So that we can keep our staff and community safe, all of our events are currently virtual and/or outdoors.
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April 5th is our second birthday! It wouldn't be a Wa Na Wari birthday party without music. Join DJ Larry Mizell Jr and DJ Riz on KEXP, Monday, April 5th, for Wa Na Wari Birthday themed sets. With special guests Anastacia Renee, Naa Akua, Ebo Barton, and Amber Flame. The Afternoon Show LARRY MIZELL, JR. 1-4pm Drive Time DJ RIZ 4-7pm |
Wa Na Wari programming is supported in part by
King County 4Culture,
Seattle Foundation,
Creag Foundation,
City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture
Humanities Washington
King County Tourism Support
Group Health Foundation
Proteus Fund
Centrum Arts Foundation
King County 4Culture,
Seattle Foundation,
Creag Foundation,
City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture
Humanities Washington
King County Tourism Support
Group Health Foundation
Proteus Fund
Centrum Arts Foundation
PAST EVENTS
FILM & DISCUSSION: Keepers of Nations --The Power of Women of African Descent.
Friday March 26th from 12:00 to 2:00pm PST
A special Women’s History Month film screening and community celebration honoring the love and guidance of Black women.
Links and more info...
Films for Isolation, March 18th, 6pm
Featuring short films by Rikki Wright, Clifford Prince King, Sydney Canty, and Alima Lee. Curated by Alima Lee.
Links and more info...
Wa Na Wari and Jacob Lawrence Gallery present: Human Design and the Long Con
Saturday, March 13, 2021 at 12 PM PST – 3 PM PST
Join us for a screening of two films by Ilana Harris Babou: The Long Con and Human Design. Following the screening we will have a talk back with Ilana and Kemi Adeyemi, curator and founder of The Black Embodiments Studio. Links and more info...
A Multi-Faith Theology on Moving Beyond Intimate Partner Violence
March 6th, 12-2pm PST
Religion and faith practices, teach us so much about how we take care of ourselves and others. In many traditions, we are aware that violence happens, but not necessarily how to center survivors of violence. In this session, designed for survivors of intimate partner violence, we will utilize Bible/Koran stories, utilize writing exercises, and work to create a theology that centers survivors.
More info and links...
Film Screening of Cosmic Slop: Space Traders
Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 5:30 PM PST – 6:30 PM PST
Following the viewing we will have a talk back with producer Reginald Hudlin and longtime collaborator Charles Johnson.
Links and more info...
Charcoal, Wood, and Metal: Charmaine Lurch’s Being, Belonging and Grace
An online lecture by Katherine McKittrick
February 16th, 2020 12pm-1:00pm
Drawing on Sylvia Wynter’s “rethinking aesthetics” and Andrea Fatona’s "undulating depths of fields” this paper will theorize the charcoal drawings of visual artist Charmaine Lurch as unwieldy and provisional moments of joy.
More info and links...
Concert with Brown Calculus
Thursday, February 11, 2021 at 7pm PST
Brown Calculus explores the soundscapes of the post-soul movement. Keyboardist and beat maker, Andre Burgos, and singer/songwriter, Vaughn Kimmons, are Geminis, illuminating the sacredness of Black music, seeking to bring about community on Earth and beyond.
Links and More Info
Virtual Concert Experience with Wizard Apprentice
January 14th 2021
6pm-7pm
A performance and exhibit which will take place in a venue created in Mozilla Hubs, which can be experienced via laptop, smartphone, or Occulus VR headset. Wizard Apprentice will orient you and take you on a tour of the space. There’ll be opportunities to explore, mingle, and attend a musical performance by Wizard Apprentice.
More info and registration...
Feed the People X Wa Na Wari New Year’s Day: Beans and Greens
January 1st, 2021 12pm-2pm
Start your new year off right with our favorite southern tradition, eating black eye peas and greens for good luck. While we can’t meet in person this year we must keep up the tradition, so come by the Feed the People community kitchen to get vegan, Black eyed peas, greens and cornbread.
More info...
Black Listening: A multi-media performance by Zachary James Watkins
Dec 27, 7pm PST
Join Wa Na Wari for an experimental multimedia performance by current exhibiting artist Zachary James Watkins. Watkins will be performing a piece that is a continuation of their exploration “Listen to Clarence” online at Wa Na Wari.
More info and links...
Acoustic Performance by Blumeadows
Dec 11th, 7pm PST
Wa Na Wari regular Blumeadows performs an acoustic set for the holidays.
More info and links...
Artist Talk with Andrea Colman
Dec 12th, 12pm PST
Artist Andrea Coleman will talk about her multimedia practice and her work currently on view at Wa Na Wari.
More info and links...
Live studio stream with the artist L. Haz
Dec 5th, 3pm PST
Watch artist Zahyr Lauren aka The Artist L. Haz while they create new work live. Viewers will also have the opportunity to ask the artist questions about their process and practice.
More info and links...
Art21: Borderlands - Screening and Discussion
Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 4pm
North Seattle College Art Gallery and Wa Na Wari are partnering to screen Art21: Borderlands with a post-screening discussion.
