities management, sound & lighting, promotions, stage set-up, video
production, and more. Then on the final
night our instructors step back and allow the students to take full control of
the show. Afterwards we spend a week of
programming helping the youth to build resumes, obtain contact information for
designers, artists, promoters, and other networking opportunities. The kids leave the program with the skills to
put on any type of large scale event, as well as a strong resume which includes
a DVD of the performance and behind the scenes footage.
YAC: That is an
incredible program. I agree that kids
need educational or career direction beyond the initial classroom
training. Your program fills a much
needed void in the arts community! Now
let’s talk a little about your personal history. I think it’s especially appropriate that we
talk about your roots in hip hop since we are just steps away from your high
school and the spot of one of your most famous works of art? At one time you were considered one of the
best graffiti artist’s in Seattle. Can
you tell me about that?
David: I suppose I
had some neighborhood fame during hip hop’s golden era, back around
1983-1985. I was pretty well known for
doing hip hop art back then. Unlike
today, there weren’t a lot of street artists who did full scale murals, really
there were only a handful. So the minute
I put up a 30 foot burner on the Garfield High track field I established
myself. After that if I was at Sir Mixalot
jam at the YMCA or Boy’s Club I had a little group of aspiring artists that
would congregate around me.
David Toledo “ImageNemo” 1987
YAC: So you were
Seattle’s first graffiti muralist?
David: Oh no! Not at
all. As a matter of fact my first
inspiration was the block-long graffiti mural by Kuo (aka Mr. Clean) that
changed my life. I had never seen
anything like it. But by this time there
were already other artists establishing themselves with large pieces, such as Spraycan,
DadOne, Spaide, Skreen, Nemo, KeepOne, Solo Doe, Faze, Bazerk, and others. But I had really strong characters, and that
helped my pieces to get a little more attention; but all said and done, most of
those cats were better with a spray can than me.
YAC: At what point
did you transition from walls to canvas?
David: I met graffiti
artist Sean (Nemo) Casey in 1986. I had
already stopped going out at night and began focusing on my music & dance
crew (the Ducky Boys) which had been gaining notoriety at local dance clubs in Seattle
and surrounding areas. I think Nemo and
I painted 2 walls together, then Nemo suggested that we really start focusing
on canvases. He was into all kinds of artistic mediums, truly gifted.
YAC: Let’s quickly
touch on your dance crew, the Ducky Boys.
David: So there was a
period where kids were growing out of breakdancing, but still looking for
something to do at the club (other than dance with girls, go figure). Enter “the prep” which was a dance battle of
sorts. So kids would have “prep crews”
that would go out and dance against each other.
During this brief period (85-87) the most well-known crews (thanks to
our appearance on Seattle Bandstand) were the Masters of the Prep (later known
as PPIA), the Ballard Boys, and the Ducky Boys.
The dance crew slowly evolved into a musical group with the help of DJ’s
Spencer Reed and Kelly Peebles.
Ducky Boys 1985
YAC: That sounds like
fun.
David: It was a great
time in my life. But there were also a
couple of times that the guys and I had to fight our way out of the club
because the regulars didn’t like to see us win cash prizes in the dance
contests.
“He literally had
pressed me up over his head and was going to throw me through the storefront
window.”
YAC: Really? Dance-fight?
Like in West Side Story?
David: (Laughs) not
quite. Some of these fights were pretty
serious, there was one fight where I was literally pressed over this guy’s head
and thought he was going to throw me through the storefront window, and
honestly, he could have if he wanted to.
Thankfully he decided to simply body slam me to the floor. I’m truly
grateful that God never allowed me to go through a window, or to be too severely
damaged in a fight, because I put myself in a lot of unnecessary situations
trying to represent my crew.
YAC: I think that a lot of kids are dealing with that same mentality today. There is a willingness to do some pretty
crazy things in order to impress our friends.
David: It’s
true. The respect and approval of your
friends means so much at that age. It’s
funny, because in the situation where I was almost thrown through the window,
the guy I got into it with that day probably had more in common with me than
anyone else I was hanging with at the time.
