Black Graduation is a two-day art fair and cultural gathering celebrating Black artists across the diaspora.
Rooted in the belief that Black creativity is both inherited and ever-evolving, this inaugural event centers lineage and emergence—honoring the traditions, stories, and cultural practices that shape our present while making space for what is coming next.
Presented by Wa Na Wari in partnership with the Northwest African American Museum, Black Graduation brings together artists, collectors, and community in a shared space to connect, celebrate, and invest in Black creative futures.
The weekend features a curated marketplace of Black visual artists, a VIP opening with early access to artwork, live music, film, artist portfolio reviews, and opening keynote from Keynote by Chela Mitchell, Founder & Director of Chela Mitchell Gallery , conversations exploring art collecting as a pathway toward legacy and sustainability and of course, vibes for days.
This is an offering — an invitation from us, to you — to bear witness, to support, and to be in community with the artists shaping what it means to create in ways that continue our many cultural traditions of storytelling and cultivating joy.
lineage emergence ceremony
lineage emergence ceremony
Black Graduation is free and open to the public.
VIP early access on Saturday and Sunday’s Cinematheque Soundtrack experiences are ticketed.
Sunday, May 30
Black Graduation unfolds over two days, with each of those days offering its own way to experience and connect with Black art and community. Saturday, May 30opens with a 5:00 PM VIP hour (additional cost) for early access to artwork (bubbles and vibes, included), followed by an evening of music, celebration, and a keynote exploring art collecting as a pathway to legacy and wealth-building.
On Sunday, May 31, beginning at 12:00 PM, the fun continues as the gathering shifts into a more relaxed, daytime rhythm with the full art fair, artist portfolio reviews, and Cinematheque Soundtrack (additional cost) — a reimagined film experience blending live music from the 90s cult classic, Boomerang curated and composed by Bubba Jones, who takes inspiration from Marcus Miller, the original film’s composer.
Together, the weekend creates multiple entry points to engage—whether you’re looking to collect, connect with artists, or simply be present with the richness of Black creative expression.
Sunday, May 31
Black Graduation is free and open to the public.
VIP early access on Saturday and Sunday’s Cinematheque Soundtrack experience are ticketed.
Stay tuned for announcements of this year’s local, regional and nationally known artists contributing to Black Graduation’s success.
Jessica Whittingham
Jessica Whittingham is a mixed-media collage artist from The Bahamas whose work captures the fullness of Bahamian life through a vibrant, contemporary lens. Moving beyond tourist narratives, she draws on everyday moments and shared cultural memory — from childhood to daily life — to evoke a deeper, more personal sense of place. Her practice also explores the intersection of Blackness and nature, using lush, surreal compositions of tropical flora, bold patterns, gold accents, and archival imagery to reflect beauty, growth, and the Diaspora’s enduring connection to the Earth.
Nahom Girmay
Nahom Ghirmay is a Seattle-based artist born in Asmara, Eritrea. His work explores the emotional landscapes of identity, memory, and belonging, often reflecting on the immigrant experience and the evolving idea of home. Drawing from personal history and the stories of those around him, he uses expression, gesture, and painterly techniques to evoke mood and invite reflection.
After immigrating to Seattle as a teenager, Nahom developed his practice through residencies, exhibitions, and teaching. He is currently a working artist at BaseCamp Studios. His work has been exhibited at venues including the Seattle Art Fair, Taswira Gallery, King Street Station Gallery, Harris Harvey Gallery, and Gallery 110.
Alongside his studio practice, Nahom has created multiple murals across Seattle and mentors young artists through Urban ArtWorks.
Kiki Elice
Kiki Elice Turner is an Oakland-based painter and designer whose textured, figurative portraits are shaped by her early studies in fashion design and time immersed in New York City’s gallery and studio scene. Originally from Pullman, Washington, she earned her BFA from Parsons School of Design, where she received the Golden Thimble award and gained experience in both design and curatorial work. After working in fashion, she shifted her focus fully to painting in 2014, bringing a strong design sensibility to her practice. Turner has exhibited widely across cities including New York, Seattle, and Oakland, with recent features at Wa Na Wari, SoHo House Portland, and the Seattle Opera House, among others.
Lila Alexis Thomas
Lila Alexis Thomas (she/they) is a Seattle-based figurative painter and educator from Southern Louisiana whose work centers Black and queer joy, rest, and intimacy. Their paintings challenge historical erasure by placing Black figures in spaces of tenderness, sovereignty, and belonging. Lila holds a BFA from Nicholls State University, is an Artist in Residence at Actualize AiR, and has exhibited widely, including at the Seattle Art Fair and ARTS at King Street Station, where they are also curating and participating in This Room Is Ours: Centering the Black Figure.
Shanice Smith
Shanice Smith is a Trinbagonian interdisciplinary artist whose work examines gender-based violence, abuse, and the commodification of women’s bodies. She holds a BFA and certifications in Social Work and Psychology from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at Wa Na Wari (Seattle), Alice Yard (Port of Spain), the National Museum of Trinidad and Tobago, Fresh Milk (Barbados), Caribbean Linked IV (Aruba), and Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions.
Smith is the co-founder of Cousoumeh Collective, a collaborative practice using cooking and participatory research to foster care, dialogue, and community. Her work moves between confronting difficult social realities and creating space for connection and healing. She is also an arts administrator and activist with a focus on Carnival and Trinbagonian cultural studies, and is currently developing Queen Patroness, an Old Mas performance addressing violence against women.
Payton Harris-Woodard
Payton Harris-Woodard (b. 1996, Chicago) earned her Bachelor of Arts from Columbia College Chicago in 2019, and her Master of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Instituteof Chicago in 2022. Recent exhibitions include Human Resources at The Chicago Artists Coalition; Women on the Verge at Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago,IL; Ground Floor Biennial at the Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago,IL, and Generations at Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL. Her writing and artwork has been published in Hyperallergic Magazine and Hand papermaking Magazine. Awards include the New Artist Society Full Merit Award at School of the Art Institute of Chicago; the Black Writers Fellowship with Hand Papermaking Magazine; and, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts Emerging Artists Grant.
Anthony White
Anthony White is a Seattle-based artist, curator, and advocate, and a graduate of Cornish College of the Arts (BFA, 2018). He is represented by Greg Kucera Gallery and serves on the boards of Artist Trust, On the Boards, and the Lillian Miller Foundation, which supports educational opportunities for LGBTQIA+ youth. White is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellowship (2025–2030), the Seattle Art Museum’s Betty Bowen Award (2021), the Neddy at Cornish Painting Award (2020), and the Artist Trust Fellowship Award (2020), and was named one of Seattle Magazine’s “Most Influential People” in 2024. His work has been exhibited internationally in solo and group exhibitions across the U.S. and abroad, and is held in public collections including the Seattle Art Museum, Frye Art Museum, Crocker Art Museum, Figge Art Museum, and the Sinegal Center for Science and Innovation.
Zeinab Diomande
Zeinab Diomande (b. 1999, VA) is a Philadelphia-based Ivorian American artist whose work explores dreams as spaces for guidance, memory, and imagined possibility. Moving between dreamscape and lived experience, their practice considers shifting versions of self within constructed environments. Diomande has exhibited nationally and internationally, with presentations at Anthony Gallery and Stony Island Art Bank (Chicago), New Image Art (Los Angeles), Picture Theory (New York), Chili Art Projects (London), and the Philadelphia Magic Gardens. She earned her BFA from the University of the Arts in 2023 and is currently an MFA candidate at Tyler School of Art and Architecture.
Black Graduation will feature over 30 artists. More will be added over the coming weeks — check back often!