A vast geography encompassing open deserts and densely populated metropolises, the borderland between the United States and Mexico has long been a site of not only political conflict and social struggle but also intense creative ferment.
More info and links...
Black Lunch Table at Wa Na Wari
November 20th, 2020
12pm-1pm (PST)
Black Lunch Table creates a space for people, art, Black studies
and social justice issues. The Black Lunch Table (BLT) is an oral-history archiving
project. Our primary aim is the production of discursive sites, wherein cultural producers engage in dialogue on a variety of critical issues.
Links and more info...
Sacred Stoops: A Lecture by Germane Barnes
Tuesday, November 24th at 12pm PST
Join Wa Na Wari and Seattle Public Library for a rebroadcast of a lecture by architect Germane Barnes about the “porch” in Black communities.
Links and more info...
Black Lunch Table Online "Edit-a-Thon"
November 3rd, 2020
2pm (PST)
We will create, update, and improve Wikipedia articles pertaining to the lives and works of Black visual artists.
Links and more info...
Wa Na Wari Virtual House Party 2020 Fundraiser
Wa Na Wari is putting the FUN back in FUNdraiser,
with a virtual house party unlike any virtual event you've attended before!
October 28th, 6:30-8:00pm
Join us to celebrate the house that fights displacement
with Black art, Black culture, and the self-determination of Black people.
Register and more info...
Experimental Mapping in the Central District
A workshop with Sara Zewde
Wednesday, October 21st, 2020 at 5pm
A partnership between Wa Na Wari and Seattle Public Library
Links and more info
Cultural Puppet Making and Stop-motion Animation Workshop
with Gabrielle Tesfaye
Saturday, September 26th at 12:00pm
Links and more info...
Films by Gabrielle Tesfaye
The Water Will Carry Us Home and My Love, Ethiopia.
September 25th, 2020, 6pm
Wa Na Wari and Sankofa Film Society bring you an evening of films by Gabrielle Tesafye. Immediately after the films, please join us for a talk back with filmmaker Gabrielle Tesfaye and Zola Mumford. Links and more info...
House Concert with Cedric Watson
Creole, Cajun, and Zydeco music!
September 16th, 2020, 6pm
A virtual house concert with Cedric Watson playing and exploring the Black roots of Creole, Cajun, and Zydeco music. Links and more info...
Artist Talk with Lisa Jarrett
House/Field/Home
September 1st, 2020, 6pm
Lisa Jarrett's intersectional practice considers the politics of difference within a variety of settings including: schools, landscapes, fictions, racial imaginaries, studios, communities, museums, galleries, walls, mountains, mirrors, floors, rivers, and lenses. Link and more info...
The History and Politics of Black Hair and Beauty
A new online lecture series at Wa Na Wari
June 21st and August 4th
The current art exhibitions at Wa Na Wari showcase the work of Lavett Ballard, Lisa Jarrett, Elise Peterson, and Jamaal Hasef Tolbert. These works all explore ideas of Black hair, the Black beauty industry and the Black body. Please join us for a lecture series that dives deeper into these themes while helping us understand the social, political and economic history around Black hair and beauty. Link and more info...
A Space To Rest with the Nap Ministry
A Black and African Diaspora Online Experience
Sunday, August 2nd 2pm-3:30pm (PST)
Tricia Hersey, founder of The Nap Ministry, will hold space for collective silence, daydreaming, and a moment of deep connection to our Ancestors...(more info)
a convoluted remedy to my soft hands
A performance by Maya Vivas
Thursday, July 23rd 5pm(PST)
Live feed and premeditation converse while maneuvering through accrued diasporic therapies and rumination.
More Info...
Constructing a Black Ass Show
Ayana Evans is presenting a 30 minute online performance for the Wa Na Wari community and beyond. Evans is best known for her on-going performances/public interventions: "Operation Catsuit" and "I Just Came Here to Find a Husband." Her work focuses on the dismantling of hierarchies, classism, misogyny and racism through interactive symbolic performances, such as asking a predominately white crowd to "catch [her] Black body," and video works projected in public spaces. For this performance she will tackle those images from the front yard of her childhood home.
June 24th at 12pm(PST) and 2pm (CST) on Instagram Live.
More Info...
“This is WAK” - a virtual post-colonial karaoke soiree/party/jam
June 10 7pm EST time 4pm PST (happy hour)
Join us for a live socially distanced collective catharsis that combines quarantine, institutional critique and post-colonial karaoke! (On Zoom). Register on the zoom link to get emailed the Karaoke instructions before the event. MORE INFO and Zoom Link...
Autumn Knight: Our Water is Melted Snow: An experimental participatory performance
May 22nd, 5-5:30pm
Tap into an experimental half-hour with artist Autumn Knight. This participatory performance explores a multitude of themes from the uniqueness of Seattle as a place, to the experience of eating together.
Tickets and more info...
Friday Night (Virtual) Comedy with Solomon Giorgio
May 8th, 7:30-8pm
Friday Night Comedy is back with Seattle's own Solomon Georgio. Join the Wa Na Wari community for 30 minutes of laughter with one of the best.
More about Solomon Giorgio...
