PANDEMIC PIVOTS

The COVID-19 Pandemic created significant challenges for Yesler residents, and the ability of SHA staff to respond. Thanks to an accumulation of community know-how built up over years of programming, strong relationships with on the ground staff working to provide essential resources to residents, and general trust from SHA staff and service providers to make thoughtful and practical programming choices, the artists were able to quickly respond to community needs with new or revised projects.

• Artist Kristen Ramirez produced a quarterly printed newspaper full of community-created content distributed throughout Yesler buildings.

• Artist Jenn Charoni implemented pandemic social clubs that helped connect small groups of friends and neighbors to one another.

• Artist Sumayya Diop held weekly balcony listening sessions where she sang and played drums out doors in different SHA courtyards.

• Artist Che Sehyun, inspired by SHA’s food distribution services, organized cultural care packages, full of comfort objects and culturally specific food.

• Artist Malia Peoples created fabric arts kits, held weekly Zoom sewing sessions, and mentored residents who were paid by SHA to sew masks for SHA staff responders during the early months of the pandemic.