CONTEXT + CULTURE

In celebration of Black Music Month this June, we had to include the good work of another Seattle Central District leader, Amir Islam , Executive Director of The Residency. Islam has deep roots in Seattle's music scene, as well as being a multimedia artist and community organizer, and GRAMMY Recording Academy member. Formerly the Community Projects Manager for Grammy Award-winning artist Macklemore, (who co-founded The Residency with our friend Jonathan Cunningham), and co-f

Black radio has been at the center of the Black community for almost 100 years, making its debut in 1929 with the first “All-Negro Hour” on Chicago radio station WSBC. The decline of Black radio can be traced back to the rise of syndicated programming that took hold in the 1980s and flourished into the 90s, making it more economical for struggling Black radio owners to simply purchase programs, paying only a syndication fee over employing live deejays. You got the music, but

Nigerian singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur Oluwatosin Ajibade, otherwise known as Mr. Eazi , is bringing new life to his music. Known as the pioneer of Banku, described as a blend of Ghanaian highlife and Nigerian chord progressions, Mr. Eazi has collaborated with artists including Beyonce, Bad Bunny, and Major Lazer, along with other Nigerian stars like Burna Boy, and is a global star in his own right. Now he is on a mission to make his music an immersive experience by pa

'This No Be Art’ is Ghanaian Pidgin that literally translates to "this is not art," a term often used in a derogatory way to demean and diminish African contemporary art. But thanks to Essé Dabla-Attikpo , "This No Be Art" has been turned on its head by becoming the name of her company , a place where she dedicates her work to democratizing art. "I really believe in the power of art to foster the link between the continent and the diaspora. " Essé Dabla-Attikpo In 2019, the g

The Lillian Marcie Center for the Performing Arts is named after two important women in Henry Lennix's life: his mother Lillian, and Chicago public school principal Marcella Gillie, who acted as a mentor to Lennix during his time as a teacher. Chicago native, Henry Lennix , an actor whose performances have been seen in shows including "The Blacklist,” and “Justice League,” was awarded a $26 million grant by the state of Illinois to fund his proposed Lillian Marcie Center for

"Even in this moment with mass inflation and unaffordability, so many people feel that an art purchase is frivolous. It is not. Bringing art into our home that we love centers us and keeps us whole." It's impossible to talk about the Seattle arts and culture scene without Elisheba Johnson's name coming up. She has contributed to the local and national arts sector through her work as a poet and visual artist and has served as an administrator, advocate, curator, gallery owner

Curated by Nana Oforiatta Ayim -- d irector of ANO Institute of Arts and Knowledge in Accra and director-at-large of Ghana’s Museums and Cultural Heritage -- Ghana's highly anticipated exhibition at the 2022 Venice Biennale entitled, Black Star – The Museum as Freedom , will feature installations by three artists: Na Chainkua Reindorf , Afroscope , and Diego Araúja . Invited to respond to the variety of meanings associated with the country’s iconic Black Star symbol, whi

Former NFL Football linebacker Keith Rivers has put down his helmet and taken up the mantle of art curator. A collector since 2010, Rivers recently curated a show at the New York Flag Art Foundation Chelsea Arts Tower, open now through June 4th, titled Courage Before Expectation. " This exhibition is an extension of my interest in having conversations with artists, and sharing, through my eyes and theirs, how talent, perseverance, and trusting the process will get you where

Oregon has a fraught history as it relates to Black Americans. Known today as America’s whitest city with a white population of 72.2%, and Blacks making up only 6.3% of the population, the state of Oregon, upon entering the union in 1859, explicitly forbade Black people from living within its borders. Decimating small Black communities has been a repeated refrain in Portland, with so-called Urban Renewal projects (we know them as Urban Removal), and today, a drive through the

Francis Kéré's inspiration for architecture began at home. Growing up in Burkina Faso, his village of Gando had no school and so he found himself leaving home at seven years old to seek out an education. He initially studied carpentry and then went on to study architecture at the Technical University of Berlin, always with the dream of returning to Gando to build a school. In 2001 his dreams were realized when Kéré designed, raised funds for, and subsequently built Gando Pri

