Art at Work Month Ends This Week!

It’s been a dazzling month for the visual, literary and performing arts in Tacoma – with 268 events presented by artists and art organizations, and thousands of Tacomans showing them the love! We’re coming down the homestretch this week, so it’s last call to get your fix of T-town’s best and brightest creatives, or to try your hand at self-expression.

From "Modblog" by Michiko Tanaka

Here are a few of this week’s highlights:

• Open Adult Ballet – Meet at the barre with the MLK Ballet. Wear what you want and stretch out with Tacoma’s ballet company. Nov. 28, 7:30-8:30pm, Urban Grace Church (3rd floor), 902 South Market St. Click here for info. Donations gladly accepted.

• Blast Off with Piano! – FREE group piano lesson for beginners at Chambers Music Studio. Nov. 28, 6-7pm. Manitou Community Center, 4806 S. 66th St., 253.566.8788.

• Baroque Christmas Concert Rehearsal – Experience the outstanding artistry of the Northwest Repertory Singers as they rehearse in preparation for their Baroque Christmas Concert including Bach’s Wachet Auf and selections from Handel’s Messiah! Nov. 28, 7-9:30pm, Mason United Methodist Church, 2710 N. Madison St., 360.271.8894. Info at www.nwrs.org. FREE.

• Business Nuts & Bolts for Artists – Should you be a sole proprietor or LLC? How do you file quarterlies? What are the benefits of a business license anyway? These questions and more answered by local artists and agency experts at this FREE session. Nov. 30, 7-8:30pm, Tacoma Art Place, 1116 S. 11th St., 253.238.1006. Details at www.tacomaartplace.org.

• Open Drawing Session – Bring your own materials and draw from a live model at this FREE 2-hr. session at Pacific Lutheran University (121st St. S. and 8th Ave. S.). Nov. 30, 6-8pm, Ingram Hall, Room 126. No formal instruction provided. Info at www.soac@plu.edu, 253.535.7150.

Check out the complete Art at Work calendar here. Thanks for making Tacoma’s premiere art event a success for the 10th straight year!

Knit Wit Strikes Tacoma

An anonymous valentine to literacy: yarn graffiti outside the main branch of the Tacoma Public Library.

A striking piece of public art is planted front and center outside the downtown Tacoma Public Library. The message “Long Live the Libraries” is knitted in white letters on a background of rose-colored yarn and wrapped around a 90-min. parking sign like a cozy sweater. This example of anonymous yarn graffiti certainly warmed our cockles at a time when independent booksellers are struggling to keep their doors open and the closure of a string of Borders bookstores has left gaping holes on the urban landscape. (Can everyone really afford to own a computer or a Kindle to download books or browse on Amazon, or does the closure of brick-and-mortar stores restrict information access to those who need it? Though we love our iPads and paper-free technology, the dwindling accessibility to concrete reading material has a whiff of the Dark Ages about it.)

Yes, we love our public library, its friendly and knowledgeable staff; the wonderful range of free services it provides (check out the teen StoryLab on the main floor – wow); the magnificent Northwest Room and Special Collections upstairs; the Handforth Gallery; its citywide bookclub, Tacoma Reads Together); and so much more. TPL headquarters is the most appropriate of places for a secretive visual artist to come spin an original yarn.

(To see urban artifacts by Agata Olek, who famously transformed the Wall St. bull with her clicking needles, click here.)

FREE Art at Work Booty Hits the Streets on November 3

Original booty by Art Chantry.

We were a little beside ourselves waiting to see the official 1oth anniversary Art at Work swag created by noted designer Art Chantry. Chantry is legend in these parts; his poster art was plastered all over Seattle during the glory days of punk rock, and later, grunge (he designed album covers for Hole and Nirvana). He is known for art that scratches the eyeballs and cerebral lobes with its rough graphics and text collaged together in unexpected, sometimes shocking combination. It’s art that announces itself with a scream, not a whisper. Currently, a retrospective of his work, Parkland is Burning, is on exhibit at Fulcrum Gallery through November 17.

