Indie Music in an 1891 Landmark Church, Tonight!

Indie music fans may flock to Tacoma’s Immanuel Presbyterian Church tonight for a powerhouse concert featuring The Maldives, Pearly Gate Music and Pickwick. The event is Cathedrals Tacoma: Part One, the first of a series of concerts presented by the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts and Camp 6. Cathedrals is a collaborative project developed by Spaceworks Tacoma artist-in-residence, Aaron Stevens; and Nathan Marion, Director of Fremont Abbey Arts Center in Seattle, who first launched the shows in Seattle. Stevens leads the band Goldfinch; Marion is creator of the experimental musical series The Round, which brings together musicians, visual artists and slam poets onstage. For the initial concert, Stevens and Marion chose Immanuel Presbyterian Church, a Tacoma landmark since 1891.

Here’s what’s in store:
Pearly Gate Music. Zach Tillman writes vivid lyrics and music that conjure the spirit of a punk rock religious revival in an old-time prairie tent, sometimes stripped down to spare acoustic guitar and lovely-croon.
The Maldives are a country meets rock ‘n’ roll band with a shot of blues, soul and folk. They bring a mix of fiddle, pedal steel, banjo, and accordion to stage. Their songs are about dead relatives, broken promises, bad choices and worse hangovers.
Pickwick started in 2008 with Galen Disston and Matt Emmett, who were later joined by Cassady Lillstrom, Kory Kruckenberg, and Garrett and Michael Parker. Originally an alt-country group, the band was raised on the rhythm sections of indie rock staples, but a new direction led the members of the band to dive deep into the catalogs of the Stax and Motown labels and successfully combine the two.

Stevens has been hired fulltime by the Broadway Center to run the new project. For tonight’s event, “We are bringing in our lead sound guy from Broadway Center to take care of the musicians,” he told the Weekly Volcano. “We’ll be running the door, have our ushers from the Broadway Center concessions, the whole deal.”

As a venue, Immanuel Presbyterian promises excellent acoustics, and it is a fantastic choice to launch a series dedicated to “presenting music in amazing spaces.” The church is no newcomer to hosting a diversity of artistic expression; according to its website, “Marimbas, poetry, world music, traditional hymns, the blues, visual arts and film are some of the creative expressions that are aspects of worship” there. It is a California Mission-style church; in 1909, the Tacoma Daily Ledger declared that the church’s “main auditorium is architecturally the most beautiful in Tacoma.” Check out the scene tonight, at 7!

Cathedrals Tacoma: Part One at Immanuel Presbyterian Church, 901 N. J St., Tacoma. Tickets, $16. Info: 253.591.5890.

Groove with the TCC Jazz Band Tonight at 8pm – FREE

Take it down a notch with the Jazz Band at Tacoma Community College! Guest Eric Stevens will lead a 20-piece ensemble whose cool artistry will ease you into the long weekend. The concert is FREE tonight at 8 pm in the TCC Building 2 auditorium. Address: 6501 S. 19th Street in Tacoma (Building 2 is on the 12th St. side of campus).

Teaware from the Edge Workshops at TCC, 3/31-4/1

Vessel by Jeff Shapiro. Photo courtesy of Rick Mahaffey

The Gallery at TCC is celebrating The 46th Annual Conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) coming to Seattle this month!

NCECA, the largest expo of contemporary ceramics in the US, is being held at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle from March 28 through March 31, 2012. In conjunction with this event, clay artists Rick Mahaffey and Rob Fornell are hosting Teaware from the Edge, a teabowl/chawan making workshop and exhibition at Tacoma Community College (TCC). Presenters include Osamu Inayoshi, Jeff Shapiro, Richard Milgrim and Rob Fornell. Internationally recognized artists all, they will demonstrate their unique approaches to making teabowls/chawan, as well as share their insights into the evolution of their work in what will certainly be an event unlike anything held before in the Pacific Northwest. The four artists’ work runs from the gamut from being slightly removed from the mainstream of contemporary teaware to being on the very edge of the genre.

The exhibition at the Gallery at TCC runs March 26-30, 2012 and admission is FREE. Opening reception is March 27, 3-6 pm. Gallery hours: Monday – Friday, 10 am-5pm; take the entrance just off S. 12th St. between Pearl and Mildred streets. Info at 253.460.4306. The workshops at TCC will be held on Saturday, March 31, 2-8 pm; and Sunday, April 1, 10 am – 4 pm. Registration: $190. For information or to register, contact Rick Mahaffey at 253.566.5260 or rmahaffey@tacomacc.edu. Teaware from the Edge, Tacoma Community College – Bldg. 5, 6501 S. 19th St. in Tacoma.

