Vivian Phillips insists that arts and culture are part of her DNA, and she has the track record to prove it. For several decades, she has been a major promoter, consultant, and producer in the Seattle arts-and-culture scene, producing many, often exceptional, projects that have kept Black arts in the public eye. Her body of work has a special emphasis on generating exposure for artists of color and providing creative spaces and platforms to nurture their education and creativity. Some of the partners and collaborators Phillips has worked with are the Africa Contemporary Arts Consortium, the Seattle Theatre Group, Washington State Building for the Arts, Seattle Center Foundation, Seattle University College of Arts & Sciences, and Arts Corps. She also raised three children, Aundré Phillips, Jazmyn Scott, and Jené Scott. Phillips has been an on-air host on radio and an interviewer on television programs and has worked as an emcee and panel moderator. She continues her work today [2024] as the founder of ARTE NOIR and co-host of the podcast "Double Exposure."
Deep Seattle Roots
Vivian Phillips has deep roots in the Central District of Seattle. Over the years, the area has changed and evolved, bringing joyful memories and a nagging sadness to Phillips, who has seen the community transformed since her childhood. Although she sometimes considered moving out of state, in 2024 she was still living five blocks away from her childhood home and had resided in the same house for more than 30 years.
Arts and culture smote Phillips as a child. Her talent for singing and dancing was on full display at house parties, where her primary audience was relatives. Later, she participated in talent shows and on drill teams in middle and high school. So, it was no surprise to see her face years later on local television and hear her melodious voice on local radio.
When Phillips was growing up, the Central District was home to about 90 percent of the city's Black population, and home to about 70 percent of the Black population in 2000. Today, by some estimates, that number has shrunk to around 15 percent as a result of gentrification and displacement by large companies. Nevertheless, elements of Black artistry and history are sprinkled throughout the area, complemented by venues such as the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute and the Rainier Arts Center that are busy year-round with events.
An ebullient youngster, Phillips grew up with loving parents, one brother, and two step-brothers. Her parents, Alonzo and Delphia Phillips, migrated from segregated Little Rock, Arkansas, to Seattle in the early 1950s. Like many other Black people, the couple headed west for better job opportunities and to escape the stinging reality of Jim Crow racism. Delphia Phillips (1924-2006) worked in Pioneer Squre as a seamstress in a tiny shop that made leather jackets for motorcycle policemen. Later, she became a real estate agent. Alonzo (1921-1979) worked as a Pullman train porter and merchant seamen. Delphia lived in the same house at 25th and King Street in Seattle for 52 years until he death in 2006. Alonzo, a profound influence on his daughter's life, died in 1979 at age 58.
Phillips's family was small and close-knit. "My father had two sons [Herman and Carl] before he married my mom, and then my mom and dad had a son [Ulysses] and me together," she said. "So I had an older brother that I was very, very close to, that I grew up with. And with my two older brothers, one of them moved to Seattle in 1959. The other one was in and out of Seattle from time to time" (Phillips interview).
Well aware of the obstacles Black people faced in enjoying a wide variety of career options, Phillips's mom urged her daughter to pursue a traditional career path, suggesting a career as a secretary or flight attendant. Phillips had other, larger ideas. "I started playing clarinet in third grade," she recalled. "I played all the way to Garfield High School. I enjoyed the arts. I learned how to sew very early on, so I was really creative and liked to make clothes. There were always a lot of talent shows around the community, and I would always pull together a group, and we would go do some sort of dance routine" (Phillips interview). In her teens, she became focused on arts and entertainment, having been transfixed by the mix of voices, conversation, and music coming out of a transistor radio given to her by her father. "I loved listening to the radio, and I was always fascinated with it. I kept asking myself, 'Where are these voices coming from?' That's what really led me into radio. I decided that is what I want to do, work in radio" (Phillips interview).
