Tag Archives: Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture

Fueling Artistic Growth: The Annual Soul Café Awards Uplifts the South End Artistic Community

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by Victor Simoes

The stage is set and the red carpet is rolled out for the Third Annual Soul Café Awards. With 21 categories and more than 50 nominees, the award ceremony will take place at Rainier Arts Center on Sept. 9 from 6–10 p.m. The award show honors the very best in the South End performing arts community, from breakthrough artists to seasoned veterans. This event showcases the talent and contributions of community leaders’ achievements, personal accomplishments, influence, creativity, and leadership.  

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Arts & Culture

Seattle’s First-Ever BLASTFEST Celebrates Afrobeats Music and African Cultures

by Patheresa Wells

Music carries more than just sounds; it’s an essential culture bearer. At BLASTFEST, Seattle’s first-ever Afrobeats festival, the richness and diversity of African culture will be catapulted to new heights in a city that is catching up to the genre’s global popularity. BLASTFEST will take place at Seattle Center on Saturday, July 29. 

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Arts & Culture

Resistance, Resilience, & Reclamation: New Guma’ Gela’ Exhibit Tells the Story of CHamoru People

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by Sarah Goh

A new exhibit is on display at the Wing Luke Museum — Guma’ Gela’: Part Land, Part Sea, All Ancestry. Guma’ Gela’, or “House of Gays” as it translates to in the native CHamoru language, is a queer art collective for people from the Mariana Islands and its diaspora.

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Arts & Culture

‘Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World’ Bolsters Inclusivity and Immortalizes Painter

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by Grace Chinowsky

(This article was originally published on Real Change and has been reprinted under an agreement.)

Frida Kahlo never let turbulence and tragedy stifle her artistic voice. 

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Arts & Culture

Sankofa Theater and Wolf Delux Are Examples of Seattle’s Economic Divide for Black Artists

It’s up to us to save Black arts spaces in Seattle.

by Patheresa Wells

Recently, I sat down to think about my journey to become an Arts & Culture reporter who often writes about Black art in Seattle. And it made me reflect on the potency that lies in Black art. The power that resides in creation in the face of oppression.

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Arts & Culture

Arts in the South End: A July 2023 Roundup

by Jas Keimig

July is the sweaty and sunny meat of the summer season and, as such, there are tons of events both indoors and outdoors to bring your friends and family to. The Emerald has compiled a list of excellent events going down in the South End during July — everything from competitive eating contests to nights of brass covers of hip-hop songs.

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Arts & Culture

Tasveer South Asian Film Festival: 18 Years of Amplifying Voices, Celebrating Diversity, and a New Creative Summit

by Victor Simoes

Celebrating 18 years in 2023, the Bellevue-based Tasveer South Asian Film Festival continues to amplify the experiences of the South Asian community, looking to shorten the bridges separating independent filmmakers and production companies through a new addition to October’s festival program, a South Asian Film Summit. 

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Arts & Culture

Daybreak Star Radio Sets Out to ‘Indigenize the Airwaves’ and Host Indigenous Concerts

by Vee Hua 華婷婷

An initiative of their parent nonprofit, United Indians of All Tribe Foundation (UIATF), Daybreak Star Radio was founded in 2021 to “Indigenize the Airwaves.” It showcases a curated selection of talk programs and local, national, and global Indigenous music, available to stream via their website or a phone app.

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Arts & Culture

Muslim Performing Artist Essam Muhammad Stars in Break-Out Role in ‘Purple Don’t Cry’

by Nura Ahmed

Essam Muhammad, a Seattle-based performing artist and songwriter, has been telling the stories of the South End ever since he was a little kid. Art has been his first love since he was 9 years old. “I was exposed to the hip-hop scene from a young age,” Muhammad began.

Recently, Muhammad was able to bring those stories onto the big screen for the first time, acting in a starring role for the feature film, Purple Don’t Cry. Directed by Mamoun Hassan and written by Boonaa Mohammed, the film will be premiering at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) on June 1. 

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Arts & Culture

Sistah Scifi’s Book Vending Machine Comes to the Northwest African American Museum

by Jas Keimig

Tucked into a corner in Shoreline’s Black-owned Black Coffee Northwest (BCNW), sits a bright blue and purple vending machine. This vending machine isn’t like other vending machines, stuffed with stale Fritos and old Rice Krispie treats. Instead, it’s filled with science-fiction books by Black authors — just swipe your credit card, and a book by Nichelle Nichols or Octavia Butler is all yours. 

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