ARTE NOIR Announces Grand Opening Of Central District Location

ARTE NOIR will celebrate the opening of its new location on 23rd & Union at Midtown Square with a grand opening event on Saturday, September 17, from 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm.

The grand opening celebration includes hands-on art activities, ARTE NOIR-branded giveaways & door prizes, a 360 photo booth, and guided tours of Gallery Onyx at Midtown's inaugural exhibit, Truth B Told II.

ARTE NOIR's grand opening also celebrates Wa Na Wari's second annual Walk the Block festival (www.wanawari.org/wtb), a one-day art walk that transforms Central District homes, businesses, parks, porches, and other common spaces into art installations and performance sites. As a 2022 Walk the Block partner, ARTE NOIR will curate performances and art experiences at Midtown Square, showcasing the innovation and soulfulness of Black artists and creatives.

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. Under the leadership of Executive Director Jazmyn Scott, the new brick-and-mortar location expands the mission, complementing ARTE NOIR's digital magazine with its Black art gallery and Black culture retail shop.

ARTE NOIR exists to uplift Black art, Black artists, and Black culture, and seeking a gallery partner in alignment with this approach and work was paramount to ARTE NOIR's brick-and-mortar expansion plan. Onyx Fine Arts Collective (OFAC) was a natural fit as the only gallery in Seattle that exclusively showcases the artwork of artists of African descent from the Pacific Northwest.

The 3200-square-foot Midtown Square location was designed as a shared space for ARTE NOIR and Gallery Onyx at Midtown Square. The gallery space anchors OFAC's connection to the Black community, creates a permanent home for Black art and artists in Seattle's Central District, and increases opportunities to showcase and sell the work of over 400 artists on OFAC's roster. Gallery Onyx at Midtown Square will be OFAC's second gallery location in Seattle; the original Gallery Onyx at Pacific Place will remain open.

ARTE NOIR's approach to its retail shop highlights the importance of spotlighting and connecting local, national, and international Black artists and art-makers. Like the partnership with OFAC, ARTE NOIR's retail operation is intentional and unique - artists receive 100% of net proceeds from their products and goods sold in the shop. All products and items in the shop are made by Black creatives, including exclusive products developed in collaboration with the eight artists who contributed pieces to Midtown Square. The shop also features home goods, apothecary products, children's books, cards, and more.

Beginning Saturday, September 17, ARTE NOIR is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm. The shop is located at 2301 E Union St, Suite H, Seattle, WA 98122. For more information, visit www.artenoir.org.

ARTE NOIR seeks to be a gathering place for exploring the dynamic creativity that springs from African and African American culture. With a focus on people, ARTE NOIR shines a light on the makers, thinkers, and doers who are, and have been, innovating in their fields, centering the soulfulness & power of Black art and reparative wealth generation. www.artenoir.org

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