Friday Night (Virtual) Comedy with Danielle Radford
April 3rd, 7:30-8pm
Danielle Radford is a comedian, writer, host, actress and key contributor to Screen Junkies and Fandom Entertainment. She is a current writer for four-time Emmy-nominated comedy series Honest Trailers, and a co-host of the pop culture debating show Movie Fights...more info
Wa Na Wari's Birthday (Virtual) Dance Party!
April 5th, 2pm - 4pm
Wa Na Wari is turning one years old and we want to celebrate with you! Join us for a virtual dance party with DJ Vitamin D and performances by Yirim Seck and Black Stax...more info
Art Opening for Artists Lisa Jarrett, Elise Peterson, Jamaal Hasef, and Lavett Ballard
Saturday, March 14th, 7-9pm
Jam the Ballot Box: Primary Election Party and Parade
March 9th, 5pm-7:30pm
Musicians Owuor Arunga and Aaron Walker Loud will lead a musical procession to drop our ballots off to the Garfield Community Center ballot box...(more details)
Sanctuary Print Shop at Wa Na Wari
Saturday February 29, 11:30AM-1:30PM
For this special POC-led and -focused printmaking session at Wa Na Wari, Sanctuary Print Shop: Seattle curator, Thea Quiray Tagle, will lead an interactive printmaking session and conversation about placemaking and the power of print. No experience necessary- wear close-toed shoes and comfy clothes you wouldn't mind getting paint on (just in case!)...more details
Living Room Concert with Tiffany Wilson
Saturday, February 29, 2020 at 7 PM – 8 PM
Join us for an hour of incredible music by the Northwest's Tiffany Wilson. Tiffany Wilson is a true musical artist and songwriter whose voice speaks to something real and soulful...more details
The Value of Our Stories Workshop
Thurs, February 27, 2020
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Join an interactive workshop with Seattle-raised spoken word poet and educator Rajinii Eddins. This workshop is possible via a community partnership with Wa Na Wari and the Seattle Public Library and support from the Seattle Public Library Foundation. This workshop is FREE but please register here.
A Presence Scene: Writing Workshop with Civic Poet Jourdan Keith
February 4 - 25th (every Tuesday in February)
7pm-8pm
Register
Each week participants will select a piece of art from the exhibits as the subject for their creative writing response. Using prompts to explore ekphrastic writing examples and techniques, we will generate working drafts during each Workshop. Select one Workshop or participate in all four to build your skills as we develop a supportive writing community...more info
Film Screening: Whispering Into the Void by Amir George
Wa Na Wari and On the Boards have partnered to bring filmmaker Amir George to Seattle to screen his new film series “Whispering into the Void.”
Screening with Talk-back and Q&A with Amir George and Inye Wokoma:
Saturday, January 25th at On the Boards in the Studio Theater: 100 West Roy St, Seattle, WA 98119
3:00pm
Screenings with Amir George present:
Sunday, January 26th at Wa Na Wari: 911 24th Ave, Seattle, Wa 98122
12:00pm, 2:00pm, 4:00pm
Jaleesa Johnston Artist Talk
January 10, 2020
7pm-8pm
Join Wa Na Wari for an artist talk with exhibiting artist Jaleesa Johnston. Johnston will talk about her current exhibition and her practice as a performance artist...more info
Vanishing Seattle Film Series Launch
January 16, 2020
7pm-9pm
Vanishing Seattle is excited to launch its series of short films that take a deeper dive into the stories of legacy, resistance, and resilience behind the #VanishingSeattle hashtag! We are premiering with a film about Wa Na Wari!
Come join us at Wa Na Wari for the film screening (directed by devon de Leña + Chimaera Bailey) -- plus art, food, & community. The event will also feature music and performances by Yirim Seck and Ebo Barton.
New Years Day: Beans ‘n’ Greens at WNW
January 1, 2020
12pm-4pm
Start your new year off right with our favorite southern tradition, eating black eye peas and greens for good luck. Food prepared by Inye Wokoma and Tarik Abdullah. $5 a plate or pay what you can...more info
Central District Stories: Neighborhood memories through poetry
December 19th
7-8pm
Wa Na Wari is partnering with the African American Writer's Alliance on the first of an on-going series called "Central District Stories." This series invites artists of various disciplines to share their stories and history of the neighborhood through art...more info
Holiday Jazz Show with BluMeadows and Friends
Saturday, December 7th
6-8pm
More info...
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
Film Screening
Wednesday, December 4th, 7pm
TICKETS
More Info...
Special Performance and Reception with Hanna Benn and C. Davida Ingram
Thursday, October 17th, 2019
6:30 - 8pm
In 2015, visual artist C. Davida Ingram began a collaboration with composer Hanna Benn called “The Deeps” that combined live narration and music as a tapestry to understand grieving. This next chapter of the story moves through a reimagining of the waters of memory and how we connect in moments of joy and transformation through lyricism and stories. Audience members are encouraged to come dressed in shades of blue for this immersive installation...(read more)
Botanicals for Beauty and Self-Love
Fri, October 18, 2019
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM PDT
Max participants: 20
FREE: Register Here
Our skin is the immune system's’ first line of defense, and is often where we first see the effects of spiritual and environmental stress. In this class, we’ll discuss nutritional support for glowing skin, featuring African ancestral herbs and foods that have long been used for beautification and vitality...(read more)
Poetry Redaction Workshop with Chantal Gibson
Saturday, October 19th
12pm-2pm
The workshop will lead guests though a poetry redaction exercise that re-contextualizes and reimagines problematic historical texts through the framing of James Baldwin...(read more).