Phillips fondly recalls interacting with kids from different racial backgrounds. The practice of redlining and racially restrictive covenants prohibited Black people from buying homes in white neighborhoods and created an invisible barrier surrounding them and other minorities in the 1950s and 1960s. Nevertheless, the Central District was a safe, warm community bubble where she attended Colman Elementary, Washington Middle School, and Garfield High School. It was the kind of neighborhood where adults could discipline other people's children, and children addressed grown-ups as "Mr.," "Miss," or "Mrs." It was the kind of place where parents didn't worry about their kids as long as they were home before dark. "We all knew each other. We all kind of looked out for each other," Phillps recalled. "I never experienced outright racism, but I understood very early that there were places where Black people were not allowed to live" (Phillips interview). As a child, Phillips spent time in the segregated Jim Crow South. "I think the difference between the Jim Crow South and non-Jim Crow Seattle was that Seattle did not have signage that said, 'whites only' or 'colored only,' but the attitudes were there" (Phillips interview).
Although far from a delinquent, Phillips was considered challenging by some of her teachers and was sometimes disruptive. She wound up attending Nova, an alternative high school across the street from Garfield. There she discovered a talent for making jewelry. Phillips also performed on drill teams, in local talent shows, and on community streets, eventually fronting a musical group as its lead singer. Her confidence grew from those experiences. Washington Junior High School and the Masonic Hall at 27th and Cherry Street were the locations of many youth talent shows.
On the Airwaves
For many Black teenagers growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, positive role models were cherished. Phillips benefited from the direction of several Black community leaders such as Peggy Maxie (1936-2024), the state's first Black woman legislator, and Sam Smith (1922-1995), Seattle's first Black city council member. These were role models who inspired the young Phillips to continue her journey, a trajectory that would enable her to make an impact on the community by producing arts-related programs. More important, her ears stayed glued to the radio, mainly KYAC, Seattle's first Black-owned station. At that station, owner Donald Dudley (1935-2022) and program and music director Frank P. Barrow (b. 1945) became sagacious advisors who shared their knowledge and gave her opportunities. At 19, Phillips got her radio-operator’s license and was a production assistant and eventually an engineer at KYAC and KJR.
Black radio connected the community much like barbershops, hair salons, and churches did for Black people in the 1960s and 1970s. The first Black radio station in Seattle was KZAM, on 24th and Union. KZAM became KYAC (1965-1981), located on 14th and Madison. During this live-radio era, disc jockeys played vinyl records, read the news, and connected with listeners in a personal way. The broadcast studios were used by a cadre of extroverted personalities, and the studio vibe was warm and cozy and gave the listener a feeling of being in someone's living room or at a backyard barbeque. "I was hired in 1972 to be the 'Dollar Scholar Lady'," Phillips said with a laugh. "I was the gift giver at all of those public events that KYAC used to do" (Phillips interview). Phillips worked at a handful of stations, honing her skills and making valuable contacts in the radio industry. Her journey included stops at KJR and KISW. Phillips married Robert L. Scott (1944-1998), Seattle's first Black disc jockey, in 1977. Scott was responsible for her getting on the air as an on-air host at the station as well.
Phillips laughed heartily when she recalled working at Safeway and other places in the community. She has the kind of disarming, infectious laugh that makes whoever she is talking to start laughing as well. "I did my show from Safeway on some occasions, but it was cool because it was like I’m in the window on 23rd Avenue. People can see you. They can connect with you. They come in the store. It was good for the store. It was good for the radio station" (Shelf Life Interview). Unfortunately for Phillips, syndicated programming, with rigid, pre-packaged formats, began taking over the airwaves and became a dominant presence in the 1980s. The result was the demise of community-minded radio. Nevertheless, having a clear direction, Phillips moved forward. Classes in design and journalism at Seattle Central College helped further refine her skills.
Life After Radio
Throughout the 1980s, Phillips's career continued to involve radio work, emceeing, public speaking, and arts consulting. She worked in public relations, on political campaigns, and on community outreach projects; she also was a volunteer at Langston Hughes Theatre for several years and served on its advisory council. Networking, Phillips realized early in life, was one of the keys to career advancement and opening doors for opportunities. By now, the savvy media professional had established a reputation for producing high-quality products and knowing how to engage the community.
Phillips joined Leadership Tomorrow, a leadership development organization in the Puget Sound region, in 1993. That association continues today. She was also raising her children, Aundré, Jazmyn, and Jené. Although she exposed all of her children to her world of drama, music and art, it was Jazmyn who was driven to follow her mom into the arts-and-culture field.
Not fearful of the political world, from 1998 to 2000 Phillips applied her skills as communication director for Mayor Paul Schell (1937-2014). She would deftly juggle multiple projects and jobs throughout her career.
