This fall, Wa Na Wari partners with Arte Noir to host our second annual Walk the Block, the biggest Black arts festival in the Northwest
Gary Hammon Band plays at 2021 Walk the Block.
Walk the Block is a one-day art walk that transforms Central District homes, businesses, parks, porches, and other common spaces into art installations and performance sites. Participants will enjoy visual art, video installations, live music, dance parties, community stories, and more as they stroll the neighbourhood with family and friends. Walk the Block is Wa Na Wari’s annual fundraising event, but more importantly, it’s an opportunity for neighbours, families, elders, artists, local businesses, and legacy homeowners to build community while filling the streets with their love and appreciation for Black art.
Walk the Block is the perfect mix of accessibility and curation of local, national and international Black and Indigenous art.
The 2022 Walk the Block festival also celebrates the upcoming grand opening of ARTE NOIR (artenoir.org) at Midtown Square. ARTE NOIR is an independent arts organisation that exists to uplift Black artists. ARTE NOIR’s mission is to create space, stability, opportunity, and training to serve the needs of the displaced Black creative community with a permanent location at Midtown Square.
Founded by Vivian Phillips, ARTE NOIR originated as an online publication dedicated to showcasing and uplifting Black art, artists, and culture. The publication launched in late May 2021 and the non-profit was incorporated on June 1, 2021. The brick-and-mortar location is an expansion of the mission and will complement ARTE NOIR’s continued online presence with its Black art gallery and Black culture retail shop.
Participating artists:
- Blumeadows
- Alison Bremner (Tlingit)
- Jasmine Iona Brown
- Bryce Detroit
- Esther Ervin
- Marita Dingus
- Rachael F.
- Fysah
- Gary Hammon & Carter Yasutake
- JusMoni
- Lehuauakea (Kanaka Maoli/Native Hawaiian)
- Darrell McKinney
- Meron Menghistab
- Yeggy Michael
- Larry Mizell Jr.
- Movimiento Afrolatino
- NW Tap Connection
- Tracy Rector
- Perri Rhoden
- Rashaun Rucker
- Kenya Shakoor
- Moses Sun
- Gabrielle Tesfaye
- Zachary James Watkins
- Tiffany Wilson
- Ezra Wube
- films curated by Berette Macaulay
- dance curated by Nia-Amina Minor and more.
Community:
- Arte Noir
- Central Cafe
- Cherry Street Art Collective
- Coyote Central
- Melo Cafe
- Metier Brewing
- My Family Auto
- The Link Project
- Vis a Vis Society
- The Shelf Life Community Story Project
Food:
- Lakea Cooks
- Andrew Hype
- Native Soul Cuisine
This will be the second annual Walk the Block. Last year’s event covered a mile-long route and drew over 1200 participants of all ages. This year’s event will feature even more art and attract even more participants.
For tickets and for more information, visit www.wanawari.org/wtb.
Wa Na Wari is a center for Black art sited in a 5th-generation Black-owned home in Seattle’s Central District. Founded in 2019, Wa Na Wari creates space for Black ownership, possibility, and belonging, through art, historic preservation, and connection. Our work: Builds on a legacy of Black resilience and self-determination; centers Black creativity through free art exhibits, film screenings, performances, and workshops; organises for Black-led, arts-based solutions to displacement & economic vulnerability; and builds meaningful economic pathways for Black artists and homeowners.
