Vivian Phillips

March 13 - April 19, 2026 Curatorial Statement: The second annual ARTE NOIR Youth Art Showcase exhibition: Empowering Creativity features artwork by young African and African American artists, ages 8-18, who are embarking on a path to redefine the role of young people in the Pacific Northwest. The Central District and surrounding area are fertile ground for inspiring youth in the fine arts as a viable path to cultivating ownership, business, critical thinking, and a creative voice in their...

What once moved through institutions now moves through individuals, carried in voices that are immediate, visible, and constant.

Residual record snowfall clung to the streets of Brooklyn, turning curbs into uneven white ridges and muting the usual urgency of traffic on the early February afternoon of my visit to the Weeksville Heritage Center. Walking toward the preserved historic homes at the far end of the site, the stillness felt uncanny. The structures seemed less like artifacts than presences — as though former residents might be peering from behind lace curtains, momentarily interrupted by the arrival of...