Watch your mouth, sister! Divas at Tacoma Opera

March 30 is opening night for the Tacoma Opera (TO) production of La Bohème. In this production, Giacomo Puccini’s drama about a group of struggling young artists (bohemians, get it?) in 19th-century Paris time-travels to post-WWII Paris in 1947. Peter Serko is a Tacoma photographer documenting the dress rehearsals and behind-the-scenes activity of the opera company, established in 1968. We caught him in between projects to talk about opera in Tacoma, why he is obsessed with it…and why others are saying, bravo, too.

TACOMA ARTS: Hi Peter. La Bohème is opening March 30 at Tacoma Opera. What are you going to wear?
PETER SERKO: [The dress code] runs the gamut here in the Northwest. Some folks really like to dress up, yet Northwest casual is perfectly acceptable. I keep threatening to get a tux but I have never really looked good in a cummerbund. If I am going to opening night I like to at least wear a sport coat and tie. I think the dress-up thing is kind of fun and makes the evening different from a trip to the movies.
TA: I think REI has a Gore-Tex tuxedo…It will be news to some people that Tacoma has its own opera. When did you start photographing the opera company? Tell us a little about your project.
SERKO: I started photographing rehearsals during the 2008-09 season….It is an amazing thing to watch [an opera] unfold in a very short time. My efforts are not all together altruistic; I get to see what few opera fans ever see, it is a real treat. I have been at it long enough that the singers and staff don’t notice me and I just move freely around in rehearsals and backstage when we get in the theater. I’m just part of the scenery; that is the way I like it.

Trouble In Tahiti, Tacoma Opera. Photo: Peter Serko

TA: Kind of like a wildlife photographer – a bush that moves from place to place. Many people have never been to the opera. Some consider it fusty or a bit fancy. Is it possible to go from Ding Dongs to tiramisu, musically speaking? Does opera have something for everybody?
SERKO: Opera has been around for over 400 years. It is one of the oldest western musical forms. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was the major form of entertainment: it was the “March Madness”, Dancing With The Stars, and American Idol of  its day. Performances were raucous events with vendors selling food and merchandise during the performance like we see at baseball games today. It was entertainment for the masses. [Present-day] opera is not a cheap night out but the timeless stories it tells are for everyone. Anyone who loves to hear the music of the great musical geniuses of their age sung by talented artists will enjoy opera. Tacoma Opera doesn’t do lavish productions but the singing is always first-rate.
TA: What if the libretto, or text of the work, is in another language?
SERKO: With the advent of [projected] supratitles in English, above the stage, the issue of language is not a problem.
TA: You were a family therapist for a number of years; what blanket statement would you make about the melodramatic plots and the relationships between characters in opera?
SERKO: Lots of pathology for sure. Only in opera can two people meet one minute, propose marriage in the next measure, only to find out in the next act that they are really brother and sister. It is twisted. In opera you need to suspend belief. Everything is over the top, bigger than life, and that is what makes it so enjoyable.

Tacoma City Ballet FREE Talk & Dance Preview, March 23

Tacoma City Ballet rehearses at the Merlino Arts Center. Photo: Connie Riggio

Unbeknownst to many Tacomans, up above the Grand Cinema in the Theater District is another world composed of art studios and a grand ballroom – this is where the Tacoma City Ballet (TBC) rehearses its magic. TCB will be hosting a Preview and Choreographer’s Talk Friday, March 23^rd at 7:30 pm in the Jan Collum Ballroom of the Merlino Arts Center.  This event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited to the first 50 reservations.  Click here to reserve your space now.

Join Tacoma City Ballet’s dancers and artistic staff to learn more about their upcoming production, Spring Dance Extravaganza. This FREE, hour-long dance preview will be hosted by TCB’s artistic director and choreographers and will feature excerpts from their upcoming performance.  This preview is a unique opportunity to learn more about what goes into creating original ballets while catching a glimpse of these new choreographic works. TCB dancers will be in attendance to demonstrate during each choreographer’s talk and to perform excerpts from the pieces. Tacoma City Ballet, Merlino Arts Center, 508 6th Ave. in Tacoma. Contact: Leah Taff, Administrator, at 253.272.4219; or Melissa@TacomaCityBallet.com

Applications Open for One-Time API Grant

The Washington State Arts Commission with the support of The Wallace Foundation, is pleased to announce a new, one-time initiative to stimulate innovative practices in building arts participation. The Arts Participation Innovations grants will provide up to $30,000 for the design and implementation of innovative projects that build on key concepts of the Arts Participation Leadership Initiative (APLI): building arts participation especially among young and/or culturally diverse participants, and expanding access to the arts through new technology.

