BLACK TO MY ROOTS - Upcoming performance!

“if your hair was a song, what would it sing?”

CAM is honored to host two performances of the play Black to My Roots by Kathya Alexander and Reneschia Brown on August 26th and 27th at Common Objects.

Kathya Alexander is a playwright, actor, educator and author of the novel Keep A’Livin’ (Aunt Lute Books) who first presented the play in 1999. Black to My Roots is a celebration of Black women’s lived experiences told through the stories of their hair. The play highlights the joys, cultural lineage, and vital contributions of Black women alongside the struggles, injustices and continued need for conversation about enduring discrimination.

Kathya sat down for an interview with CAM member Whitney Bashaw to talk more about the play.

Witney Bashaw: Can you explain the premise of Black to My Roots? What’s the story?

Kathya Alexander: Black To My Roots is a choreopoem which means that it's a series of monologues strung together to create the play. It's all about African American women and our relationship with our hair, be it personal, political, emotional. It was written originally in 1999 and it actually came about because my co-writer Reneschia Brown was thinking about locing her hair at the time, and her grandmother just went crazy about it, saying “you can't do that, that’s awful.” Now she's a writer and started writing about the emotions that all this stuff was bringing up in her. And her brother, Tyrone Brown, who is the director and kind of the creative force behind Black To My Roots, thought this could be a play. Here we are 25 years later.

WB: How has your perspective on the work changed in the last 25 years? How has the world changed?

KA: There are a lot of things that are different since we did it in 1999, of course. What has stayed the same is the emotional impact of the show, for sure. The memories and the heartbreak it evokes. The happy memories that people talk about in the talkback, like, oh, I remember when my grandmother did exactly that same thing.

WB:. What do you want the audience to take away from it?

KA: Well. I think I'm kind of surprised very often by what individuals take from it. I'm an author, I'm a playwright, I'm a storyteller. I'm a teaching artist and everything that I do is to reflect African-American culture, for Black people to be seen, for our voices to be heard. And of course, as a writer, you want everybody to see your stuff, but I write particularly to the Black voice.

I really like to explore how Black culture affects America and how America has affected Black culture as well. So I think that Black To My Roots is kind of a perfect example of that.

Read the full interview here.

Black to My Roots will run July 26th, 7pm and July 27th, 3pm at Common Objects (2601 1st Ave)

GET TICKETS HERE!

Thank you Mike Hascall!
The CAM community extends its deep gratitude to artist Mike Hascall for his generosity in donating the proceeds from the art sold at his retrospective to our community. Mike’s show was a huge success and brought together Seattle artists across generations to celebrate the work and ongoing creativity of one of their own. Congratulations, Mike!

And thank you Jenne Patrick for transforming Mike’s instructional essay on his Artist Legacy Housecleaning process into a beautiful book that can be shared with others who are interested in moving their art out of storage and into the world in a meaningful way.

Become a CAM Member!

Are you interested in joining the CAM community? We’d love to have you! CAM membership gives you 24/7 access to our studios, priority for curating gallery shows, programs and classes, and the support of a warm and generous group of wildly creative people.

Check out our memberships here, and reach out if you’d like to learn more or tour the studio!

Dream Home Gallery Show: Ryan Lofftus

Dream home is a collection of prints and paintings made in the last six years by beloved CAM artist Ryan Lofftus. The work is mostly black and white with splashes of color. With a heavy focus on drypoint intaglio prints, Ryan explores themes of home, loss, self growth, and finding a place to exist.

The will be up at Common Area (2125 2nd Ave) until August 6th.

Congratulations, Ryan!

Common Objects Bookstore Pop Up

We’re opening an independent publisher’s bookstore at Common Objects, and we’re excited to announce that Ching-In Chen and Jenne Patrick are organizing a bookstore pop up in August. They are busily curating a collection of books, zines and ephemera which will be for sale for the duration of the popup. BonHomie Coffee will also be there, offering coffee to customers and giving the space that true PNW bookstore feel.

Pop Up Dates:

Opening Celebration! Sun 8/17, 10am-1pm
Wed 8/20, 4pm-7pm
Thu 8/21, 4pm-7pm
Fri 8/22, 4pm-7pm
Sat 8/23, 4pm-7pm
Wed 8/27, 4pm-7pm
Closing Celebration! Thu 8/28, 11am-1pm
Thu 8/28, 4pm-8pm

VOTE VOTE VOTE!

Have you voted yet? Primary election day is August 5th. Flex your civic muscles, fill in those bubbles, take a walk with a friend to a drop off box. Voting is cool!

Into Our Personal Weather: Nanya Jhingran Book Launch

Poet and scholar Nanya Jhingran’s debut poetry chapbook “Into Our Personal Weather” plays intimately with the boundaries of language and place, the naming of things and those moments when the naming fails. Join us in celebrating the launch of this heartbeat of a collection.

July 18 - 7:00pm - Common Objects (2601 1st Ave)

Lori Goldston, Mike Gamble and Tiny Vipers

Join Seattle musicians Lori Goldston, Mike Gamble, and Jesy Fortino of Tiny Vipers for live performances at Common OBJECTS.

July 19 - 7pm - Common Objects (2601 1st Ave)

Poetry Seance Wildflower Power Hour

The Poetry Séance Wildflower Power Hour features poets Courtney LeBlanc, Quenton Baker, Rhea Melina, Chris Kessler, Troy Osaki, and a collaboration between artist Esther Loopstra & cellist Elizabeth Byrd. Join us for an evening of artists exploring themes of freedom & joy ... in fraught times.

Curated by Emily J. Mundy.

