FROM THE EDITOR

This issue of ARTE NOIR has me in an elevated state of excitement y’all. I’m excited each month when we get to share news and happenings about Black art and artists out in the world making ish happen, but this month, I think I just needed this infusion of goodness more than at other times. Everyone seems to be feeling a lot of doom and gloom lately. Is it just me, or has the state of affairs in the world, the constant onset of (un) natural disasters, and the disaster that

Do you remember The 21st night of September? Love was changin' the minds of pretenders While chasin' the clouds away Released in November of 1978, September by Earth, Wind, and Fire will always be the anthem for the month that marks the beginning of a new season. Welcome fall! September is when we start to think about wardrobe changes, shifting us from barely covered to cozy layers. It’s a perfect time to get some style and fashion tips, and we’re so happy to introduce y

Summer is winding down and we have enjoyed every sunny moment this year. So many good times of being together with family and friends, traveling, sharing new experiences, and most of all soaking up as much vitamin D as possible. While this summer has been a ton of fun we’ve stayed pretty busy launching new initiatives and creating space for community. The launch of the Black Arts Roster supported by the King County Gathering Collaborative, has been warmly received and con

It can be incredibly challenging to capture a vision for the future when the present feels bleak and chaotic. Darius Simpson wrote a poem, Perhaps We Are Our Ancestors' Wildest Dreams , often simplified in shared quotes as “We are our ancestors' wildest dreams.” We believe that whatever gains have been accomplished are the manifestation of the dreams held by those whose bondage denied them any level of liberation. We are their future vision. Each month, but particularly at

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the concept of power. As defined, power is the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. In this regard, how does power show up in our world? We have seen the excessive use of power over the arts sector show up recently, and again, with the recent decision by the Florida governor to slash state funding for the arts. The $32 million cut to arts was enveloped within a broader set of funding

I've been thinking a lot lately about how narratives are spun and delivered—who controls what narratives, and how the origin and relevance of narratives cause harm or support health and increase understanding and compassion. Some incredible stories by, for, and about Black life and experiences are being told right now. Tonya Mosley, co-host of NPR's Fresh Air and former Seattle journalist, has produced one of the most compelling and stunning stories about the family she didn

This past Sunday at ARTE NOIR, a brilliant discussion took place, kicking off a series of community-centered events in conjunction with the Seattle Public Library Seattle Reads program. The discussion focused on this year's Seattle Reads book, Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower , and included artist Aramis O. Hamer, whose exhibit Once Upon A Spacetime is currently on view at the ARTE NOIR gallery, and multi-disciplinary artist and writer, Berette S. Macauley, who is amon

We are rounding out Women's History Month by highlighting the women whose seeds grow strong for future crops. What bubbles up to the top is the fact that we are all just ordinary humans planting seeds that have been held in our hands, prayed over, nurtured and honored, so that these seeds might one day bloom into extraordinary bouquets of hope and vision to undergird the next generation. What we do today has ramifications in the future, whether or not we choose to acknowledg

It’s a season of expansion at ARTE NOIR. Not only have we further solidified our commitment to our physical community, fulfilling our mission to create a permanent space for the celebration of Black art and culture, by completing our purchase of the space, but we are also fulfilling our commitment to spotlight the talents of Black writers. Thanks to The Gathering Collaborative Grant to Address Racism as a Public Health Crisis , we are now able to hire contributing writers t

The past year has been one of complete and authentic gratitude. In addition to marking the accomplishment of year one in the ARTE NOIR physical space in the heart of the Black community where my personal life was formed and shaped, I was also lauded on numerous occasions by organizations I respect and honor. Dr. Quinton Morris saw fit to extend the work he has done with his organization Key to Change and our decades-long friendship and collaborations by honoring me with th

The holidays bring us closer together as we take time to celebrate family, friends, the gift of life, the spirit of generosity, and the turning of our calendars to a new year. At the end of each year we often find ourselves planning to reset and start fresh in the new year. For some of us, Kwanzaa principles help us take stock of the ways we function in the world. The seven principles of Kwanzaa are: Umoja (Unity) To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, na

I’m a native of Seattle. This is my home, and what I do and who I do it for is mostly rooted within the confines of the 96 square miles that make up the city, and extend into the 39 counties that make up Washington state, with of course special emphasis on the county in which I live, Martin Luther King, Jr. County. While being Black in Seattle can be challenging with a demographic that places us at about 7% of the population, this can make for a slightly disorienting experie

As we enter a new season of shorter days, longer nights, comfort food, and more time spent indoors, I can’t help but reflect back on the past year of activity. Amid devastation and conflict in the world, there are some small slices of the exact opposite that seed positive energy, feeding our souls and lifting our spirits. So much of this has been true in and around our physical hub in the Central District. Issa whole new vibe happening in our community! The opening of Jerk S

We recently celebrated our first year of operation in the physical space that anchors the Midtown Square complex in Seattle’s historic Black community, the Central District. The backdrop for our celebration was a representation of a craft that has played a significant role in the history of Black folk art and American folk art. The Pacific Northwest African American Quilters exhibit – T he Ties That Bind Us: Woven Stories of Celebration is now on view in the ARTE NOIR Galle

Come September, we will celebrate our first year of operation in our physical location as a Black art, culture, and retail space at Midtown Square. This past May marked our two-year anniversary as an online publication, and we continue to dream big for our future. Growth is on the horizon for this publication. Our goal is to engage more writers and contributors, expanding our ability to tell more stories that highlight the local, national, and international Black art world.

Oh, the times they are a'changing, and it seems like those times just never end. These days, the saying "the more things change, the more they stay the same," seems never more true. Upsetting the comfort of the status quo has now become the norm, and we are seeing a lot of change happening across the entire arts spectrum. One of the interesting aspects about the shifts now being made in many arts enclaves, is rather than drastic moves, there is a sense of a continuum as well

2023 marks the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop and one can’t help but be reminded of the evolution of this cultural phenomenon. And while Seattle seems geographically and culturally as far removed from the center of the hip hop headquarters of Bronx, NY, there is still history in our backyard that reigns as equally important. Had it not been for the presence of Black radio in Seattle, where the Sugarhill Gang’s "Rapper’s Delight" was first played, much of our history may go compl

It’s our second anniversary and we couldn’t be more excited and filled with gratitude for the growth and development both this publication and our physical space have experienced. Over the course of these 24 months, we have learned so much, and from that learning, we know a few things to be true. There is the expression ( attributed to Rumi, Buddhism, Socrates, and Bernard Meltzer ) of having your words pass through three gates to increase one’s mindfulness of the power of w

It’s almost that time of year when we celebrate our mothers. Mother’s Day is set aside to honor the ones who carried us into this life. They are the givers of life and for the entire gestation period, they feed and nurture us into birth. As unborn, we are often aware of the joys and traumas our mothers are experiencing through the energy connection of our umbilical cords . The power of the mother connection is a mighty force. In our spotlight on One Vibe founder Simon Okelo ,

“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.” - Angela Davis During Women’s History Month, I am reminded of the power of women to change what they cannot accept. It has been women who have powered the development and implementation of everything about ARTE NOIR, seeking to make a change in both female leadership in the arts and Black ownership in the community. We have never accepted an inability to make a change. Women coll