New Exhibition Revisits Historic Black Theater in Seattle

Black Arts West Returns to the Spotlight

Seattle, WA – ARTS at King Street Station opens Black Arts/West Theater: A Legacy Illuminated this First Thursday, Aug. 6. Curated by Esther Ervin, this exhibition was created by a generation of actors whose work helped shape Seattle’s theater scene in the 1970s.

“King Street Station served as a vital gateway for many Black Southerners who came to Seattle during the Great Migration,” said Ervin. “This movement of countless families shaped Seattle’s Black neighborhoods and laid the foundation for a vibrant artistic and cultural community. Opening the Black Arts West exhibition at King Street Station brings that history full circle. The station is more than a historic landmark—it is a powerful symbol of arrival, resilience, memory, and the enduring contributions of Black artists across generations.”

The exhibition revisits a period of experimentation, collaboration, and artistic risk. “During its time, Black Arts/West was a powerful voice for Black theater in the region,” said Amy Nguyen, director of the Office of Arts & Culture. “It drew on the rich tradition of Black theater that came before it. Telling the story of this company for audiences today reminds us how essential theater and the arts are for giving voice to community.”

Also on view through Aug. 8 is the 2025 SDOT Bridge Artists in Residence Showcase for animation and Ancestral Future: Taíno Archives by Gabriel-Bello Díaz. Out on the plaza, there’ll be a live concert by The Joe Brazil Legacy Band and a Mobile Zine and Book Fair by Common Area Maintenance.

ARTS at King Street Station is open Wednesday – Saturday, 11 AM-5 PM, and until 8 PM on Thursdays in 2026. We are located at 303 S Jackson St, Top Floor, Seattle, WA 98104.

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About ARTS at King Street Station

ARTS at King Street Station is a dynamic space for arts and culture in the heart of the city dedicated to increasing opportunities for people of color to generate and present their work. Housed above Seattle’s historic King Street Station, this 7,500-square-foot gallery and cultural space includes a studio for artists-in-residence and offices for the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.

Exhibitions and programs come to the gallery through an open application and are selected by a cohort of King Street Station Advisors. These advisors are a group of community leaders and arts/culture enthusiasts who work with our staff to ensure that the programming at ARTS at King Street Station centers racial equity, represents and welcomes diverse communities, and showcases many creative disciplines. Advisors serve a two-year term.

About the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture

Formed in 1971 with a mission to activate and sustain Seattle through arts and culture, the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (OAC) manages the City’s public art program, cultural partnerships grant programs, The Creative Advantage arts education initiative, and cultural facilities such as the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute and ARTS at King Street Station.

In alignment with the City’s Race and Social Justice Initiative, OAC seeks new solutions that use arts as a strategy to drive not only our office, but the City as a whole toward racial equity and social justice. OAC will continue to break barriers and build arts-integrated tools that challenge the status quo and push us toward the inclusive society we envision.

OAC is supported by the 16-member Seattle Arts Commission, citizen volunteers appointed by the Mayor and City Council.