In her poem "A Room Full of Sisters" from her book The Color of Culture , Seattle-based poet Mona Lake Jones writes: A room full of sisters like jewels in a crown Vanilla, Cinnamon, and Dark Chocolate Brown Now picture yourself in the midst of this glory As I describe the sisters who are part of this story Women of Color in the Arts is that room described by Lake Jones’ poem. Until recently, say within the past ten years, working as a woman of color in the arts was a lonel

Opens at the Mississippi Museum of Art on April 9th Being of African descent and descendants of stolen Africans, the quest to find ‘home’ is often a lifelong journey. A more attainable journey, however, is one that grants us the opportunity to trace our family’s migration within the continental United States. What is known as The Great Migration occurred in two phases between the 1910s and the 1970s and saw approximately six million Black people move from the American South

Architecture is key to creating a sense of the environment and belonging, and can also signal either great aspiration or a bleak usage of available land. How structures blend into the natural geography is equally as important as how tall and imposing they might be. Chicago-based Frank Lloyd Wright continues to be one of America’s most notable architects, signaled by the variety of preserved structures of his design around the country – Martin House in Buffalo NY, Robe House

If you have not yet seen the first season of the Netflix series Made By Design , it’s not too late. The series shines a light on thirteen architects and designers who live and work in Nigeria. The 13-part series was created and co-produced by Design Week Lagos founder Titi Ogufere and co-produced by Emmy award-winning filmmaker Abiola Matesun. Lagos has long held a prominent place in creativity among African countries including the fame of being home to the Kalakuta Republi

The center of what was once the mecca of Black life in Seattle is being re-energized by the return of a physical manifestation of Black pride. Over the past few years, signs of restoration have emerged as Black-led development increases and other new developments carry the signature of Black culture that cared for and built this central location within the city’s core. There is no overlooking the fact that Seattle’s Central District was also home to a vibrant Jewish and Pan-

Ekow Nimako began his art practice at the age of four. When he was young, he knew he wanted to play with LEGO forever. His dream has manifested into a highly elevated version of his childhood hobby. Based in Toronto, Nimako is now an internationally exhibiting visual artist, sculptor, and LEGO artist who crafts futuristic and whimsical sculptures from the iconic medium. "His fluid building style, coupled with the Afrofuturistic themes of his work, beautifully transcend the g

Congratulations are in order for Crystal Williams , who will become the first Black president of the more than 140-year-old institution, Rhode Island School of Design! “Art, education, and equity and justice are the three foundational focuses of my life and everything about me—who I am as a teacher, a writer, a leader, friend, daughter, and human—are in accord with RISD’s mission, areas of focus and social equity and inclusion goals,” Williams said in a statement ( Skanner

There are people in communities around the world that work quietly to make a loud impact. They are diligent, committed, focused, passionate, and will-not-be-deterred kinds of people. This is Gilda Sheppard . For decades Gilda has been diligently making and sharing stories through the art of film. She has focused a lot on the stories of women, but last year, Gilda completed her seminal work, Since I Been Down , to film festival acclaim around the world. Since I Been Down is a

Chances are that in 1980 when Sally Ordway Irvine first challenged her St. Paul community to build a world-class performing arts center and then put up the initial donation to do so, she didn't imagine that one day that center would be led by a Black man. Forty-one years after issuing that challenge, 36 years of operation, and 11 CEOs later, Christopher Harrington has been named the 12th CEO of the St. Paul, Minnesota institution. Harrington, who took the helm at The Ordway

Before eating, open thy mouth - Mauritania Proverb The best part of holiday family gatherings is undoubtedly the food, regardless of the nature of the celebrations. Christmas dinners, Kwanzaa, and New Year gatherings are times when food traditions usually touch back to Africa. Sweet potato pie the All African American comfort food, is said to have originated in the Southern United States by George Washington Carver - a man who apparently found over 100 uses for sweet potato