SEATTLE — "TASWIRA is a Swahili word," said Avery Barnes. "It means The Big Picture."
It takes a special kind of vision to see the big picture and that's what comes across at the non-profit art gallery the entrepreneur founded in 2019.
TASWIRA is a space to experience cultural immersion. You'll find paintings, sculpture and jewelry all made by Black and African artists. The gallery was born out Barnes's desire to learn more about a part of her heritage.
"As a young girl with a multicultural family there were areas where I struggled to see people who looked like me," she said.
That struggle led Barnes to volunteer at a women's empowerment center in Kenya.
"What I really learned there was the richness of African culture," Barnes said.
It's a culture she now shares with Seattle.
Hers is the first American gallery to feature paintings by Nigerian hyper-realist Olumide Oresegun, whose latest works are venturing into a new territory.
"Olumide has exhibited all over the world, just about every single continent except the United States, so it is a huge honor to bring his works to the forefront," Barnes said.
Painter Michael Waweru just moved to Seattle from Kenya. He discovered Taswira by googling African Art Museums and messaged Barnes through Instagram. Now he has a place to paint and a gallery interested in helping him sell his art.
"I'm new here," Waweru said. "When you are new to a place you feel lucky when you have somewhere to start."
TASWIRA is a gallery that doubles as an events space. A place to share Black and African culture and promote new artists. It's all part of Barnes's big picture.
In 2023 Fortune Magazine selected Barnes among Seattle's 30 under 30. Earlier this month Seattle City Council appointed Barnes to the Seattle Arts Commission.
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