Rock posters from "Parkland is Burning" at Fulcrum Gallery.

To celebrate Art at Work, Chantry took a different tack. He chose retro imagery, a local mantra (“You’ll Like Tacoma”) and a vintage palette to adorn keepsakes that bespeak an earlier chapter of T-town history. The objects possess a simple, gritty sweetness, much like our hometown. Our favorite is the “floaty pen,” in aqua or black, featuring a woman diver jackknifing into clear, vertical depths. But there’s more – refrigerator magnets, rub-on tattoos, keychains and posters – all featuring iconic images such as drive-in signs and diesel-wheezing trucks from Tacoma’s rough-and-ready past.

Don’t miss your chance to celebrate Art at Work’s 10th birthday with a free keepsake by Art Chantry. The artist’s work has graced the walls of the Seattle Art Museum, the Smithsonian, the Louvre, MoMA, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – wouldn’t you want it casually laying around your place? The swag will be available at the Art at Work Opening Party on November 3, 6-8:30p.m, at the Museum of Glass. Very limited quantities will also be available during the open-studio tour, November 5-6, at participating artists’ studios. Chantry will give an artist’s talk tonight, October 20, at 6p.m. at Fulcrum Gallery, in conjunction with his show, Parkland is Burning.

10 in 10: 2006 The Broadway Center Shines Anew

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Art at Work Month, our 10 in 10 series is spotlighting the best local people, ideas and events of the past decade.

Broadway Center Executive Director David Fischer

When the Broadway Center Board of Directors chose David Fischer as their new Executive Director, in 2006, Fischer took on a mandate to completely re-engineer the organization. And the results have been stellar: Under his team of revitalized staff, Board and volunteers, the Broadway Center has tripled its audience. It is the provider of Washington state’s largest, most dynamic arts education program, and its portfolio includes serving as manager of Tacoma’s Theater District and its historic anchor venues – the Pantages, the Rialto, and Theatre on the Square. The Broadway Center’s guiding vision has been “to lead and energize the renaissance of downtown Tacoma,” and to make the performing arts as accessible to the community as possible.

“[That focus] hasn’t wavered,” says Fischer, “to be relevant and meaningful to the broadest base of our community and make a difference to the social and economic fabric of Tacoma.” 

So impressive has been his leadership that this year the Tacoma Arts Commission created a new category of the AMOCAT Awards just to honor him; Fischer is the recipient of the first AMOCAT Arts Leadership Award.

The Pantages Theater

From the beginning, Fischer declared diversity and access to be the heart of the Broadway Center’s future. An important factor has been to achieve the difficult balance between bringing high-quality performances to town and offering “broad access to the community regardless of ticket price.” Though artist fees for Queen Latifah, Lyle Lovett, kd Lang and Buddy Guy demand that the intimate Pantages Theater ask for high ticket prices, a broader access was leveraged through a tiered pricing program ensuring that a minimum of 10% of every house be significantly reduced in price (usually 60% less than the top price).

In addition, the Broadway Center regularly offers many other programs at an average $22 per ticket. Access for the community is further enhanced by distributing free tickets. Since 2006, the Broadway Center has distributed, through its social service partnerships, more than 27,000 free tickets at a value of $1.1 million to those members of our community who could otherwise never afford to attend. 

Private philanthropy, individual donors and City government have all significantly increased their investments because of the Broadway Center’s authentic and earnest efforts to deliver on its promises.

10 in 10: 2001 The Birth of Tacoma’s Own Volcano

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Art at Work Month, our 10 in 10 series is spotlighting the best local people, ideas and events of the past decade.

T-town is their beat: Weekly Volcano publisher Ron Swarner and staff.

