about

Onyx is the primary catalyst for elevating the presence of Pacific Northwest artists of the African diaspora throughout our region, nation, and the world.

Mission

Onyx Fine Arts Collective is a voluntary, non-profit organization whose mission is to educate, inspire, cultivate, and showcase the artwork of artists of the African diaspora from our Pacific Northwest community.

To accomplish our mission, we will:

Advocate for the exhibition, recognition, funding, promotion of artists of African descent in the PNW.
Build a community of PNW artists of African descent that is consciously placed in relationship with artist of African descent around the world.
Explore regional and national opportunities to showcase the work of Onyx Artists.
Celebrate the history and legacy of Pacific Northwest artist of African descent.
Become a resource for artists to grow and develop their skills, knowledge and experience.

President’s message

Hello Onyx Friends,

Our first art exhibit of the new year in Gallery Onyx opened January 30 and will end March 27. This exhibit, which also encompasses Black History Month, features 53 pieces of artwork by 30 artists. Already, this exhibit is receiving positive mention about the "color" apparently seen upon entering the gallery space. I invite everyone to witness this exhibit and be dazzled by the "color" and creativity presented by Onyx artists from our community.

Onyx's history now spans 20th years during which several significant milestones have been reached that are worthy of mention:

Onyx has been in operation continuously for 20 years.
Onyx is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
The Onyx list of artists has grown from 7 to over 800.
For 9 years, Onyx has operated a non-profit retail gallery (Gallery Onyx) downtown Seattle.
The number of artwork showcased through Onyx continues to increase.
Onyx released two visual art books that documented local artists and their artwork. Both books are memorialized in the Seattle Public Library.
A Documentary was filmed about Onyx by Seattle Channel 21, which was nominated for the Northwest Regional Emmy Award in the arts/entertainment category.
Onyx was given the “Commitment to Diversity” award by the African American Community Cultural & Educational Society during the Tri-Cities Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. The award recognized the success of Onyx in establishing an artistic presence for artists of African descent in the Pacific Northwest.

Onyx continues to receive validation that we are accomplishing our objective of improving communication through visual art. We encourage you to visit us often and show your support to our amazing visual art storytellers. Gallery Onyx is located downtown Seattle in the Pacific Place Shopping Center at 600 Pine Street, Seattle, WA.

Earnie Thomas, President

Board of directors