Recently on The Day With Trae, Fancy Vargas, CEO and Creative Director of Elevate PR Management, joined host Trae Holiday to discuss her latest initiative, the Bellevue Art Museum gift shop. Vargas curates art that reflects diverse voices and experiences in the gift shop.

Initially, Vargas organized a protest in the city of Renton for children and families. Her children wanted to join her in protesting, but given the police situation in Seattle, it wasn't safe. She aimed to teach kids that they had a voice and power, even as children, and she achieved this through art. 

During this time, the Arts Commission approached her and asked if she could organize a citywide Art Walk in Renton for the Black Lives Matter movement. Despite having no prior experience, Vargas accepted the challenge, relying on Google to guide her through the process.

“Through that, I met a lot of local downtown Renton business owners,” Vargas said. “During COVID, we lost 40 businesses in downtown Renton. In addition to that, the city decided to undertake full construction projects on the street, so the businesses were really suffering. As a mom raising her children in the community, I understood that when our businesses do well, our communities do well. So I started to work with the local business owners to create events to drive foot traffic in downtown Renton and ensure that our businesses could survive this.”

Due to her close work with local businesses, Vargas developed strong relationships with the business owners. She firmly believes that customers are not just buying products, but are also investing in the people behind them.

"Sitting with them, getting to know them, understanding their mission, their passion, and why they do what they do, and then figuring out a creative way to tell that story is really how I came about," Vargas said.

Vargas, committed to ensuring that businesses didn't suffer, especially during the pandemic when traditional marketing methods were failing, focused on digital strategies. She sought ways to help businesses engage with customers safely online, allowing them to connect as real people rather than just brick-and-mortar establishments.

“I think for the city entities, that has been pretty difficult. Although it is diverse in appearance, their actions don't necessarily match. There has been a lot of tokenizing without really understanding what the community needs are,” Vargas said.

The Black Excellence in Art Celebration will be held at the Bellevue Art Museum on June 29 from 6 to 9 PM. Before the main event, there will be a VIP rooftop party for sponsors and attendees. This collaboration with the Bellevue Art Museum is significant, as it marks the first time in their 75-year history that they have prominently featured Black artists.

Vargas, who previously worked at Legion as an art curator, was instrumental in making this happen. 

"I thought, I would love to see some of my artists in the museum. So I decided to ask, and they were very receptive,” Vargas said.

The museum staff was open to understanding their responsibility in creating true equity in the arts, making the collaboration a learning process for everyone involved.

Navigating the business side of this initiative was challenging for Vargas, as her work is not based on sales. Fortunately, Richard Burnett, owner of the Burnett brand, stepped up to help her navigate the system. Other artists also took on leadership roles to ensure the project's success.

Vargas emphasized the importance of collaboration, recognizing that significant impact is achieved through teamwork. The event will feature 28 Black artists, four Black businesses, and four Black authors. Vargas is excited about the opportunity for these artists and businesses to reach new audiences they might not have had access to otherwise.

"It's been a crazy ride, and sometimes I think, 'Oh, I can now put this on my resume: I owned and operated a store in Bellevue for six months,’” Vargas said.

To learn more about Elevate PR Management visit elevateprmanagement.com.

For more on art initiatives in Seattle, tune in with Trae every weekday at 11 a.m. on all Converge Media platforms and The Day With Trae YouTube Channel.