Chantal Gibson: Reading
Saturday, October 19, 6-7pm, Free
Chantal will read from her book, How She Read. Copies of the book will be available for sale. How She Read is a collection of genre-blurring poems about the representation of Black women, their hearts, minds and bodies, across the Canadian cultural imagination...(read more)
West African Music and Dance with Thione Diop
September 21st, 2pm - 4pm
Join us for an afternoon of West African music and dance. Thione Diop, percussionist from Senegal, is widely recognized for his powerfully expressive Djembe performances. He is descended from an ancestral line of Griot drummers in Senegal and is a master of the djembe, sabar tama, and djun djun...(read more)
Gary Hammon Plays Original Compositions
Sunday, September 15th, 6pm - 7:30pm
Born and raised in Seattle's Central District, saxophonist and composer Gary "Jubil" Hammon spent decades in the Boston and New York jazz scenes before returning to Seattle to "give back to the community that raised him." Gary will be sharing work-in-progress excerpts from a new show he is creating that blends live storytelling and original compositions...(read more)
Draw Till You Laugh: A Comics Workshop for All Ages
Hosted by Wa Na Wari and Short Run Seattle
Teacher: Local comic artist Lauren Armstrong
Saturday, August 31st, 12pm - 1:30pm
FREE (registration required)
Local comic artist Lauren Armstrong will guide students through some unconventional drawing exercises for when you can't think of anything to draw, and creating characters that will help you laugh through the process. No experience necessary, all supplies provided...(read more)
Doll Making Workshop with Marita Dingus
August 11th 12pm - 2pm
This workshop is fun for all ages. Come play with re-used materials and make a doll with nationally acclaimed artist Marita Dingus...(read more)
Home | Reclamation through Movement and Music
August 10th, 7pm
Created & Performed by: Hannah Mayree and Nia-Amina Minor
Presented in association with: The Black Banjo Reclamation Project...(read more)
Alchemy Poetry Series
Tuesday August 6th
7:00 pm
Alchemy Poetry Series is a curated performance art experience that elevates voices that are often silenced. Performers in our community focus on the brilliance of storytelling by offering personal stories and reflections that are socially relevant...(read more)
Okanomode: Performance
Saturday, July 20th
7:00pm - 8:00pm
okanomodé [uh-kahn-uh-mah-day] is the sole lyricist & vocalist of the critically acclaimed experimental pop opera Now I'm Fine by Ahamefule J. Oluo...(read more)
Hotter Than July Party
Unapologetic Artists and Creatives host the Hotter Than July party
July 7th, 2pm - 8pm
Vibes by DJs Topspin and N So
Food by Def Chef
Cocktails by Erudite and Stone
Live Painting by Afrospk...(read more)
JusMoni and Stas THEE Boss
Saturday, June 29th
8pm - 9pm
JusMoni- JusMoni aka Moni Tep (b. 1993) is a singer and songwriter whose body of work, to-date, includes five self-produced albums, performances across the United States and Canada, and collaborations with the best and brightest emerging talent of the contemporary R&B music scene...(read more)
Josephine Howell
Saturday, June 22nd
8pm - 9pm
“Josie” possesses a God-given endowment for the arts. She first explored her interest and abilities for singing in the children’s choir at her childhood church, The True Right M. B. Church. It was the beginning of the foundation that would sustain her through a life filled with the type of experiences that inspire every song, every word, and every moment she is on stage...(read more)
Performance: Rachael Ferguson, Sound Artist
Monday, June 3rd
7:00pm-8:30pm
Recordings of intimate moments of love songs, and original music mixed with anonymous testimonials regarding Black love. Different listening stations will be set up in the four corners of the room. (read more)
Artist Talk: Melanie Stevens
Sunday June 2nd
2pm
Opening Artist Reception
Saturday, June 1st
7pm-9pm
Artists:
Melanie Stevens
Rachael Ferguson
Jeremy Okai Davis
Alisa Sikelianos-Carter
The Let It Go Art Exhibition Closing Party
Sunday, May 26th
2pm - 8pm
Come celebrate the closing of the current art exhibitions at Wa Na Wari by the Unapologetic Artists and Creatives(UAC), Chi Moscou Jackson, Ariella Tai and Howard Mitchell. There will be kids activities and an artist talk with the UAC at 3pm. Come listen to DJ's Blendiana Jones and Toya B with a bar by Brown Liquor Company and catering by Def Chef.
Performance: Blu Meadows
Saturday, May 25th
8pm
The music of BluMeadows has been described as a mix of various styles, Afro-Cuban, funk, hip-hop, reggae, rock calypso and everything in between. BluMeadows says his music is best described as “consciousness” rock with a universal message.