All ticket sales support the artists directly; your generosity is so appreciated!

July 20 - 7pm - Common Objects (2601 1st Ave)

Ori Travel Magazine Issue Release Party

Come celebrate the release of Ori’s new issue with the photographers, writers, and community that brought it to life! On Thursday July 24, we’re going big at Common Area Maintenance with free drinks, music, gallery show, and live community art. Flip through the mag with friends and check out gallery work by Jess Barnard, Ryder Collins, Max Lowe, Steph Segarra and more!

Ori is a travel magazine that works with local voices around the world to tell their stories on a global scale. In addition to the good times, every dollar raised from this event goes to supporting these creators and their stories. As always, subscribers party for free, so get your mag early and save on entry.

This is the world like you’ve never seen it. This is travel, from the source.

https://ori-mag.com/

July 24 - 7pm - Common Objects

(2601 1st Ave)

Black to My Roots: African American Tales from the Head and the Heart

Join us for a night of powerful storytelling at Black To My Roots - African American American Tales from the Head and the Heart written by Kathya Alexander.

July 26 - 7pm - Common Objects

(2601 1st Ave)

July 27 - 3pm - Common Objects (2601 1st Ave)

Resurrections: An evening of prose, music, poetry & dance

Resurrections asks: How do we make meaning after loss? How do we renew, rebuild, and restore ourselves in a time of so much violence and grief? Join us on Sunday, July 27 at 7 pm for Resurrections, an evening of prose, music, poetry, and dance.

Poet and memoirist Jay Aquinas Thompson reads from their memoir, The Resurrection Appearances, an account of spirituality, new parenting, queerness, and meaning-making during a grief year. They’ll be joined by musicians Jody Galadriel Friend, K Van Petten, and Ryan Pale; dancer Danica Bito; and poets Quenton Baker, Eric Acosta, and Cass Donish.

July 27 - 7pm - Common Area (2125 2nd Ave)

Homeward Books Recs Party

Homeward Books — the youthful publishing venture run by Lara Elena Donnelly, Rachel Sobel, Rebekah White, and Huw Evans — is delighted to invited you to a party for books and the people who love to talk about them. We’re taking advantage of the Worldcon influx of book people; whether yuo’re a Worldcon attendee or a Seattle local, join us!

Bring a book (or two, or three) that you love to talk about, and a friend with a book of their own. Drop by for a few minutes or stay the whole time. We’ll have cake, wine, scintillating conversation, answers to all your questions about Homeward—and perhaps a special surprise! Please RSVP by August 10th; we don’t anticipate space constraints, but we need to figure out food for the masses!

August 14 - 6pm - Common Objects (2601 1st Ave)

Imaginary Birds Open Call

CAM is putting together a Common Objects show for spring 2026 called Imaginary Birds. Participating artists are invited to dream up an amazing bird (or collection of birds) and bring it to life with the medium of their choosing. Imaginary birds are encouraged (the more whimsical the better) but they can also be inspired by real-life birds. Accepted formats include sculpture, 2D art, and video. We are also open to performance or other mediums upon review.

Submissions close September 5th at noon.

SUBMIT HERE

Real Change Art Contest

There are so many ways to give mutual aid, just as there are countless ways you can support Real Change and vendors. For this reason, we’re excited to announce the Real Change Art Contest!

If you’d like to enter the contest for a chance to win a feature on the cover of Real Change, the contest will be open until July 23 at 9pm PT.

Submissions close July 23rd at 9pm

SUBMIT HERE

The Seventh Wave Community Anthologies

The folks at Seventh Wave are so thrilled to share excerpts from the incredible calls for submissions for this year’s five anthologies: On Separation, On Liminality, On Collapse, On Girlhood, and On Repetition.

Submissions close July 27th

SUBMIT HERE

The Fishbowl Call for Vendors

The Fishbowl is hosting a vendors market on Friday, August 1st to accompany the opening reception of Note to Self—and they’re looking for vendors to be part of it!

We invite makers, artists, and creatives who resonate with this month’s curated show. Whether you sell journals, poetry, prints, jewelry, comfort items, or heartfelt creations we have yet to imagine, we'd love to spotlight your offerings.

Submissions close July 26th

SUBMIT HERE

The True Butterfly Effect Open Call

Slip Gallery in Belltown is inviting local artists to submit work for The True Butterfly Effect, a vibrant, mixed-media exhibition exploring the profound impact of seemingly small actions. Inspired by the theory that a butterfly flapping its wings can set off a tornado halfway around the world, this show celebrates the ripple effect of our decisions, dreams, and creative voices.

Submissions close July 31st

SUBMIT HERE

ACES Gallery Participants

Are you a Washington-based artist of color? Apply to participate in the 2025 ACES Gallery! Deadline to apply is Friday, August 15, at midnight PDT. All selected artists are paid to participate. Follow the link in bio or visit shunpike.org/aces to apply and learn more!

This year, ACES Gallery will be a month-long experience featuring visual art and events at a soon-to-be-announced location in Seattle!

Submissions close August 15th

SUBMIT HERE

Mask-Related Art Work Open Call

Gagallery in Portland is accepting submissions of MASK RELATED ARTWORK for their October exhibition. These do not need to be wearable or traditional masks, they DO NOT need to be three dimensional. Please interpret the word "mask" as you see fit.

Submissions close July 31st

MORE DETAILS

Thanks to the Paul Allen Family Foundation, the Breneman Jaech Foundation, Artsfund, Trial and Error Productions, the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, 4Culture, and all of the individual donors who make it possible for CAM to exist. With your support we have been able to grow our community resources and keep building our new space Common OBJECTS.