To Honor the Season, Wa Na Wari and NAAM Will Stage a 'Black Graduation'

On May 30 and May 31, Wa Na Wari and the Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) will host "Black Graduation," an art fair showcasing art from Black creators from across the Pacific Northwest. The name of the art fair is a nod to the current graduation season and was also chosen to signify a paradigm shift in the way some current Black artists make their art. The fair's theme, "Lineage & Emergence," conveys how artists and their work are often shaped by the traditions and teachings of generations before, preserved or resurrected by community elders.

"'Black Graduation' is really a broader statement about what Black artists are making in the country right now. And there is a history of African American or Black folks doing their own graduations to be with their own cultural group, just for those celebrations," said Elisheba Wokoma, artist, curator, and co-founder of Wa Na Wari. "We are used to gathering and celebrating each other around this time, so we are tapping into that language.

Wa Na Wari is a nonprofit organization, art gallery, and cultural space located in a fifth-generation, Black-owned home in Seattle's Central District. According to its website, Wa Na Wari is "an immersive community art project that reclaims Black cultural space and makes a statement about the importance of Black land ownership in gentrified communities." 

Outside of her work at Wa Na Wari, Wokoma also curates for other galleries. The "Black Graduation" featured artists are creators Wokoma met while working in those other spaces as well as through her past work at Wa Na Wari. 

"My passion moving forward is bringing art experiences to nontraditional spaces or bringing art to everybody who might not have access to it," Wokoma said. "A lot of people feel like they have to have a lot of money to be involved, and we don't want 'Black Graduation' to [feel like] that at all. Everybody is welcome. There's no fee to get in unless you want to go to our VIP opening, but if you come, you'll see incredible art."

Alongside her passion of making art more accessible is an enthusiasm for art collecting and teaching others the value in seeing the act of purchasing art as making an investment.

"This is kind of the beginning of us creating a collector class of folks and really showing people the importance of investing in artists by buying their work so that they can be thriving," Wokoma said. "All of our work is about having vibrant, affordable communities, especially here in Seattle. So I think that whenever we can make sure that artists can pay their bills, that means that we're keeping the Seattle that we love, and that is vitally important."

According to Wokoma, a big reason why art collecting can feel overwhelming for some people is a general lack of awareness around the process of buying art.

"You don't have to have all of the money right now, and most people don't know that you can ask for a payment arrangement. Almost all large donors do payment arrangements," Wokoma said. "People who don't know feel very intimidated of how to get into the process.

Wokoma says folks at Wa Na Wari will be at "Black Graduation" assisting buyers with making their purchases. "If somebody wants to buy something, we're here to be their liaison to, for what I think for a lot of people, will be their first purchase."

"Black Graduation" will take place at the NAAM. A portion of art sales will support the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, a new partnership with Wa Na Wari.

"They reached out to us and wanted to do a fundraiser with us, and that's when I pitched the idea to them," said Wokoma. "This is a pilot for us, but in the future years, we'll pick another nonprofit to uplift and support each year."