Lights, Camera, Action
Although Seattle's Black population was only about 8 percent in the early 1990s, race and social justice issues were smoldering, sometimes controversial topics and were the focus of "True Colors," a lively talk show Phillips co-hosted on KOMO TV and KCTS. By then, the seasoned broadcast journalist had interviewed noted personalities such as basketball icon Magic Johnson, entertainer Harry Belafonte, and women’s rights activist Gloria Steinem. Phillps received Silver and Bronze Telly Awards, and Outstanding Contribution Awards from the Public Relations Society of America and United Way.
In 1992, the restoration of the historic Paramount Theatre, built in 1928, was on Phillips's radar screen. She jumped in and served as Director of Marketing and Communications, helping to increase attendance at several events.
Telling accurate stories about Black history through Black people's perspectives is imperative in live theater. In 2003, Phillips shook Seattle theater audiences by bringing the soul-stirring re-enactment of the African slave trade, Sankofa Theater: A Maafa Experience, to the Moore Theatre. This powerful production featured poetry, dance, and drama and a local cast of 75 people. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive, and the show continues to run in theaters across the country. "Sankofa" is an Adinkra term for a birdlike symbol that is drawn flying forward but with its head turned backward. It represents the idea of going back to reclaim one's past in order to move forward. "Maafa" is Ki-Swahili for "catastrophe" or "great calamity."
Getting appropriate funding and effective marketing are fundamental to producing successful theater. Phillips and director Justin Emeka Phillips worked hard to secure funding from government, church, and individual contributions to stage the production. Sponsors also included US Bank, Boeing, King County, the City of Seattle, and KeyBank.
Looking to the past to appreciate works by Black playwrights also motivated Phillips to co-found The Hansberry Project with arts professional Valerie Curtis Newton (b. 1958) in 2005. Hansberry (1934-1965) was a celebrated African American playwright who wrote A Raisin in the Sun and died of pancreatic cancer at age 34. Still thriving today, the Hansberry Project began producing, supporting, and developing Black theater and voices in 2006. The project has supported artists in varying career levels through mentorships, theater labs, and community outreach that centers on the artistic process. The Hansberry Project originated as a partnership with ACT Theatre, a historically white-led major regional theater. Phillips has a keen ability to collaborate and be persuasive when working with traditional, predominantly white organizations and motivate them to support her endeavors.
Given her abilities, it was fitting that Phillips taught Persuasive Communications in the MFA Arts Leadership program as an adjunct professor at Seattle University from 2009-2012.
Phillips shared her wisdom and was a guiding force for the Seattle Arts Commission (now the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture) beginning in 2015. She served six years, the last three as chair. During this time, Phillips continued to be a sought-after emcee, producer, interviewer, and facilitator for numerous videos, and television projects, programs, and events. Organizations employing her included the Seattle Choral Company, Snoqualmie Railway Museum, the Alaska Yukon Pacific Centennial: Model T Endurance Run, Seattle Jewish Film Festival, the Museum of History and Industry, and Pratt Fine Arts.
Another enjoyable job was working as the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Seattle Theatre Group from 2011-2017. Phillips managed all marketing and communications activities for the Paramount, Moore, and Neptune theaters. These busy venues combined to produce several hundred shows per year. In addition, she was executive director of the organization's video media channel STGtv from 2013-2017.
No Signs of Slowing
Phillips beams when discussing ARTE NOIR @ Midtown Square, located at 23rd and Union, which she founded in May 2021. The project's birth was inspired by Phillips's decades of experience working with local, national, and international arts organizations, artists, and students of the arts and trips to Africa. Daughter Jazmyn Scott is ARTE NOIR's executive director.
Phillips is also proud of the online monthly publication ARTE NOIR, which is dedicated to exploring art, culture, and its creators, with special attention given to the African Diaspora. Midtown Square has 432 mixed-income apartments, 28,000 square feet of commercial retail space, and an 18,000-square-foot Public Square, which includes one of the largest privately run public arts projects in the region, that features local artists of color.
Even amid the swirl of activities, Phillips keeps her interviewing skills finely tuned as the co-host of the podcast "Double Exposure" with former KUOW broadcaster Marcie Sillman. The purpose of the interview program is to engage in meaningful conversation with guests about a myriad of topics related to culture.
