CONTEXT + CULTURE

“Where’s Seattle’s Black community?” Oh, the refrain heard over and over, especially during the drought years when the residency of Black people living in the city, specifically the Central District, saw dramatic declines from nearly 75% in the 1970s to just around 15% in 2020 ( Seattle Times , Percentage of Black residents in Seattle is at its lowest point in 15 years , June 16, 2020). Partnered with the decline in Black residency is the decline in Black businesses, either

When a prestigious university founded in the 1700’s makes moves, people pay attention. There are eight, (or twelve, depending on which list you view) Ivy League colleges in the US, also known as The Ancient Eight. According to Wikipedia, these colleges are considered elite due to academic excellence, selectivity in admissions and social elitism. Well, Yale University just got more excellent! On June 1st, Yale University announced the appointment of “renowned scholar and educa

Qudus Onikeku pays tribute to the art of exile and the prison writings of Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist Wole Soyinka.

Nigerian-born Okwui Enwezor originally received his bachelor’s degree in political science, first studying in Nigeria before moving to the United States in 1982, and completing his degree at what is now New Jersey City University. After graduation, he wanted to be closer to the social scene, relocating from the Bronx to Manhattan, where he performed poetry at cafes, attended gallery openings, and danced at many of the hottest clubs. However, he recalled not feeling particula

In April, shortly after having marked one full year of life and lockdown in a global pandemic that caused a heartbreaking quagmire of loss in BIPOC communities, The New York Times posted a photographic essay entitled, "Four Studies in Black Healing." Shot by photographers Gioncarlo Valentine and Elliott Jerome Brown Jr . , the two men traveled to various states across the South to document the routines Black Americans adopted in order to weather their emotions over the cours

A Nigerian sculpture that was looted by British troops in the late 19th century, one of thousands taken from the kingdom of Benin, will be returned to its country of origin by the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. According to Artnews , similar works stolen from Benin (what is now Edo State, Nigeria) have ended up in European institutions, but as of press time, no additional organization has fully committed to repatriating the Benin Bronzes except for the University of Abe

This past March, Eric Motley was appointed to the executive ranks of the National Gallery of Art (NGA) and is slated to begin his role as Deputy Director on August 30, 2021. According to NGA, as Deputy Director, Motley will " lead the museum's externally facing, mission-based work, in service of the nation, by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity." His duties include overseeing congressional relations, communications, devel

Conversations around reparations are usually stilted by the minutia of details around dollar amounts and to whom payments would be made – direct descendants of slaves, up to what generation, how would they be paid, and on and on, all seemingly effective distractions intended to confuse and diffuse. Emerging to combat the maze of confusion, a group of Black architects, designers, artists, and scholars formed the nonprofit organization, Black Reconstruction Collective (BRC), to

Attention is being given to Black visual artists more than ever before in the midst of the current social justice movement. But as many of us already know, Black artists have been using their work to portray experiences of the African diaspora, to critique colonialism, and to celebrate Black culture long before the movement started. Beginning in the late 19th century and moving into modern day, Artland takes readers on a brief journey through "some of the most powerful and m

It would be most understandable if in between protests, the pandemic, and trying to adjust to never leaving home, that instead of tapping into the upward movement of Black women at the helm in the arts, we simply missed the news. If that is indeed the case, then it is a great excuse for us to revisit and share that three talented Black women have taken on leadership positions in the arts , Janice Bond (Contemporary Arts Museum Houston), Leslie K. Johnson (Skirball Cultural C