These projects must take place between June 1 and December 31, 2012. Deadline for the application form is April 16. Applicant organizations must be located in King or Pierce Counties with preference given to Seattle projects, as this is the APLI primary geographic area. Please find attached the guidelines and application form for the Innovations grant. For further information, contact Mayumi Tsutakawa, program manager, at mayumi.tsutakawa@arts.wa.gov or 360.586.0424.

Arts-Participation-Application-2012
APLI FINAL Guidelines Innovations (3 15 12)

Get Creative: It’s Time to Festivate!

When it comes to festivals, farmers’ markets and grassroots fairs, the South Sound has more than you can shake a stick at! Here’s the first batch of artist vendor opportunities for summer festivals – we’ll list others as they are announced.

PACIFIC AVENUE STREET FAIR, June 10, 2012. Artists, performers, food vendors and craftspeople may apply for this one-day celebration that attracted several thousand people last year! Good chow, music and stage entertainment, plus a classic car show are all part of the mix. Details at www.pacificavenuebusinessdistrict.com; click on Street Fair for the vendor application.

PROCTOR ARTS FEST, August 4, 2012. Attention, artists and craftspeople: approximately 9,000 visitors chilled at this popular North End event last year! Opportunities include live music and stage performances, a juried art show, the Proctor sidewalk sale, and the Proctor Farmers’ Market. Vendor application at www.proctorartsfest.com. Or, enter the Proctor Arts Fest 4th Annual Poster Contest with a $300 first prize. Artists who reside in Pierce County are invited to enter one original artwork that captures the energy of a summer arts festival in any medium except photography or computer-generated art. Entries should not feature specific Proctor businesses or logos in their design. In addition to a $300 grand prize, second and third place winners will have the option of displaying their artwork in selected Proctor businesses during Arts Fest. The winning entry will be photographed with graphic design provided by Proctor Arts Fest. Deadline is April 20, 2012. Send your entry (by CD only) to: Proctor District Association, Proctor Arts Fest Poster Contest, P.O.Box 7291, Tacoma, WA 98417. Include name, telephone number, e-mail address, and a brief resumé. There is no fee for entering this contest but your CD will not be returned (do not send original artwork). Information: Bonnie at cargol@harbornet.com.

STAR Center Photo Contest: Focus on South Tacoma

The finishing touches are being put on the new South Tacoma Activity and Recreation (STAR) Center opening May 19, and Metro Parks’ photo contest could put your photos on the walls. The STAR Center is a state-of-the-art, 32,000 square foot complex designed by Miller Hull Architects in Seattle. This $16 million, regional recreational showcase is part of a 75-acre community complex shared by Metro Parks Tacoma in partnership with Gray Middle School and the Boys and Girls Club. The eco-designed Star Center offers a music/yoga/dance studio, a teaching kitchen, fitness rooms, a dynamic indoor/outdoor children’s playground and a rental hall. The urban campus will welcome people of all ages and abilities to connect, explore, stay active and have fun. The top 3 photographic entries will be professionally matted and framed for exhibition at the grand opening of the STAR Center! The winning photographers will also be awarded prizes.

"Ole 99," a sculpture by Fritz Church. Photo: Dave Davison

Unfamiliar with South Tacoma? Cruise the area between S. 38th and S. 70th on S. Tacoma Way to find interesting historic sites and public art (the official boundaries of South Tacoma are Center St., I-5, 80th St. and Orchard St.). This gutsy neighborhood has muscle-car showrooms, fascinating 19th-century cemeteries (many of the city’s founders are buried here) and traces of the industrial and railroad shops the area is known for. Artist Mary Mann‘s bucolic 1998 mural in the back lot of the Heritage Bank at S. 47th and S. Tacoma Way looks as fresh as the day it was finished, and it remains one of the best examples of mural painting in the whole city. A very old railroad trestle at 66th and Adams serves as an impromptu memorial canvas, and it is periodically painted with artful tributes to community members who have passed. Also at S. 47th and S. Tacoma Way is Fritz Church‘s sculpture, Ole 99, a wonderfully rangy, life-size horse made of iron – a clever reference to the “iron horse” locomotives that rolled through South Tacoma a century ago. There’s lots of material here – good luck!