Black Arts/West was Seattle's first Black theater and functioned as a three component program: theater, dance, and an art gallery displaying the work of local and national artists. Founded by Douglas Q. Barnett (1931-2019) in 1969, Black Arts/West evolved out of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. As a division of the Central Area Motivation Program (CAMP), an anti-poverty agency, it was charged with getting young people involved and learning the necessary skills to survive and flourish in society. Although the group disbanded in 1980, it was an integral part of a movement that created many of the region's professional and semi-professional arts organizations.
In March 1973, Black Arts/West produced the play "Black Girl" by J.E. Franklin. At the time, the organization was trying to raise $40,000 in donations in order to keep running in anticipation of funding cutbacks, and used attendance at the play to encourage donations. Here, Al Doggett and Regina Gore socialize at a gathering before the preview performance of "Black Girl." An artist, Al Doggett's works were displayed in the Black Arts/West gallery.
Al Doggett (b. 1939) had successful careers in both commercial art and fine art. Born in Brooklyn, he studied graphic design and art in New York City before moving to Seattle in 1967. He opened the Al Doggett Studio on 34th Ave in the Madrona neighborhood, where he provided illustration and commercial art services until 2017, and continued his fine arts practice. Among his many commissioned art projects, Doggett designed the murals for El Centro de la Raza and the Liberty Bank Building's affordable housing apartments, and painted portraits of Edwin T. Pratt, former director of the Seattle Urban League, and Stanley Ann Dunham, mother of Barack Obama. He also taught art classes for children and adults at several locations around Seattle.
Caption information source: "Black Girl Preview Seeks Lifeline for Black Theater" by Susan Paynter, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, March 25, 1973, p. C8 Caption information source: "Black Arts/West, Part 1, A History by Douglas Q. Barnett," by Douglas Q. Barnett, HistoryLink.org Essay 3921 Caption information source: https://www.biartmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Doggett-Al.pdf
