Music and Family

Dave Lewis was a talented keyboardist and key player in the Pacific Northwest’s booming rhythm and blues scene of the 1950s and ’60s. Zoom forward to the 21st century, and The Black Tones, led by twins Eva and Cedric Walker, are a genre-busting rock band taking Seattle by storm.

Visual Arts and Vibrancy

On Union Street in Seattle’s historically Black Central District, two buildings speak to each other through proximity, history and art. On the north side is an affordable housing development with a facade designed by Al Doggett featuring a dancer, a saxophone player and a raised fist. Across the street is an apartment complex with a color-splashed exterior created by Seattle artist Barry Johnson, who says he drew inspiration from jazz and the rich palette of painter Jacob Lawrence. Both artists are using their skills to commemorate the history of Black art in Seattle, while at the same time making a permanent mark on the evolving cityscape.

Video games for a cure

University of Washington computer scientist Zoran Popovic wants to revolutionize the way people learn. He teamed up with biochemist David Baker to create a video game that enables tens of thousands of people to contribute to scientific research by folding three-dimensional protein configurations on their home computers. Users help advance how scientists understand and predict the structure of proteins that cause and advance diseases like cancer, HIV/AIDS and Alzheimer’s.