Performance: Paul Rucker
Sunday May 19th
6pm
Paul Rucker is a visual artist, composer, and musician who combines media, often integrating live performance, sound, original compositions, and visual art. His work is the product of a rich interactive process, through which he investigates community impacts, human rights issues, historical research, and basic human emotions surrounding a subject.
Given the popularity of this event, and the limited size of the space, please RSVP for your free ticket, if you p
Artist Talk: Ariella Tai
Friday, May 17th
7:00pm
Tai will be discussing their three videos currently screening at Wa Na Wari-- “hold me,” “adore” and “i just.” (read more)
Friday March 26th from 12:00 to 2:00pm PST
A special Women’s History Month film screening and community celebration honoring the love and guidance of Black women.
Links and more info...
Films for Isolation, March 18th, 6pm
Featuring short films by Rikki Wright, Clifford Prince King, Sydney Canty, and Alima Lee. Curated by Alima Lee.
Links and more info...
Wa Na Wari and Jacob Lawrence Gallery present: Human Design and the Long Con
Saturday, March 13, 2021 at 12 PM PST – 3 PM PST
Join us for a screening of two films by Ilana Harris Babou: The Long Con and Human Design. Following the screening we will have a talk back with Ilana and Kemi Adeyemi, curator and founder of The Black Embodiments Studio. Links and more info...
A Multi-Faith Theology on Moving Beyond Intimate Partner Violence
March 6th, 12-2pm PST
Religion and faith practices, teach us so much about how we take care of ourselves and others. In many traditions, we are aware that violence happens, but not necessarily how to center survivors of violence. In this session, designed for survivors of intimate partner violence, we will utilize Bible/Koran stories, utilize writing exercises, and work to create a theology that centers survivors.
More info and links...
Film Screening of Cosmic Slop: Space Traders
Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 5:30 PM PST – 6:30 PM PST
Following the viewing we will have a talk back with producer Reginald Hudlin and longtime collaborator Charles Johnson.
Links and more info...
Charcoal, Wood, and Metal: Charmaine Lurch’s Being, Belonging and Grace
An online lecture by Katherine McKittrick
February 16th, 2020 12pm-1:00pm
Drawing on Sylvia Wynter’s “rethinking aesthetics” and Andrea Fatona’s "undulating depths of fields” this paper will theorize the charcoal drawings of visual artist Charmaine Lurch as unwieldy and provisional moments of joy.
More info and links...
Concert with Brown Calculus
Thursday, February 11, 2021 at 7pm PST
Brown Calculus explores the soundscapes of the post-soul movement. Keyboardist and beat maker, Andre Burgos, and singer/songwriter, Vaughn Kimmons, are Geminis, illuminating the sacredness of Black music, seeking to bring about community on Earth and beyond.
Links and More Info
Virtual Concert Experience with Wizard Apprentice
January 14th 2021
6pm-7pm
A performance and exhibit which will take place in a venue created in Mozilla Hubs, which can be experienced via laptop, smartphone, or Occulus VR headset. Wizard Apprentice will orient you and take you on a tour of the space. There’ll be opportunities to explore, mingle, and attend a musical performance by Wizard Apprentice.
More info and registration...
Feed the People X Wa Na Wari New Year’s Day: Beans and Greens
January 1st, 2021 12pm-2pm
Start your new year off right with our favorite southern tradition, eating black eye peas and greens for good luck. While we can’t meet in person this year we must keep up the tradition, so come by the Feed the People community kitchen to get vegan, Black eyed peas, greens and cornbread.
More info...
Black Listening: A multi-media performance by Zachary James Watkins
Dec 27, 7pm PST
Join Wa Na Wari for an experimental multimedia performance by current exhibiting artist Zachary James Watkins. Watkins will be performing a piece that is a continuation of their exploration “Listen to Clarence” online at Wa Na Wari.
More info and links...
Acoustic Performance by Blumeadows
Dec 11th, 7pm PST
Wa Na Wari regular Blumeadows performs an acoustic set for the holidays.
More info and links...
Artist Talk with Andrea Colman
Dec 12th, 12pm PST
Artist Andrea Coleman will talk about her multimedia practice and her work currently on view at Wa Na Wari.
More info and links...
Live studio stream with the artist L. Haz
Dec 5th, 3pm PST
Watch artist Zahyr Lauren aka The Artist L. Haz while they create new work live. Viewers will also have the opportunity to ask the artist questions about their process and practice.
More info and links...
Art21: Borderlands - Screening and Discussion
Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 4pm
North Seattle College Art Gallery and Wa Na Wari are partnering to screen Art21: Borderlands with a post-screening discussion.
A vast geography encompassing open deserts and densely populated metropolises, the borderland between the United States and Mexico has long been a site of not only political conflict and social struggle but also intense creative ferment.
More info and links...
Black Lunch Table at Wa Na Wari
November 20th, 2020
12pm-1pm (PST)
Black Lunch Table creates a space for people, art, Black studies
and social justice issues. The Black Lunch Table (BLT) is an oral-history archiving
project. Our primary aim is the production of discursive sites, wherein cultural producers engage in dialogue on a variety of critical issues.
Links and more info...
