GALLERY ONYX

The ONYX Fine Arts Collective is a family-run, non-profit organization that provides a platform for local African American art, featuring the work of almost 650 artists. Earnest Thomas has been the pres ident of ONYX for the past 18 years. Prior to his work at the gallery, he was an electri cal engineering graduate, and worked for Boeing for 39 years before retiring and managing his own African jewelry business. He is known for his use of abstract mixed media, incorporating mediums like metal into his paintings.

The art displayed is highly expressive of black culture. They tell the story of the art ists’ backgrounds, and paint stories of the past, present and future. “The beautiful thing about it is that you can’t change art by writing. Art is the truth,” Earnest said. “You can write something a million ways and it can have different meanings but our culture, our history has been full of people writing about us and kind of taking us in all different directions.”

Gallery ONYX has published two books in hopes that these artists and their work will be seen and represented.

“The objective is to showcase the artwork of black people and to show that visual artwork is alive and well in the Afro Central community,” Earnest said. Both of the books are available in the Seattle Public Library, featuring 74 local artists and 270 pieces of artwork.

“It keeps me waking up every day to see ness, to develop the space, leaving his mark on the atmosphere through the open-air outdoor space and the stylish yet comforting feel of the inside. When Hines put together the team who would be working at the taproom, he intentionally hired people with ties to the neighborhood. Before their grand opening, Hines and his team invited their neighbors to tell them what they wanted to see in the space, and the team will continue to build off of those ideas. Additionally, the new logo was designed by Conflare, a black woman-owned agency.

The company also partnered with Reuben’s Brews, an- other Seattle-based brewery, to create the Mosaic State Brewers Collective (MSBC), a mentorship program empowering and inspiring people who are underrepresented in the industry to pursue careers in brewing.

MBC came to the Central District with intention, and they continue to uplift other Black businesses and people who are less represented in their industry while bringing joy to the community through mentorship, partnership, and damn good beer.

The Station is a Black and Latinx owned coffee shop and cafe located in Beacon hill that works to cultivate a welcoming space for people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. Michael, a Station employee, had been coming to the space for five years before they started working there. During our interview, they were able to name drop everyone in the shop “Jeff over there is an author of a children’s book and Oliver over there is a therapist.” It was evident that the regulars find joy and comfort in the community that The Station provides.

Michael explains how Beacon Hill has seen a lot of gentrification over the years, and the station honors its history by cultivating an inclusive space for communities that have been displaced and marginalized. One way the station does this is by renting out the space for events, ranging from spoken these young folks who have never shown their artwork in public before come to us, almost always very nervous, and after interacting with others who are like them, leave with new ideas,” Earnest said.

The main Gallery ONYX location is in the Pacific Place mall downtown, and the second is in a new building on 23rd and Union, in the Art Noie venue. Either of these galleries are well worth checking out and a great way to explore the talents of emerging artists.