SEATTLE — A nonprofit in Seattle’s Central District is uplifting local Black artists and creatives. Arte Noir was founded by Vivian Phillips in May 2021. It started as an online publication. In September 2022, a brick-and-mortar location opened at the corner of 23rd and Union.
“What we do here is we provide a home, a place in our historically black community, for black artists and black creatives to be showcased, to be supported, and to generate revenue,” said Executive Director Jazmyn Scott.
The location also includes a fine art gallery. It rotates Black art throughout the year. The retail space creates a permanent home to increase opportunities for local Black artists to showcase and sell their work.
“The relief that people exhibited when I said we want to purchase your items upfront. We will do the work of the marketing and promotion and selling, you just bring this stuff here and we'll take care of the rest, and then we're able to put money in their pocket," said Scott. “It eliminates a barrier for them of having to do so much work, after they've already been creating, we can now say let us take care of the rest.”
Arte Noir also represents the revitalization of Seattle’s Central District, a neighborhood that has changed dramatically over the years.
According to historical records, in the 1960s Seattle’s central district was 90% Black. It’s now below 10%.
“We were redlined in this community. This was the only place that we were really designated to be. So, this is where our businesses were. This is where all the homeownership was. That's why the impact of gentrification hurts so bad because we know how we got here. It was really like a slap in the face to lose so much, for so many different reasons,” said Scott.
Several Black Seattleites, like Scott and Phillips, are pushing to reclaim the community.
“Instead of feeling like something is happening to us, we decided to take control of our destiny and say, you know what, we want to have a permanent place in our community that's for us, that's by us. And we don't have to follow anybody's rules, but our own,” said Scott.
One of the artists featured in the space is Joey Robinson. He’s designed thousands of paintings, but his Black Maids tribute is his most prominent work.
“From slavery to reconstruction, Black women, many of them worked as maids, the ones that didn't get a chance to go to college or school,” said artist Joey Robinson.
Joey started the tribute in 2003 to honor his neighbor, Lois Spellman who was killed during the 1967 riots.
Outrage over racial injustice sparked riots in 158 cities that summer, including Joey’s hometown, Newark, New Jersey.
“As a kid, I remember hearing gunshots. I remember hearing people screaming, they killed Lois, they killed Lois, they killed Lois,” said Robinson.” Lois was very beautiful and very tall. And when she would go to church on Sundays, she had a committee waiting for her. But she also did a job that no one no one else wanted to do.”
Each painting tells the story of a real maid. The tributes have been purchased by collectors from all over the world and were featured on Grey’s Anatomy.
Robinson says the paintings weren’t always seen in a positive light.
“At first when I started painting, I was criticized for them having a black face just a black face,” said Robinson.
Joey credits Arte Noir for giving the series a new audience.
“They were like, angels, they came down,” said Robinson. “I heard about this new art gallery that was opening in Central. I didn't know how to be a part of it.”
A meeting between Phillips and Scott sparked the idea to take ‘Black Maids’ from the canvas to cups and bags.
“They’re the only ones that believed in me to do that,” said Robinson. “People had mentioned that before, but no one's ever done it. It was too daring.”
In the coming months, Arte Noir will expand to include a small recording studio for training young people in audio and music production.