If Tacoma’s culture scene were a bar, it would be Cheers‘ dirty cousin (in a good way), the one that attracts all kinds (let’s be honest), and everybody knows your name. The bartender of that joint, the Buddha of Budweiser, the maestro of mixology making the tastiest, most unpredictable cocktails to keep the scene lubricated would be Ron Swarner, publisher of the Weekly Volcano.

The Volcano is a key player in the city’s cultural life with a weekly print and online readership of 160,000. When the alternative newspaper won a 2007 AMOCAT Award in recognition of its arts patronage, it was cited as “a kind of collective urban diary,” one featuring original voices, “spunky columnists, vivid profiles and sassy commentary on the culture scene.” Furthermore, “When readers climb between the [Volcano's] swanky covers, they find a waking dream of film, theatre, art, fashion, and the best music section in the South Sound as well as the area’s most comprehensive arts and music calendars.” We couldn’t have said it better.

“The first Weekly Volcano hit the streets on Nov. 1, 2001, with the cover story ‘Drive-by Shots,’ a look at local drive-through coffee joints,” recalls Swarner. “Back then, there weren’t many huts. Also, baristas kept their clothes on. It was 12 pages.”

Swarner earned his chops before starting the culture scene’s paper of record. “I’ve been publishing papers since 1985 when the Mac, Photoshop and VHS tapes came out. And I was writing video reviews and hand delivering a monthly, paginated, video newspaper to 100 Tacoma houses while finishing my Econ degree at the University of Washington. I laugh just thinking about it.” Journalism is in his blood – also that of his brother, Ken, who publishes the Ranger and Northwest Airlifter. Though they run the papers separately, technically, he says, they are co-publishers.

The 200th issue came out in 2005. Cover art by James Hume.

We had a few more questions for the veteran newsman.

Tacoma Arts: What do you wear to work?
Ron Swarner: I wear slacks, Robert Graham shirts and often vintage hats. I haven’t worn a tie since the late ’80s.

TA: Do you personally answer your e-mail?
RS: I do personally answer my e-mail – and text messages, social media messages and posted comments on our website and blog. I receive hundreds daily, but I try to get through them by the end of the day. However, my phone message center says 10 messages are in the queue. I’ve never been a huge phone person.

TA: Do you read other newspapers?
RS: I read The News Tribune every day. No one can match their coverage of local city and county news, politics and civic issues. I pick up the Seattle Weekly and Stranger most weeks. And often, the Sunday New York Times. Online, I read Crosscut, Westword, Slate and the Weekly Alibi.

10 in 10: 2005 The AMOCAT Awards

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Art at Work Month, our 10 in 10 series is spotlighting a decade’s worth of fabulous things about Tacoma.

Of the literally hundreds of art events we spotlight during Art at Work Month each November, the public ceremony honoring recipients of the annual AMOCAT Art Awards is one of the most anticipated. Established in 2005, the AMOCAT recognizes those in our community who provide distinctive contributions to the arts. The honorees come from many fields, and work hard to support and build Tacoma’s creative community by innovating in artistic excellence. AMOCAT award recipients are nominated and selected by the Tacoma Arts Commission.

There are three regular categories for recognition: Community Outreach by an Artist, Community Outreach by an Organization, and Arts Patron. Each exhibits vision, dedication, and action in building a lively arts community in Tacoma.

In 2011, the Tacoma Arts Commission created a special Arts Leadership award to recognize exceptional vision, dedication and leadership in the arts in Tacoma. The recipient of the inaugural award is David Fischer, Executive Director of the Broadway Center. In the category of Community Outreach by an Organization, D.A.S.H. – Dancing, Acting and Singing in Harmony took the prize. Stella Haioulani, CEO and founder of Free Ya Mind, Inc., was recognized for Community Outreach by an Artist. The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation was named this year’s Arts Patron. An article about these four outstanding community members, who will be honored publicly during Art at Work Month, is coming soon.

