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Sarah Gilbert in the Museum of Glass hot shop. Photo provided by artist.

What do Rochester, NY and Tacoma, WA have in common? Sarah Gilbert has called both places home, and wants to show local citizens what she finds fascinatingly similar about these two gritty cities. It started out as an interest in historical figures that the cities have in common, but grew into a much more personal project. She is interviewing friends and family about their idea of ‘home’ to help develop her new series.

Gilbert is a glassblower and engraver, using her glass as a canvas to illustrate narratives about family in Rochester and friends from Tacoma. Her new series uses a process similar to creating cameos, where the surface is carved away to show contrasting colors below. What makes her work remarkable is not just the practical challenge of using this technique large scale, but also the narrative element. This series includes landscapes or ‘postcards’ from both cities, and portraits of over a dozen friends and family members.

Come and check out some remarkable new glass work, and at the same time get a glimpse into the personal word of a bi-coastal artist.

What: 3000 Miles from Home – an exhibit of cameo engraved blown glass pieces that explore the concept of ‘home’ using  historic and contemporary people and places from Rochester, NY, where Gilbert was born and raised, and Tacoma, WA, where she currently lives.
Where: Kittredge Gallery, University of Puget Sound, N. 15^th & N. Lawrence Street.
When: Exhibit will open around August 22, 2014
Cost: Free
Meet Sarah:

The Tacoma Arts Commission is proud to support Sarah Gilbert’s work through the Tacoma Artists Initiative Program.

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Traci Kelly moved to Tacoma in 2004 and joined the Tacoma Arts Commission shortly after. Her degree is in sculpture, but she appreciates the range of arts the City of Destiny has to offer.

Tacoma’s own ‘artTown’ TV show launches today

We’re proud to announce the launch of ‘artTown,’ a new TV series showcasing Tacoma’s creative community.

The City of Tacoma’s Media and Communications Office – in partnership with its Community and Economic Development Department’s Arts Program – announces the launch of “artTown,” a cultural documentary-style TV initiative exploring Tacoma’s emergence as a major creative hub in the Pacific Northwest. The quarterly series offers segments featuring diverse perspectives on a variety of creative disciplines. The show launches today – you can view anytime online or watch tonight at 8 p.m. on TV Tacoma.

“In developing the concept for ‘artTown,’ we wanted to offer a more holistic look at creativity in Tacoma,” said Tacoma Arts Administrator Amy McBride. “In addition to what people traditionally think of as ‘creative,’ such as fine art, music or dance, we also plan to spotlight other creative areas of interest that have really flourished in our city like food, fashion, innovative education practices, architecture and more. You’ll see some of that in this first episode.”

The inaugural episode features:

music composed by local artist Isaac Solverson
J.D. Elquist and Travis Pranger from Feather and Oar
Pacific Avenue Streetscape artists Elizabeth Conner and Daniel Martin
graphic designer Art Chantry and letterpress artist Lance Kagey of Beautiful Angle
Metro Parks historian Melissa McGinnis
Tacoma School of the Arts instructors Robin Jaecklein and Kareem Kandi
Arts EnviroChallenger teaching artist Meredith Essex
illustrator and designer Sean Alexander
glass artist Sarah Gilbert
dance choreographer Carla Barragan
jazz musician Kareem Kandi
Old Town Dock public artist Chandler O’Leary
and much more….

Online viewing:

Watch “artTown” anytime on the City of Tacoma’s website.

TV Tacoma air times:

Mondays at noon
Tuesdays at 1 a.m.
Wednesdays at 8 a.m.
Thursdays at 6 p.m.
Fridays at 8 p.m.
Saturdays at 6 p.m.
Sundays at 5 a.m.

TV Tacoma is aired on both the Click! and Comcast Cable systems. On Click!, TV Tacoma can be seen on Channel 12 within Tacoma City limits and in Pierce County, with the exception of University Place, where TV Tacoma can be found on Channel 21. On Comcast, TV Tacoma can be seen on Channel 12 within Tacoma city limits and on Channel 21 in Pierce County. TV Tacoma is not on the Comcast system in University Place, but is accessible anywhere on the Internet at tvtacoma.com.

It will also be available through Click! ON Demand’s TV Tacoma and TacomaArt & Culture menu listings.

Future episodes will be produced in part based on some of the audience feedback culled via social media, email at mco@cityoftacoma.org or phone at (253) 591-5152.