#43 Ashara Ekundayo: can art and design disrupt gentrification?

Ashara Ekundayo is a ‘cultural strategist’. This is not a job description I’d heard of here in Australia, but in Oakland, where gentrification has been destabilising traditional artist communities for decades, Ashara has a vital role, working as a bridge between developers and the community. Between the ‘new arrivals’ and the ‘rowdy artists’.

Ashara was in Sydney to speak at the Impact Investment Summit, and I was very fortunate to spend some time with her.

On this episode…

I wanted to understand how a balance can be met between growth and maintaining traditional cultures. And we went deep on how we can ensure art is valued, in a world where it’s only the artists who are asked to work for free.

My key takeaway this week…

“The road to gentrification is paved with beauty. Our art and work has always been used as one of the facets of the machine that pushes and displaces folks.”