Born and raised in Washington, Takiyah Ward, artistically known as T-DUB Customs, is an artist with a style all her own. Her Seattle upbringing played a pivotal role in her creative self-expression — from ballet to tap, basketball to custom sneakers. During her high school years, Takiyah became extremely interested in clothing and sneaker customization. She began hand painting and airbrushing designs on her own clothes and those of her classmates, morphing her hobby into a successful business. Takiyah eventually left Seattle to study architecture at the New York Institute of Technology, where she honed her skills in technical drawing and design. Takiyah’s artistry reflects the generative blend of formal and self-taught skills that keep her creating across platforms and communities. Through T-DUB Customs, Takiyah hopes to be an outlet for all-artistically inclined or not — as it is her belief that our ability to ‘stay creative’ is humanity’s greatest asset.

Learn More

Friends of Waterfront Seattle, in partnership with the City of Seattle’s Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects, welcomes you to experience the multimedia experiences created through our 2020 Future Forward: Artist-In-Residence Program.

This project was led by our first-ever Artist In Residence, Takiyah Ward, who envisioned the waterfront as a backdrop to explore the notion, “What is the Truth?” With the conceptual framework of Past, Present, and Future, Takiyah gathered a community of multi-generational storytellers and artists from diverse communities to share their unique experiences and perspectives. We invite you to reflect on these prompts that Takiyah shared with the artists: remember, learn, discern, determine, imagine.