Sacred Stoops: A Lecture by Germane Barnes
Tuesday, November 24th at 12pm PST
Join Wa Na Wari and Seattle Public Library for a rebroadcast of a lecture by architect Germane Barnes about the “porch” in Black communities.
Links and more info...
Black Lunch Table Online "Edit-a-Thon"
November 3rd, 2020
2pm (PST)
We will create, update, and improve Wikipedia articles pertaining to the lives and works of Black visual artists.
Links and more info...
Wa Na Wari Virtual House Party 2020 Fundraiser
Wa Na Wari is putting the FUN back in FUNdraiser,
with a virtual house party unlike any virtual event you've attended before!
October 28th, 6:30-8:00pm
Join us to celebrate the house that fights displacement
with Black art, Black culture, and the self-determination of Black people.
Register and more info...
Experimental Mapping in the Central District
A workshop with Sara Zewde
Wednesday, October 21st, 2020 at 5pm
A partnership between Wa Na Wari and Seattle Public Library
Links and more info
Cultural Puppet Making and Stop-motion Animation Workshop
with Gabrielle Tesfaye
Saturday, September 26th at 12:00pm
Links and more info...
Films by Gabrielle Tesfaye
The Water Will Carry Us Home and My Love, Ethiopia.
September 25th, 2020, 6pm
Wa Na Wari and Sankofa Film Society bring you an evening of films by Gabrielle Tesafye. Immediately after the films, please join us for a talk back with filmmaker Gabrielle Tesfaye and Zola Mumford. Links and more info...
House Concert with Cedric Watson
Creole, Cajun, and Zydeco music!
September 16th, 2020, 6pm
A virtual house concert with Cedric Watson playing and exploring the Black roots of Creole, Cajun, and Zydeco music. Links and more info...
Artist Talk with Lisa Jarrett
House/Field/Home
September 1st, 2020, 6pm
Lisa Jarrett's intersectional practice considers the politics of difference within a variety of settings including: schools, landscapes, fictions, racial imaginaries, studios, communities, museums, galleries, walls, mountains, mirrors, floors, rivers, and lenses. Link and more info...
The History and Politics of Black Hair and Beauty
A new online lecture series at Wa Na Wari
June 21st and August 4th
The current art exhibitions at Wa Na Wari showcase the work of Lavett Ballard, Lisa Jarrett, Elise Peterson, and Jamaal Hasef Tolbert. These works all explore ideas of Black hair, the Black beauty industry and the Black body. Please join us for a lecture series that dives deeper into these themes while helping us understand the social, political and economic history around Black hair and beauty. Link and more info...
A Space To Rest with the Nap Ministry
A Black and African Diaspora Online Experience
Sunday, August 2nd 2pm-3:30pm (PST)
Tricia Hersey, founder of The Nap Ministry, will hold space for collective silence, daydreaming, and a moment of deep connection to our Ancestors...(more info)
a convoluted remedy to my soft hands
A performance by Maya Vivas
Thursday, July 23rd 5pm(PST)
Live feed and premeditation converse while maneuvering through accrued diasporic therapies and rumination.
More Info...
Constructing a Black Ass Show
Ayana Evans is presenting a 30 minute online performance for the Wa Na Wari community and beyond. Evans is best known for her on-going performances/public interventions: "Operation Catsuit" and "I Just Came Here to Find a Husband." Her work focuses on the dismantling of hierarchies, classism, misogyny and racism through interactive symbolic performances, such as asking a predominately white crowd to "catch [her] Black body," and video works projected in public spaces. For this performance she will tackle those images from the front yard of her childhood home.
June 24th at 12pm(PST) and 2pm (CST) on Instagram Live.
More Info...
“This is WAK” - a virtual post-colonial karaoke soiree/party/jam
June 10 7pm EST time 4pm PST (happy hour)
Join us for a live socially distanced collective catharsis that combines quarantine, institutional critique and post-colonial karaoke! (On Zoom). Register on the zoom link to get emailed the Karaoke instructions before the event. MORE INFO and Zoom Link...
Autumn Knight: Our Water is Melted Snow: An experimental participatory performance
May 22nd, 5-5:30pm
Tap into an experimental half-hour with artist Autumn Knight. This participatory performance explores a multitude of themes from the uniqueness of Seattle as a place, to the experience of eating together.
Tickets and more info...
Friday Night (Virtual) Comedy with Solomon Giorgio
May 8th, 7:30-8pm
Friday Night Comedy is back with Seattle's own Solomon Georgio. Join the Wa Na Wari community for 30 minutes of laughter with one of the best.
More about Solomon Giorgio...
Friday Night (Virtual) Comedy with Danielle Radford
April 3rd, 7:30-8pm
Danielle Radford is a comedian, writer, host, actress and key contributor to Screen Junkies and Fandom Entertainment. She is a current writer for four-time Emmy-nominated comedy series Honest Trailers, and a co-host of the pop culture debating show Movie Fights...more info
Wa Na Wari's Birthday (Virtual) Dance Party!
