Midtown Square has a lot of history, when it comes to black culture. Yet, as it developed, it lost some of it, which is unacceptable. That is what Arté Noir is aiming to solve, as it is getting ready to launch a space for black art, artists and culture. It will be there as a reminder of the past, but also to set intentions for the future.
A New Building with a Vision
The location of Arté Noir will be inside a nearly completed apartment complex construction, in Midtown Square, Seattle. The art centre will be used as an anchor tenant, to set the tone and the vision of the building. Apartments are meant to be rented at market rate, but will also contain affordable ones, as well. In the long term, people renting will be able to buy their apartment. That is all part of the idea behind this new complex, which is to bring equality for all, in terms of buying power. The digital marketing is an important part of the development, for both the apartments as well as the art centre. Something that an online platform, such as 12Handz, can help with. When the message needs to be diffused, digital marketing solutions need to be put in place, and that’s what they did.
Moving from an Online Magazine to a Physical Home
The concept of Arté Noir was first launched as an online magazine in 2021. The goal, at the time, was to attract attention on the creators of the city. The objective remains unchanged, as they now move into a room that will belong to the world of art, the artists creating it and the community who will come to discover it. This structure will exist to generate revenues for black art and culture, said founder and editor-in-chief Vivian Phillips.
But the project almost never happened. In fact, for years, the art centre was being seen as a future… drugstore chain. Only a unique set of circumstances has enabled the developer to tap Phillips for this retail space. But now, the founder says that the message it is sending out is clear: Black culture is to remain a part of the fabric of the Central District and its community.
A Sense of Black Presence
The main issue that enabled the center to be inserted in the project, was that the black community and its culture was disappearing from the neighbourhood. Throughout the last decades, as in many downtown areas in America, blacks were moved away, unable to afford the cost of the rent, in the new buildings being built. Yet, it has been a territory they lived on, and where they created history, in many different ways.
This new space will celebrate black art. By doing so, it will create revenues that will come to sustain black artists. The business model was built in a way that 100% of the revenues generated from sales, in the retail shop, will go back to the artist. As for the sales from the art gallery, it will be somewhat different, in order for the centre to remain afloat and to be able to continue to pursue its goal of helping black culture to remain alive and well.
