CONTEXT + CULTURE

In the long arc of American performance history, the circus has always held a strange and shimmering place—part spectacle, part sanctuary, part mirror.

ARTE NOIR is thrilled to enter into an exciting collaboration with GREEN BOOK GLOBAL, creating new ways for travel to support Black art.

by Vivian Phillips The untimely passing of Michael Eugene Archer—known to the world as D’Angelo—on October 14 has sent a ripple across the cultural landscape unlike anything I’ve witnessed before. In a moment, timelines transformed into memorials, and the outpouring of grief, respect, and reverence has come not just from fans, but from a deeply intertwined musical community. To understand the weight of this loss, one must look back to another seismic absence: the death of Mar

Reflecting back over the past three years, we are reminded of the incredible creativity that is constantly present and the boundless joy...

What began as a labor of love, crafting natural body care for family and friends, DOTI has grown into a thriving brand anchored in purpose, integrity, and collaboration.

Jacqueline Smith Armstrong is a lifelong resident of Seattle’s historic Central District. She proudly lives in the childhood home her parents purchased in 1947. Jacqueline witnessed the sacrifices made by her parents to become Black homeowners.

Wa Na Wari operates from an understanding of itself as one node in a larger Black arts ecosystem. "We serve one segment of the public, and this includes traditional gallery artists and installation artists," Johnson explains.

by Angela Poe Russell It was a plot twist many didn’t see coming: A horror movie that left people talking, not only about the story, but about its electrifying music. Miles Caton as Sammie Moore in Warner Bros. Pictures' "SINNERS." Courtesy Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc, 2025. SINNERS is the kind of movie that doesn’t come around too often. As I left the theater with a myriad of feelings, I couldn’t help but think that Director Ryan Coogler and company had successfully bent

The extraordinary and unconventional life of Fela Kuti, the undisputed pioneer of Afrobeat, became the celebrated subject of an award-winning musical that premiered on Broadway in 2009.

By Gregory Maqoma I write this not as a commentator, but as a carrier of memory — a body shaped by dance, history, and the unrelenting echoes of a land that refuses to forget. South Africa is sick. Not just in its hospitals or brittle systems, but in its soul. And when a nation forgets how to remember, it forgets how to live. Art is the last line of defence when everything else collapses — when systems fail, when leadership lies, when the body politic rots from within. Art re

Seattle's historic Black community is tied to more arts legacies than one may imagine. And while there are a number of arts entities currently dedicated to the exploration and preservation of Seattle's Black arts history, new stories continue to emerge. Take, for instance, the legacy of Milt Simons , born in Seattle in 1923, raised mainly in the Central District, and a 1940 graduate of Garfield High School. Simons co-founded one of Washington state's first artist cooperatives

The work of British sculptor Thomas J Price has been popping up a lot lately, and not everyone is pleased.  Some are seeing red at the thought of a massive (Black female) bronze figure, Grounded in the Stars , being placed in Times Square, at Broadway and 46th Street. This is a temporary installation that will remain in place until June 17th. If you catch Khalil Joseph’s film, BLKNWS: Terms and Conditions , currently on the film festival circuit, you can also catch a glimpse

The recognition of dandyism at the Met Gala isn’t just about showcasing exquisite fashion; it’s a celebration of Black cultural identity.

by Leilani Lewis Pathways thread through the University of Washington campus like chapters in an unfinished novel. Each year, new students traverse these routes, unaware they're retracing revolutionary footsteps. In 1968, these same walkways converged at the president's office, where a group of Black students staged an occupation that would transform the institution forever. Among them stood Emile Pitre , a chemistry graduate student whose quiet determination would reshape hi

In February of this year, Seattle-based visual artists Soulma Ayers  and Perri Rhoden  co-curated and participated in the art exhibit La Negra in Mexico City, Mexico. This would be their second time taking their talents to the arts-rich area, with plans to return in 2026. ARTE NOIR invited Soulma and Perri to share their thoughts about curating for and exhibiting in a place where language and cultural barriers exist, but where there are also open arms and a mutual love for th

The New Orleans Museum of Modern Art is the city's oldest fine arts institution, opening in 1911 with only nine works of art. Today, it boasts nearly 50,000 artworks with a collection spanning 5,000 years, and Anne Collins Smith is on board to lead exhibition initiatives along with the curatorial and collections staff. Prior to NOMA, Smith was the director of the Xavier University of Louisiana Art Gallery. She has held positions including Curator of Collections at the Spelma

Seattle offered a space to rethink, reimagine, and reshape my creative practice in ways that might not have been possible...

In 1996, a merger took place between the National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies and the American Council for the Arts. This resulted in the establishment of the nonprofit Americans for the Arts with a focus on representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. The organization had been without a permanent leader for some time until earlier this month, when it was announced that vet

Last month, we shared a little about the efforts to support the community of Altadena, CA, after the Eaton fires destroyed much of the structural history and legacy of this community. Since that time, more has been uncovered about the rich history and the evidence that this was a place where Black creativity flourished and was celebrated. A message is left on the remains of a property destroyed by the Eaton Fire, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Piz

In today's world, humanity can often feel like a distant concept replaced by acts of "othering," of making that which is unfamiliar somehow inhumane. Yet those who have traversed the dangers of their homeland, often made unsafe by the never-ending zeal for capitalist power, seek safe havens to express the evidence of their histories and lived experiences, which provide glimpses into the power and resilience of their existence. Haitian-born David Pierre-Louis is a prime exam