NORTHWEST | An Evening With the Founders of Wa Na Wari

Image: The Founders of Wa Na Wari. Photo by Susan Fried.

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The Northwest Chapter of ArtTable invites you to join us for an evening of conversation and art with the founders of Wa Na Wari. Wa Na Wari is a center for Black art and culture in Seattle’s historically redlined Central District neighborhood, sited in a 5th-generation Black-owned home.

Co-Founder Inye Wokoma is the 2019 recipient of the 2019 Neddy at Cornish Grand Prize. Current Artists include Amir George, Abroad and Abound, Shurvon Hayes, In The Presence of Black Art: Healthy and Happy Mandala, Ronald Hall, Selected Works, and Jaleesa Johnson, Being/Conjured. Appetizers, wine, and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided.

“​Two of us, Inye Wokoma and Elisheba Johnson, are Black artists directly impacted by Seattle’s displacement and affordability crisis. Inye Wokoma’s grandmother is 93 years old and living with Alzheimers. As the guardian of her estate she has been fighting on her behalf to maintain ownership of the homes she and her husband worked their entire lives for. Elisheba Johnson, born and raised in Seattle, has a job with the City of Seattle and still cannot afford to live in the city. Their stories are reflective of what the housing crisis looks like for Black artists in Seattle. ​Two of us, Jill Freidberg and Rachel Kessler, are white artists using art and stories to challenge white supremacy, especially as it is expressed through gentrification and displacement.”

Thank you to Elisheba Johnson.