Damon Brown (’96 Fine Arts) worked with Starbucks on their fifth collection of the Starbucks Artist Collaboration. They created a line of drinkware pieces featuring Brown’s artwork that showcases the history and connection of Black voices and community in the United States.
This drinkware was released at the end of January 2024, just before Black History Month in February. Brown’s main goal for the collection was “for it not to feel that it’s one month only – but taking it farther and giving you something more artistic that can be enjoyed and celebrated beyond February – when it should be every day for us.”
Brown’s artwork for the Starbucks collection is stunning in its color and style. Many geometric shapes are used in the background of the pieces, which Brown explains are to “show community, I created them so that you feel represented, and you feel your place.”
The colors he chose represent “the classic color palette of red, black, and green that you may typically see represented in Black art or during Black History Month,” Brown explains, creating a greater connection between the art and history of Black Americans.
Damon Brown artwork for Starbucks cup (Courtesy Starbucks)
After his time at WSU, Brown returned home to Seattle, where he worked on various art pieces around the city, including a mural for Starbucks at First and Walker. He also had an artistic collaboration with Brooks, designing running shoes with similar geometric designs to celebrate the Black running community in the United States.