Opening Night, 2013: A Gift for the Arts

Some moments stay with you. This one did

September 15, 2013. Seattle Symphony Opening Night Gala. As a proud sponsor, we designed a tray as a gift for the event — one that commemorates Robert Rauschenberg's famous painting, on display inside Benaroya Hall. My daughter Francesca was there with me, watching it all come together: art, music, design, and community in one room.

I've always believed in passing on what moves you. Not forcing it. Just making space for it. And when you care about something — really care — you find ways to support it. With your presence. With your voice. With your hands.

That tray was my way of saying: This matters. You matter. Art matters.

Francesca saw that night what it looks like when someone puts their craft behind their values. When you don't just consume culture — you help create the space for it to exist.

The arts teach you how to see. How to listen. How to imagine things that don't exist yet. And they teach you that beauty is worth protecting.

If we stop making space for that, what are we losing?

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