THE COLLECTIVE

“Once I found myself on the other side of the ocean, I could see where I came from very clear…You can never escape that. I am the grandson of a slave, and I am a writer. I must deal with both.” - James Baldwin Thanks to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, their Chez Baldwin virtual exhibit allows a deeper glimpse into James Baldwin, the person. The exhibit is an exploration of Baldwin’s life and works through the lens of his house in St

As the first African American photographer on the staff of LIFE magazine, Gordon Parks placed himself in the American lexicon through his deeply human images of racial segregation and Black life in the US. A new documentary, A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks, which recently screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, proposes that “with his photography and filmmaking, Parks was able to create images of the Black community that allowed for them to be seen on their ter

Barely a year into the life of the Northwest African American Museum, in 2011, Seattle-born textile artist Xenobia Bailey’s creations breathed an air of funky vibrancy into the walls and halls of the museum. That exhibit, The Aesthetic of Funk , was just a peek into the vivid world that Xenobia creates. Her Funktional Vibrations glass mosaic in the #7 Hudson Yards station, located at 34th & 11th in Manhattan, is definitely worth experiencing for even the most subway-averse

In a recent conversation about Black giving, I was reminded that years ago I learned that voluntarism is the nation’s greatest natural resource. Without volunteers, so many things would come to a screeching halt! The consistent display of art from Black artists in the Pa cific Northwest region would be limited at best, and completely absent at worst, if not for the efforts of a group of volunteers who operate the Onyx Fine Arts Collective and Gallery . Stepping into spaces fi

If the elders leave you a legacy of dignified language, you do not abandon it and speak childish language. ~ Ghanaian Proverb When a community loses a keeper of our culture, we lose a piece of our root and our foundation is shaken. There is solace in knowing that these souls are now ancestors but the loss of their physical presence wounds our spirit. We must remember the dignified language they taught us and give honor and appreciation for the lives they shared on this earthl

I, too, sing America.

Who won a Neddy Award? SHE won that!!!! But what is a Neddy and how did Tariqa Waters win it? Let’s start with the award. First of all, the Neddy at Cornish Award is one of the Northwest’s largest and most esteemed annual awards for artists. Since 2011, Cornish College of the Arts has been a steward of this award, which is in honor of painter Robert. E. “Ned” Behnke . Awards are given to visual artists living and working in the Puget Sound Region. The 2020 award size was incr