On the corner of 23rd and Union lies an establishment bursting from the seams with the culture and history of the neighborhood it is within. Arte Noir, a combined shop and gallery, is in every way tied to the community it lies in. Through developing, supporting and showcasing contemporary and historical Black art, Arte Noir serves as a catalyst for the Black community in Central District and Seattle.
Arte Noir, which literally means “Black Art,” started off as an online publication by Vivian Phillips, a veteran in the Seattle arts community. In September 2022, they opened the brick-and-mortar location, which further put into practice many of the goals of the publication. Now, the two work in tandem as one nonprofit organization with the goal of supporting Seattle’s Black art and artists.
The physical location is a naturally lit, open space with two distinct sections. Part of the location is a store, where Arte Noir’s merchandise and various artists’ products are displayed. These products include things from prints to sculptures to skincare to books, and anything that is made by an artist includes a QR code to their social media or website.
The other part of the store is a gallery displaying the higher-end art, with various paintings, photographs and multimedia pieces on the walls. Like a museum, they have artist descriptions and some text explaining the themes or context of the art. Many of these pieces are also for sale. Because of the large price tags associated with things like paintings, many of the art pieces are also offered in smaller, more affordable prints.
The blending of the commercial and artistic aspects of art is an intentional decision made to best support Black artists. Often, the high art world can look down upon the commercial side of art, which heavily disadvantages underprivileged artists who have lots of talent but don’t have the financial or institutional backing necessary to survive.
Arte Noir unapologetically uses the space to create pathways to both give Black art the credit it deserves, but also to allow the artists to survive and keep creating. Phillips made clear that supporting Black artists is absolutely necessary and allows us to appreciate their work.
“Simply celebrating them didn’t do much for their economic status. In order to sustain our capacity for celebrating Black artists, we have to sustain Black artists,” Phillips said.
In addition, creating a space specifically to celebrate Black art allows for Black artists to freely and unapologetically display themselves and their work.
Carlyn Ferrari, an associate professor of English and African and African American studies, highlighted how a highly discriminatory art world can often impede the expression of Black artists in order to conform to Western aesthetic standards, and how being able to avoid that is a huge positive for the artists involved.
“This space existing for Black artists is great because they don’t have to advocate for why their art matters, it’s already assumed that their art matters and deserves to be celebrated,” Ferrari said.
Arte Noir also provides workshops and works with artists to develop their art and products, donating 100% of net proceeds back to the artists. Further, they have programs that help provide resources for artists, like an upcoming recording studio that will train and enable young artists to produce audio and musical work.
While providing assistance to Black artists is undeniably a part of their mission, it is shortsighted to view Arte Noir as only there to help struggling Black artists. It is also a way to celebrate the vibrant, successful and incredibly talented Black art scene within the city. Phillips spoke to how the nature of the establishment is fundamentally additive, and not trying to make up for something lacking within the scene.
“Having been involved in all those things over the course of many years gave me an opportunity, I think, to not so much as plug a hole in the ecosystem. But to elevate an element of the ecosystem of the arts,” Phillips said.
That element of pride in what the Black community has accomplished, especially in a historically Black area like the Central District, is a clear sentiment among everyone involved with the organization. Marcus Mitchell, a guest services associate, shared how meaningful Arte Noir is to the community.
“To have a Black space that’s owned by Black women from the neighborhood, it’s one of those things that comes full circle. It’s needed to show that we’re still here, and that the Black community is still thriving, even though a lot of people don’t think there’s Black people here in Seattle,” Mitchell said.
Ferrari echoed just how important it is to dispel the myths that Black art, people or culture are somehow declining or absent from Seattle.
“I think the narrative of ‘there are no Black people there’, is really harmful, and that’s part of what Africatown and Arte Noir are trying to do, in terms of reminding people that there is a vibrant Black community that can be supported,” Ferrari said.
Black art has been here and is here to stay—that much is clear. Arte Noir is working hard to celebrate artists and support Black creatives in Seattle. They offer an excellent way to both gain awareness and appreciation about Black art in Seattle, along with providing a clear way to support the artists and the scene itself.
