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 among many other things, the 2024 Guest Curator for the Jacob Lawrence Legacy Residency at the UW Jacob Lawrence gallery. As if that wasn't enough brilliance, the conversation was moderated by Afro-futurist and researcher Brooke Bosley, PhD.
The thoughts shared during the conversation were heady, illuminating, heartwarming, familiar, brilliant, and relatable. While considering the future where Black people exist, as Butler did in Parable, the lessons learned from elders were a key point. At the talk, an elder audience member shared what can only be described as a fair amount of consternation at being somewhat afraid to even connect with today's younger generation. Things are just not the way they once were when young people belonged to the entire community. Connections have been lost.
When we embarked upon our season of expansion which includes making space for creatives to share their stories and the stories of others as guest editorial writers, we were keen on opening space for young voices. As colonized peoples from the diaspora, Africans in America have experienced further movement away from family traditions of collective nurture for community, elders, and youth. Aramis and Berette shared the significance of "sitting at the feet of elders" as they continue their spiritual and artistic growth.
At ARTE NOIR, we are aiming to be a factor in reconnecting our youth to the community by providing space for them to share their thoughts—and that begins with this April 2024 issue. Ninth-grader Isha Hassan is our first youth guest editorial writer and she shares her thoughts on how Black art continues to help shape a world for younger generations.
As we continue to expand, we recognize how important it is for young people to be a part of creating the footprints they will step into one day. Thirty years ago, Octavia wrote about the year 2024 and as it turns out, she accurately imagined much of what we are currently living and experiencing. And while her Parable is fraught with tragic occurrences, it is also a manifestation of a powerful imagination. We can imagine better for our future and the future of our youth, but we must invite them in and be willing to open our minds and hearts to their voices and be the Earthseeds for their dreams.
Vivian Phillips, Founder + Board President