He’s gone on to be an author of children’s books, he’s a concert
promoter, and he’s really sharp. If he
and I would have sat down with our business hats on we might be running a
Fortune 500 company today, man I’d like to have a do-over there.
YAC: Do you remember
what you were fighting about?
David: Sadly, I
don’t. Which means it was probably
something pretty silly. I can honestly
say that most of the altercations I was involved in were due to my trying to
protect others. Do you remember the
scene in Forrest Gump, when Forrest sees the hippie boyfriend slap Jenny, and
Forrest goes over the table to get him? I guess I was everybody’s Forrest Gump
back then. Even today, it’s hard for me
to sit still when I see a person physically or verbally attacking someone who
isn’t equipped to fight back. People can
be so mean, and there are some out there that escalate their hostility when
they see the person they are attacking is not fighting back.
YAC: But in this
case?
David: In this case
I’m ashamed to say that I think we were fighting about who placed where in a
recent dance contest. It was something
really silly, and shamefully embarrassing.
YAC: Do you feel that
having similar experiences helps you to better understand the kids you work
with?
David: I think it
helps. But these kids are also dealing
with things that I could never imagine at that age. Social media brings peer pressure and
bullying to a whole new level. But we
just try to lead by example. I share my
stories, successes and failures, in hopes that it helps them to make the right
decisions if ever found in similar situations.
David: Wait a
minute. We’re doing it again. We’re way off track if this is meant to be a
story about the arts program.
YAC: Well, we’re here
to talk about the program but I think your history is also important in
understanding what drives you. But okay,
back to the gallery showing. You artists
just can’t seem to stay focused.
David: (Laughs) Okay,
so I met Nemo, who was already doing gallery showings featuring his work with
aerosol. My first pieces were aerosol
works as well, featuring hip hop style letters and characters; but I quickly
moved from spray-paint to oils and acrylics.
So my early showings were a mixture of both traditional and contemporary
works. One canvas would have a hip hop
character and letters, the next canvas would be an oil painting of an old man
drinking coffee. The dramatic leaps of
style and mediums impressed some, while leaving others trying to make sense of
what, when, and how they were connected.
David Toledo with oil canvas 199?
YAC: And from there
your next project was what?
David: I think the early
1990’s were some of my most commercially creative years. During this time I wrote and acted in various
plays, was the lead writer and illustrator for a number of comic books, and
performed with Seattle alternative-band “Silly Rabbit” and the rap group Moving
Target, along with my brother Dawny and Esera Mose (also releasing and album of the same name).
YAC: Things were
really moving along. Then what happened?
David: By 1996 I was
working a full time desk job and really focused on a steady white-collar pay
check. I dabbled in various artist
mediums, but only sporadically. But
there was also something missing. I had
grown up with a mother who was very involved in helping others. She took in refugees, let families from
church stay with us, and housed foster children. In the late 1970’s she and a few friends
began a soup kitchen at one of the senior housing complexes in Greenwood, and
in the early 80’s she started one of the first neighborhood food-banks, from
our front porch. This was a single
mother, raising 4 kids on her own, working nights to make ends meet. But despite her own struggles she was always
asking how she could help others; delivering and cooking food, sowing buttons,
lending a friendly ear, whatever was needed.
“We operated for nearly
a decade with absolutely no funding other than what the volunteers put into the
program.”
So here I was, almost 30, and wondering how I could make a difference. So I started volunteering at a transitional
housing shelter in the Central District.
I would go in once a week and draw or paint with the kids, and that’s
where my love of youth programming began.
YAC: Would you say
that was the beginning of the Unified Outreach program?
David: In a way,
yes. So as I began volunteering at other
shelters I started to ask other artist friends of mine to help out. When we would show up to do art classes
people would ask what group we were with.
So eventually we thought that we needed to establish a name for the
group, and Unified Outreach was born.
That was 1998 when we actually put a name to the program. We applied for and received 501c3 Charity
status in 2004.
YAC: So you actually
celebrated 10 years of charitable status this year? Congratulations!