“[The AMOCAT] is important because it acknowledges ways in which the arts build community,” says City of Tacoma Arts Administrator, Amy McBride. “How individuals and organizations can go above and beyond the call of duty using the arts to their best end.

“Nominations are made by arts commissioners throughout the year as they notice something exceptional or of interest,” she says. “The AMOCAT is another way to acknowledge excellence and bring light to people who are contributing to both the arts and our community in a meaningful way.”

2010 AMOCAT award recipients
Click here to learn about the 2010 recipients

2009 AMOCAT award recipients
Click here to learn about the 2009 recipients

2008 AMOCAT award recipients
Click here to learn about the 2008 recipients

2007 AMOCAT award recipients
Click here to learn about the 2007 recipients  

2006 AMOCAT award recipients
Click here to learn about the 2006 recipients   

2005 AMOCAT award  recipients
Click here to learn about the 2005 recipients

Past 10 in 10 topics include:
10 in 10: The F.W. Woolworth Building
10 in 10: 2001 Tacoma Gets Smart (UW-Tacoma and SOTA)

Art Planning Rolls On for Prairie Line Trail

A scale model of Thoughtbarn's modular prairie grass concept.

“Temporary urban theater” was the catch phrase last week when Philadelphia urban planner Todd Bressi, and the Austin-based design team of Lucy Begg and Robert Gay (Thoughtbarn) returned to Tacoma to discuss stage two of the Prairie Line Trail (PLT) public art plan. At an informal meeting at the Rain City Café, Thoughtbarn introduced 3-D scale models of their proposed onsite installation. A real alligator’s head (i.e., a café napkin holder) glared at the preliminary concepts – modular islands of “prairie grass” made from recyclable materials. Seated around the unusual centerpieces were historic preservationists, City arts administrators, interested citizens, artists and University of Washington-Tacoma (UW-T) staff.

Riding the rails (left to right): Todd Bressi, Lucy Begg and Robert Gay

Funded in part by a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) planning grant, Thoughtbarn and Bressi are developing the art strategy for a proposed $5.83 million, half-mile legacy trail connecting historic districts centered around the downtown museum corridor and UW-T. Now that the public art plan is halfway complete, it’s time to identify opportunities and how to make them work, said Bressi. A demonstration project will be unveiled on the trail site Nov. 12, featuring six temporary art installations by Tacoma artists, in addition to a commissioned work by Thoughtbarn, that will be up for two to four weeks. The goal is to create art experiences, “even guerrilla art within a sanctioned framework,” that will draw attention to the historic route even before its construction begins. The planning team compares the temporary art works to “urban theater”; a way of adding a layer of excitement and anticipation to this major downtown project.

All of the local artists designing installations for the demo project are participants in PA:ID (Public Art In Depth), an intensive, multi-faceted program created by the City of Tacoma. Developed and facilitated by artist Elizabeth Conner, this powerful course is providing selected artists free training and detailed mentorship in how to apply for and advance through the process of creating public art projects. PA:ID participants are all artists who have attained a level of success in their profession, and were selected through an application process. The Prairie Line Trail opening exhibition is one of several projects of Metro Parks, Sound Transit and Artscapes that will be open exclusively to PA:ID participants in 2011 and 2012.

You’ll Like Tacoma Arts Month!

We’ve almost entered the fall season, and that means that Art at Work: Tacoma Arts Month is right around the corner! Our brochures and other materials have gone to the press, so be looking out for those in the next week or two. Have you been Liking Tacoma, with those snazzy little signs? If not, maybe this will inspire you:

A big thank you to local filmmaker Adam the Alien for making this awesome video for us!

So to ensure that you’re ready for Art at Work Month when it comes, keep on uploading those You’ll Like Tacoma photos that you’ve been taking! Click here to read more about the project or visit our Flickr and Facebook pages to look at what others have done (and to upload your own!). Don’t have a sign? Click here to download an 8.5″ x 11″ PDF or just make your own!