Black Arts Legacies

Arts and Music Series / 3 Seasons

The contributions of Black artists to the cultural landscape of the Seattle area are longstanding, vital and ongoing. The works of these artists — in literature, music, visual arts and performance — are worthy of recognition and examination.

Watch Latest: S3 E5

8m 34s

Theater

S3 E5 / 8m 34s

Actor and director Shermona Mitchell first felt called to the stage because she believed it was a place she could be her full self. Over the past two decades, she has worked on nearly every stage in Seattle, always advocating for equity and access as she makes her indelible contribution to the city’s rich history of Black theater.

Literature

S3 E4 / 8m 30s / TV-PG

Growing up in South Seattle and Skyway, poet Luther Hughes always felt connected to the Black community. Now, as the author of a critically successful debut collection and host of a hit poetry podcast, Hughes is creating space for tender examinations of the Black experience and bringing people together to uplift queer writers of color.

Visual Art

S3 E3 / 8m 25s / TV-PG

Determination and resilience have defined Debora Moore’s career. Thirty years ago, she began honing her craft at Seattle’s Pratt Fine Arts Center; today she is among the world’s leading glass artists, and one of very few Black women in the field. With each new season of life, she continues to evolve her practice, even in the face of great personal loss.

Music

S3 E2 / 8m 29s / TV-PG

For the past 35 years, Riz Rollins has been taking listeners on musical journeys across time and genres as a DJ at Seattle’s KEXP. Rollins’ own journey to becoming one of the city’s most beloved musical curators — on the air and in the clubs — wasn’t always certain, but opportunity led him to become a champion of the Black and LGBTQ+ communities and a driving force behind KEXP’s mission.

Dance

S3 E1 / 8m 34s / TV-PG

Cipher Goings discovered tap at a young age and has since become not only a standout performer but also a teacher at Northwest Tap Connection in Seattle’s Rainier Beach — the very studio where he got his start. As part of the growing renaissance of tap, a tradition with deep roots in the Black community, Goings is figuring out where he fits in that lineage and discovering his value along the way.

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