David: Oh yeah, I
hadn’t even thought about that. 16 years
of programming, with the last 10 years under the 501c3 status. It’s be a very rewarding, full of ups and
downs, but very rewarding. And during
this time I think I really grew as a person.
I spent two years in North Los Angeles/Inglewood volunteering at Christ
Gospel Mission as well as the Greater Bethany Food Bank advocating for the
homeless, working with at-risk youth, and trying to get a better grasp of
issues that affect those around me. Here
in Seattle I’ve worked on affordable housing issues, spoken out against
corruption and cronyism in our state government, and called for a return of
arts programs to our public schools.
YAC: What do you see
in the future for Unified Outreach?
David: We really have
a lot of programs that are being initiated by former students. There is a production group that meets weekly
at our studios, completely made up of former students and other youth. I believe the oldest in the group is 20 or 21
years. They are using the sound booth
and video equipment with a goal of producing ready for network commercials and
television sitcoms within the next 2 years.
And of course we’re looking at other options for future work
training in the arts programs such as cartoon animation, ebook publishing,
healthy living programs and other ideas.
YAC: Any personal
arts projects for David Toledo?
David: I’m working on
a cartoon series called the Mascots, and finishing a short script for theater,
hopefully both to be completed by the end of 2015.
The Mascots Cartoon
YAC: What would you say is Unified
Outreach’s biggest accomplishment?
David: I think just
surviving. We operated for nearly a
decade with absolutely no funding other than what the volunteers put into the program. We didn’t receive our first grant until
2011. We kept the program alive and
running with love, sweat, and tears.
“They continued to spin
the story that Unified Outreach had somehow broken the law, calling for arrests
and threatening to come down to the art center and confront the kids.”
YAC: Was there ever a
time when you thought about closing the doors?
David: Yes, sadly
there was, and it was tied directly into our first grant, although it was
really just about politics. In 2011 Unified
Outreach had received a check from the City for $1000.00 to help with printing
of a youth arts newspaper.
My sister was running for office at the time, and supporters of her
political opponent attacked our program in an attempt to smear her. As one would expect the kids writing the
articles wrote about what they were doing and seeing at the time, including
writing about my sisters run for office since it was something they heard me
talking about daily. Nothing over the
top, just some general articles about her run which I still think were very
fair and balanced. Seeing an opportunity
to attack my sister, her opponents complained to the city and the elections
commission about the paper being political literature.
YAC: Wow. What happened?
David: The city officials
called us in a panic, worried about being caught in the middle of a political
war. Before they even asked we offered
to give the money back in order to help calm the situation, I wrote them a
check that morning. The elections board
looked at the newspaper and agreed with us that there was no wrongdoing, and
closed the case. However, the political
partisans continued to spin the story that Unified Outreach had somehow broken
the law, calling for arrests and threatening to come down to the art center and
confront the kids.
That is the thing that still turns my stomach, how adults
can do something so despicable as to harm children (even emotionally) just to
gain the political upper hand. Our kids
went from feeling like they had accomplished something major, the production of
a complete newspaper – written, drawn, photographed, and published by youth, to
feeling like they did something wrong.
(At this point David’s lip quivers, as he seems shaken
recounting the events).
Because of those threats we had to think about protecting
our students from the mental and potential physical abuse by these political fanatics. So we closed the doors for a time and cut
back on programming until after the race was over. Once we thought that our students were safe
to return we began to schedule classes again.
YAC: That’s
terrible. I’m glad that you were able to
regroup and to continue with your programming.
It’s hard to believe that people can be so wicked, but then again,
politics is a dirty game.
I’m not sure if this is a good Segue but over the past few
years you have really grown from just and artist into many different
areas of advocacy, from curbing youth violence, race & social justice, fair
housing, and more. You seem to have
become a real activist.
David: I think that
being active in the community demands that we engage on issues that are
important to people. I always try to
approach the dialogue with a humble heart; but we never know where inspiration
may come from. Even if someone has
completely different ideas about how things should work, there may be some
areas of common ground, and if we listen, there may be some good ideas mixed in
with the rhetoric.