April 5th, 2pm - 4pm
Wa Na Wari is turning one years old and we want to celebrate with you! Join us for a virtual dance party with DJ Vitamin D and performances by Yirim Seck and Black Stax...more info
Art Opening for Artists Lisa Jarrett, Elise Peterson, Jamaal Hasef, and Lavett Ballard
Saturday, March 14th, 7-9pm
Jam the Ballot Box: Primary Election Party and Parade
March 9th, 5pm-7:30pm
Musicians Owuor Arunga and Aaron Walker Loud will lead a musical procession to drop our ballots off to the Garfield Community Center ballot box...(more details)
Sanctuary Print Shop at Wa Na Wari
Saturday February 29, 11:30AM-1:30PM
For this special POC-led and -focused printmaking session at Wa Na Wari, Sanctuary Print Shop: Seattle curator, Thea Quiray Tagle, will lead an interactive printmaking session and conversation about placemaking and the power of print. No experience necessary- wear close-toed shoes and comfy clothes you wouldn't mind getting paint on (just in case!)...more details
Living Room Concert with Tiffany Wilson
Saturday, February 29, 2020 at 7 PM – 8 PM
Join us for an hour of incredible music by the Northwest's Tiffany Wilson. Tiffany Wilson is a true musical artist and songwriter whose voice speaks to something real and soulful...more details
The Value of Our Stories Workshop
Thurs, February 27, 2020
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Join an interactive workshop with Seattle-raised spoken word poet and educator Rajinii Eddins. This workshop is possible via a community partnership with Wa Na Wari and the Seattle Public Library and support from the Seattle Public Library Foundation. This workshop is FREE but please register here.
A Presence Scene: Writing Workshop with Civic Poet Jourdan Keith
February 4 - 25th (every Tuesday in February)
7pm-8pm
Register
Each week participants will select a piece of art from the exhibits as the subject for their creative writing response. Using prompts to explore ekphrastic writing examples and techniques, we will generate working drafts during each Workshop. Select one Workshop or participate in all four to build your skills as we develop a supportive writing community...more info
Film Screening: Whispering Into the Void by Amir George
Wa Na Wari and On the Boards have partnered to bring filmmaker Amir George to Seattle to screen his new film series “Whispering into the Void.”
Screening with Talk-back and Q&A with Amir George and Inye Wokoma:
Saturday, January 25th at On the Boards in the Studio Theater: 100 West Roy St, Seattle, WA 98119
3:00pm
Screenings with Amir George present:
Sunday, January 26th at Wa Na Wari: 911 24th Ave, Seattle, Wa 98122
12:00pm, 2:00pm, 4:00pm
Jaleesa Johnston Artist Talk
January 10, 2020
7pm-8pm
Join Wa Na Wari for an artist talk with exhibiting artist Jaleesa Johnston. Johnston will talk about her current exhibition and her practice as a performance artist...more info
Vanishing Seattle Film Series Launch
January 16, 2020
7pm-9pm
Vanishing Seattle is excited to launch its series of short films that take a deeper dive into the stories of legacy, resistance, and resilience behind the #VanishingSeattle hashtag! We are premiering with a film about Wa Na Wari!
Come join us at Wa Na Wari for the film screening (directed by devon de Leña + Chimaera Bailey) -- plus art, food, & community. The event will also feature music and performances by Yirim Seck and Ebo Barton.
New Years Day: Beans ‘n’ Greens at WNW
January 1, 2020
12pm-4pm
Start your new year off right with our favorite southern tradition, eating black eye peas and greens for good luck. Food prepared by Inye Wokoma and Tarik Abdullah. $5 a plate or pay what you can...more info
Central District Stories: Neighborhood memories through poetry
December 19th
7-8pm
Wa Na Wari is partnering with the African American Writer's Alliance on the first of an on-going series called "Central District Stories." This series invites artists of various disciplines to share their stories and history of the neighborhood through art...more info
Holiday Jazz Show with BluMeadows and Friends
Saturday, December 7th
6-8pm
More info...
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
Film Screening
Wednesday, December 4th, 7pm
TICKETS
More Info...
Special Performance and Reception with Hanna Benn and C. Davida Ingram
Thursday, October 17th, 2019
6:30 - 8pm
In 2015, visual artist C. Davida Ingram began a collaboration with composer Hanna Benn called “The Deeps” that combined live narration and music as a tapestry to understand grieving. This next chapter of the story moves through a reimagining of the waters of memory and how we connect in moments of joy and transformation through lyricism and stories. Audience members are encouraged to come dressed in shades of blue for this immersive installation...(read more)
Botanicals for Beauty and Self-Love
Fri, October 18, 2019
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM PDT
Max participants: 20
FREE: Register Here
Our skin is the immune system's’ first line of defense, and is often where we first see the effects of spiritual and environmental stress. In this class, we’ll discuss nutritional support for glowing skin, featuring African ancestral herbs and foods that have long been used for beautification and vitality...(read more)
Poetry Redaction Workshop with Chantal Gibson
Saturday, October 19th
12pm-2pm
The workshop will lead guests though a poetry redaction exercise that re-contextualizes and reimagines problematic historical texts through the framing of James Baldwin...(read more).
