ROOTED AND RISING

Rooted & Rising: Stories from the African American Archive

Hosted by Vivid Matter Collective
Curated by Imani Sims
Powered by Seattle Public Library

Project Overview

Rooted & Rising is a new cultural initiative by Vivid Matter Collective upon invitation by the
Seattle Public Library's Douglass-Truth Branch in collaboration with local artists and community
leaders. Centered around the largest African American Collection on the West Coast, this
project reintroduces the public to the richness of Black history housed right in their own city.
Through a curated exhibition and two interactive public programs, Rooted & Rising invites
audiences to engage directly with archival material, explore under-told stories, and imagine
Black futures.
At its core, Rooted & Rising transforms the archive from a quiet repository into a space of active
participation, creative exploration, and community ritual. This summer, Seattle residents will
have the opportunity to connect past to present, memory to imagination, and personal reflection
to collective legacy.

Exhibit Description

The Rooted & Rising exhibition is curated by local interdisciplinary artist Imani Sims, who brings
a deeply personal and innovative lens to the Douglass-Truth Branch's African American
Collection. The exhibit features a selection of powerful archival materials—letters, photos,
newspaper clippings, and historical documents—that capture the depth and diversity of Black
life in the Pacific Northwest.
In conjunction with the exhibit, the artist will lead a two-part workshop series where participants
explore the curated collection, select a resonant Black story, and use tarot as a tool for guided
reflection and imaginative writing. This unique process encourages participants to dream
forward—to use the past as fuel for envisioning liberatory futures.
The series will culminate in a live public performance, transforming archival memory into
communal ritual and creative action. This immersive experience invites all participants—viewers
and storytellers alike—to see themselves as part of the historical continuum and active
co-authors of what's next.

Artist Bio

Wonder is Imani’s specialty and draws inspiration from the cosmos to integrate art, ritual, and
the Black aesthetic into experiences tailored for QTBIPOC communities. Their shelves overflow
with books delving into Afrofuturist realms, and their tarot deck, The Deck of NONE, embodies
their deep connection to the genre. Imani’s work is a world within a world. Imani's work as an
installation artist, poet, and ritualist lives at the
intersection of Afrofuturism, community engagement, and cultural preservation. They use tarot,
immersive performance, and speculative storytelling to activate Black memory and reimagine
futures in which we are seen, safe, and celebrated. Projects like Kitchen Sessions (2015–
2019), created in partnership with the Seattle Art Museum, Bellevue Arts Museum, and Central
District Forum for Arts & Ideas, centered intergenerational storytelling through performance by
and for the Black community. Imani brings this same commitment to Rooted & Rising: to
amplify the archive through collaboration and to co-create programming that uplifts and
activates this vital history.

Org Bio

Vivid Matter Collective (VMC) is a Seattle-based arts collective rooted in community, cultural
storytelling, and the amplification of Black and Brown voices. Formed in 2020 in response to the
uprisings for racial justice, VMC first gained recognition for the powerful Black Lives Matter
mural created in the heart of Capitol Hill. Since that catalytic moment, the collective has grown
into a leading force for public and private art commissions across Seattle.
Over the past five years, VMC has curated thought-provoking exhibitions, developed artist-led
programming, and created opportunities that challenge dominant narratives in the arts. Our
work spans murals, installations, performances, and community engagements—all designed to
reflect the lived experiences, aspirations, and creativity of historically excluded communities.
VMC exists to imagine new possibilities for the future of art—where equity, representation, and
cultural agency are at the center.