Tariqa Waters facts for kids

Tariqa Waters (born in 1980) is an amazing artist. She is known for her fun, giant art pieces. She also creates paintings, pictures of herself, and art setups you can walk through.

Waters uses many different materials in her art. These include canvas, wood, plastic, and glass. Her art has been shown in famous places. These include the Seattle Art Museum and the Frye Art Museum. Her work has also been featured in magazines like Rolling Stone France.

A piece from Tariqa Waters' 2019 NO series, shown with the Seattle Art Museum.

In 2016, Tariqa Waters had a popular art show. It was called 100% Kanekalon: The Untold Story of the Marginalized Matriarch. This show was at the Northwest African American Museum. In 2020, her exciting show Yellow No.5 opened at the Bellevue Arts Museum.

Her special art setup called Gum Baby opened in 2022. It was made of five rooms filled with blown glass. This amazing art was shown at the Museum of Museums. In the summer of 2023, her big art piece "4th Sunday" was shown. It appeared at the Seattle Art Fair and Art on Paper New York.

Tariqa Waters also started Martyr Sauce Pop Art Museum & Gallery. It is in Pioneer Square, a historic art area in Seattle. She works hard to create art spaces and build a community for artists. Waters has helped many art groups. In 2015, she helped start the Re:Definition gallery. This gallery is at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. It helps redefine historic cultural spaces.

In 2017, Martyr Sauce became a partner of the Seattle Art Fair. Tariqa Waters was also a main speaker there. In 2021, Waters made Martyr Sauce even bigger. It became MS PAM, a pop art museum. She works with other artists to create new art. These projects help people have fun and learn through art. In 2022, Waters started a new TV show. It is called "Thank you, MS PAM". This show is for all ages and airs on The Seattle Channel KCTS9 PBS.

Early Life and Learning

Tariqa Waters was born in Richmond, Virginia. She has lived in many different cities. These include Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Georgia, and Sicily. She moved to Seattle, Washington in 2012. Tariqa Waters learned art on her own. She did not go to a special art school.

Her Art Career

Waters opened Martyr Sauce in 2013. It was an art gallery run by an artist. It also became a cultural spot in the neighborhood. The gallery showed art by artists who were not often seen. In 2015, she started RE: DEFINITION with Jonathan Moore. This gallery was at the Paramount Theater bar. Its goal was also to show art by underrepresented artists. It also aimed to give new meaning to old cultural spaces.

While working at Martyr Sauce and RE:DEFINITION, Waters kept making her own art. Her solo show, 100% Kanekalon: The Untold Story of the Marginalized Matriarch, opened in 2016. It was at the Northwest African American Museum in Seattle.

Waters also organized an art show called Yellow Number 5. This show was at the Bellevue Arts Museum (BAM) in Bellevue, Washington. It was held in 2020 and 2021. Tariqa Waters was the first Black woman to be a curator at BAM. She worked to make sure the museum was fair to all artists.

In the summer of 2021, Waters made Martyr Sauce bigger. It became MS PAM, a pop art museum. In 2023, Tariqa Waters was named one of Seattle Magazine's Most Influential Artists.