Chantal Gibson: Reading
Saturday, October 19, 6-7pm, Free
Chantal will read from her book, How She Read. Copies of the book will be available for sale. How She Read is a collection of genre-blurring poems about the representation of Black women, their hearts, minds and bodies, across the Canadian cultural imagination...(read more)
West African Music and Dance with Thione Diop
September 21st, 2pm - 4pm
Join us for an afternoon of West African music and dance. Thione Diop, percussionist from Senegal, is widely recognized for his powerfully expressive Djembe performances. He is descended from an ancestral line of Griot drummers in Senegal and is a master of the djembe, sabar tama, and djun djun...(read more)
Gary Hammon Plays Original Compositions
Sunday, September 15th, 6pm - 7:30pm
Born and raised in Seattle's Central District, saxophonist and composer Gary "Jubil" Hammon spent decades in the Boston and New York jazz scenes before returning to Seattle to "give back to the community that raised him." Gary will be sharing work-in-progress excerpts from a new show he is creating that blends live storytelling and original compositions...(read more)
Draw Till You Laugh: A Comics Workshop for All Ages
Hosted by Wa Na Wari and Short Run Seattle
Teacher: Local comic artist Lauren Armstrong
Saturday, August 31st, 12pm - 1:30pm
FREE (registration required)
Local comic artist Lauren Armstrong will guide students through some unconventional drawing exercises for when you can't think of anything to draw, and creating characters that will help you laugh through the process. No experience necessary, all supplies provided...(read more)
Doll Making Workshop with Marita Dingus
August 11th 12pm - 2pm
This workshop is fun for all ages. Come play with re-used materials and make a doll with nationally acclaimed artist Marita Dingus...(read more)
Home | Reclamation through Movement and Music
August 10th, 7pm
Created & Performed by: Hannah Mayree and Nia-Amina Minor
Presented in association with: The Black Banjo Reclamation Project...(read more)
Alchemy Poetry Series
Tuesday August 6th
7:00 pm
Alchemy Poetry Series is a curated performance art experience that elevates voices that are often silenced. Performers in our community focus on the brilliance of storytelling by offering personal stories and reflections that are socially relevant...(read more)
Okanomode: Performance
Saturday, July 20th
7:00pm - 8:00pm
okanomodé [uh-kahn-uh-mah-day] is the sole lyricist & vocalist of the critically acclaimed experimental pop opera Now I'm Fine by Ahamefule J. Oluo...(read more)
Hotter Than July Party
Unapologetic Artists and Creatives host the Hotter Than July party
July 7th, 2pm - 8pm
Vibes by DJs Topspin and N So
Food by Def Chef
Cocktails by Erudite and Stone
Live Painting by Afrospk...(read more)
JusMoni and Stas THEE Boss
Saturday, June 29th
8pm - 9pm
JusMoni- JusMoni aka Moni Tep (b. 1993) is a singer and songwriter whose body of work, to-date, includes five self-produced albums, performances across the United States and Canada, and collaborations with the best and brightest emerging talent of the contemporary R&B music scene...(read more)
Josephine Howell
Saturday, June 22nd
8pm - 9pm
“Josie” possesses a God-given endowment for the arts. She first explored her interest and abilities for singing in the children’s choir at her childhood church, The True Right M. B. Church. It was the beginning of the foundation that would sustain her through a life filled with the type of experiences that inspire every song, every word, and every moment she is on stage...(read more)
Performance: Rachael Ferguson, Sound Artist
Monday, June 3rd
7:00pm-8:30pm
Recordings of intimate moments of love songs, and original music mixed with anonymous testimonials regarding Black love. Different listening stations will be set up in the four corners of the room. (read more)
Artist Talk: Melanie Stevens
Sunday June 2nd
2pm
Opening Artist Reception
Saturday, June 1st
7pm-9pm
Artists:
Melanie Stevens
Rachael Ferguson
Jeremy Okai Davis
Alisa Sikelianos-Carter
The Let It Go Art Exhibition Closing Party
Sunday, May 26th
2pm - 8pm
Come celebrate the closing of the current art exhibitions at Wa Na Wari by the Unapologetic Artists and Creatives(UAC), Chi Moscou Jackson, Ariella Tai and Howard Mitchell. There will be kids activities and an artist talk with the UAC at 3pm. Come listen to DJ's Blendiana Jones and Toya B with a bar by Brown Liquor Company and catering by Def Chef.
Performance: Blu Meadows
Saturday, May 25th
8pm
The music of BluMeadows has been described as a mix of various styles, Afro-Cuban, funk, hip-hop, reggae, rock calypso and everything in between. BluMeadows says his music is best described as “consciousness” rock with a universal message.
Performance: Paul Rucker
Sunday May 19th
6pm
Paul Rucker is a visual artist, composer, and musician who combines media, often integrating live performance, sound, original compositions, and visual art. His work is the product of a rich interactive process, through which he investigates community impacts, human rights issues, historical research, and basic human emotions surrounding a subject.
Given the popularity of this event, and the limited size of the space, please RSVP for your free ticket, if you p
Artist Talk: Ariella Tai
Friday, May 17th
7:00pm
Tai will be discussing their three videos currently screening at Wa Na Wari-- “hold me,” “adore” and “i just.” (read more)