The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) hosted Through the Eyes of Art Saturday night in celebration of Black History Month for the 10th year, with artists, community leaders, and tastemakers coming together to honor Black style.

Dumi Maraire, who performs under the stage name Draze, is an organizer of the event and spoke to the importance of celebrating its 10th anniversary. Draze is a Seattle-born and raised hip-hop artist turned community activist who grew up in the Central District with parents who immigrated from Zimbabwe.

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“My wife Ja’Net and our team, The Chosen Few, are blown away that we are still here 10 years later. Over the years, we have been diligent to not just cover trendy topics but to focus our themes around impact and where the community really is,” Draze said. “This year, we chose Black style because we wanted a topic that felt like a celebration more than a deep conversation.”

From contour attire to African fashions to streetwear, Black designers’ impact on fashion and culture has touched the world, and it is in this spirit that the event hosted the ‘Brilliance and Black Style Fashion Show.’ The show featured designs from six Black fashion designers making history in the Northwest.

The featured guest at the event was Kahlana Barfield Brown, a Seattleite and Garfield High School graduate who was previously an editor at Instyle Magazine and currently has a nationwide fashion line with Target.

“We could not think of anyone whose legacy embodies the essence of ‘Black Style’ to our region more than Kahlana Barfield Brown. She is a force in the industry, empowering women to embrace their personal sense of style,” Draze said. “The fact that she is a Garfield graduate coming home to share her story is going to be epic.”

Through the Eyes of Art also honored Steve Sneed with this year’s “Servant of the People Award.” As an artistic manager at places like Langston Hughes and the Seattle Center, Sneed has been a visionary, serving the Northwest’s artistic community for over 40 years.

“From the array of artists to the fashion show to the overall family reunion type of atmosphere, this year’s ‘Through The Eyes Of Art’ is going to be a dope Seattle experience,” Draze said.

 

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