YAC: You’ve recently
made attempts to engage Mayor Murray’s office regarding a proposal to establish
a department of inner city affairs?
“The proposal received
strong opposition from department-heads within the Mayor’s office that feared
losing their funding.”
David: Yes, during
the summer of 2014 the Central District and Rainier Valley saw a dramatic
increase in youth violence and murders.
Over 10 youth murdered, over 20 overall murders, and over 50 reported
gunshots in a 4-month period. Senior
members of the community were crying out for outside the box thinking to engage
youth. Our steering committee put
together what we felt was a solid blueprint for the creation of a new
department that would cultivate a new partnership between community leaders and
public safety officials and access previously unobtainable community resources.
YAC: And the results
of the proposal?
David: The Mayor’s
office refused to meet with us, stating that they already had programs in place
to deal with youth violence. Additionally,
I understand the proposal received strong opposition from department-heads
within the Mayor’s office that feared losing their funding.
I think the proposal was also just a little too
radical. Our design involved recruiting
people from the neighborhood that didn’t have their high school diplomas, and
maybe had police records, whose only education was on the streets, but that the
kids doing the violence know and look up to.
These cats didn’t fit into the Mayor’s plan for youth engagement. The city still sees the best course of action
to curb the violence as college educated counselors and social workers from
Ivy League Schools.
It was also mentioned to us by inside sources that there was
a fear that meeting with us would give the proposal and the proposed community leader’s
legitimacy and shine a spotlight on areas that our city officials would rather
keep in the dark.
YAC: Like turning on
a light in the kitchen and seeing roaches scatter?
David: The message we
got is to not rock the boat. So rather than continue to beat on a closed door
we are looking at other ways to bring change on a smaller scale. We must continuing to engage kids in
one-on-one relationships through arts programs, music, mentoring, and just
being a part of the community.
And thankfully there are other great programs that are
active in the area that we hope to partner with in the future. Groups like B.U.I.L.D. and programs like Hack
the CD that have outstanding leadership and are making a difference where they
are needed most.
YAC: I feel like we
could sit and talk about arts programs and community involvement all day, but
we have to end the article at some point.
Let me rattle off a few topics and please try to answer in one or two
sentences if possible.
“Other than the
festivals, Seattle Center is always deserted, but that’s what happens when you
have an Arts Commission that is heavily populated with lawyers and real estate
developers.”
YAC: Best thing about
growing up in Seattle.
David: Summertime at
Greenlake and at the Seattle Center Fun Forrest. Two things break my heart, going to Greenlake
and seeing “no swimming due to toxic algae” and visiting Seattle Center and
seeing a once vibrant community meeting place practically a ghost town. Other than the festivals, Seattle Center is
always deserted, but that’s what happens when you have an Arts Commission that
is heavily populated with lawyers and real estate developers.
YAC: Favorite thing
about Seattle today?
David: Seahawks baby!
YAC: First thing you
would do if you were the Mayor?
David: Personal
camera’s on police officers. We need that
to protect our officers who put their lives on the line every day and need that
documentation when they are forced escalate a situation. And we need it for our communities who may
have lost confidence in our public safety offices due to past experiences.
YAC: If you could
talk to the David Toledo of 1990 what would you say?
David: Find and marry
a good woman. We are created as
incomplete beings; having a partner that you can share this journey with is a
blessing that I took too long to embrace.
YAC: Your hero?
David: My mom, who I
love with all my heart.
YAC: Favorite thing
to do?
David: Dance-off
competitions with my daughter, nephews, and nieces.
YAC: Advice for
struggling artists?
David: Find artists
with similar drive, ambition, and vision and build together.
YAC: Advice for
political activists?
David: (laughs) No,
no advice. I’m still figuring it out,
and what I do know about politics, I don’t like.
YAC: Final words?
David: I’ll just
leave you with a favorite scripture, James 2:15 “Suppose a brother or a sister
is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace;
keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good
is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is
dead.
ARTICLE WRITTEN BY: M. KaPOWsley
PHOTOS MAY BE USED WITH PUBLICATON OF THIS ARTICLE.
