Metal-Urge Free Community Festival this Sunday!

Tacoma Community College wows crowds with a molten iron pour.

Join us for a free, fun-filled afternoon of metal arts for the whole family.

Metal-Urge Free Community Festival
Sunday, October 19
12 – 3 pm
Tollefson Plaza, S. 17^th & Pacific Avenue, Tacoma
Free and open to the public

We’ll keep you entertained with:

• Live sword fighting reenactments and display of armor and artifacts by Knights of Veritas
• Scratch block activity and molten iron pour with Tacoma Community College’s sculpture department
• Blacksmithing demonstrations with Lisa Geertson and Travis Conn
• Textured metal charm activity with Tacoma Metal Arts Center
• Hands-on metal crafts with Tacoma Art Museum
• Steel music under the direction of Miho Takekawa
• Three Graces sculptures by Mary Coss, in the plaza pools
• Food trucks – Lumpia World and The Original House of Donuts!

 

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Metal-Urge is a city-wide celebration of metal arts that explores the many ways artists push this versatile and diverse medium. From October 1 – November 30, 31 venues will feature metal-themed exhibits, workshops, lectures, festivals, and more.

A list of all events and exhibits is available at TacomaMetalUrge.com, and brochures are available in coffee shops and cultural venues around town.

Besides the Metal-Urge Free Community Festival, two additional anchor programs are:

• “Protective Ornament: Contemporary Amulets to Armor”
  October 18, 2014 – February 1, 2015
  Tacoma Art Museum, 1701 Pacific Ave.
  This exhibit showcases nearly 100 works—including helmets, brass knuckles, breastplates, aggressive or defensive jewelry, chain mail, amulets, talismans, and protective gear—designed to address issues of protection and empowerment in the face of everyday perils and social challenges. Ranging from protective hardware (physical fortification) and protective “software” (faith-based adornment), the array of contemporary works underlines the crucial safeguarding function of jewelry and other wearable ornaments. Organized by the National Ornamental Metal Museum Foundation, Inc. The exhibition was curated by Suzanne Ramljak, Editor of Metalsmith magazine.

• Seattle Metals Guild 19^th Annual Northwest Jewelry & Metals Symposium
  October 18, 9 am – 5:30 pm
  Washington State History Museum, 1911 Pacific Ave.
  This metal arts symposium features lectures by Metalsmith magazine editor Suzanne Ramljak, historian Stephen Fliegel, Vivian Beer, artist Jennifer Trask, jeweler Todd Pownell, and metalsmith Myra Mimlitsch-Gray. For more information or to register visit seattlemetalsguild.org/programs/symposium.

Metal-Urge is organized by the Tacoma Arts Commission and sponsored by Click! Cable TV and The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation.

 

Third episode of Tacoma’s own ‘artTown’ TV show now available

 

Guitarist-singer-songwriter Nolan Garrett and the legendary Jerry Miller.

The City of Tacoma’s Media and Communications Office – in partnership with its Community and Economic Development Department’s Arts Program – are proud to announce the launch of a new episode of “artTown,” a cultural documentary-style TV initiative exploring Tacoma’s emergence as a major creative hub in the Pacific Northwest.

This episode features:

• Viewpoints and musical riffs from emerging guitarist-singer-songwriter Nolan Garrett and the legendary Jerry Miller, one of Rolling Stone’s 100 greatest guitarists of all time
• A look at Tacoma’s hot metal arts scene with Amy Reeves of Tacoma Metal Arts Center, John Simpkins of Fort Nisqually, Ed Kroupa of Two Ravens Studio, and Saign Charlestein
• An exploration into letterpress arts with Jessica Spring of Springtide Press, sweet pea Flaherty of King’s Bookstore, and Margaret Bullock of Tacoma Art Museum
• A visit to the working studios of local artists Angela Rockett, Lynne Farren, Lynn Di Nino and Mauricio Robalino
• music composed by Isaac Solverson

Hot off the press at Springtide Press.

Launched in October 2013, the quarterly series features diverse perspectives on a variety of creative disciplines. Offering a more holistic look at creativity in Tacoma, “artTown” stretches beyond what people might traditionally think of as “creative” – such as fine art, music or dance – to spotlight other creative areas of interest that have flourished in Tacoma like food, fashion, innovative education practices, architecture and more.

Those who want to immerse themselves more fully in Tacoma’s creative community are invited to participate in Tacoma Arts Month, which features hundreds of events held throughout the entire month of October.

Online viewing:

Watch “artTown” anytime at cityoftacoma.org/artTown.

Saign Charlestein at work in his metal arts studio.

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 5 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.

Future episodes will be produced in part based on some of the audience feedback culled via social media, email at maria.lee@cityoftacoma.org or phone at (253) 591-2054.

2013 Tacoma Studio Tour Preview: Part 7

This is part 7 in our series highlighting the artists participating in the Tacoma Studio Tour this November.

This year’s tour features 60 artists and collaborative studios and allows the general public the opportunity to see the spaces in and tools with which local artists create their work, ask questions, and purchase one-of-a-kind creations. All studios will feature demonstrations of the artistic process or will have hands-on activities for visitors. Check out ArtAtWorkTacoma.com for the full list of artists, schedule, and an interactive map where you can plot your own custom tour course.

What: Tacoma Studio Tour
Where: 39 studio locations around Tacoma – map your course at ArtAtWorkTacoma.com
When: November 2 & 3, 11 am – 5 pm
Cost: FREE!

Here are this week’s highlights:

Amy Reeves, Tacoma Metal Arts Center

    
Founded by Amy Reeves in 2009, Tacoma Metal Arts Center is a fully equipped jewelry making and small scale metal fabrication studio offering instruction, private lessons, and studio rental to a community of jewelers and metalsmiths. Classes are offered year-round for beginners to advanced students. The gallery area showcases handmade jewelry crafted by local artists and offers jewelry tools for sale.

Mark Hoppmann

    
Mark Hoppmann’s studio, like his work, is an invitation to those (with apologies to Rudyard Kipling) with “satiable curiosity.” In addition to his original work created with a variety of mediums including watercolor, India ink, and graphite, he often works in themes which are then digitally scanned and assembled into handmade books created from materials such as leather or wood.

LeeAnn Seaburg Perry, Sculpting In Stone

    
Dramatic marble, alabaster, and soapstone sculptures prompt a moment or two of contemplation in LeeAnn’s gallery and will provide lifetime of reflection as a family heirloom in your home. LeeAnn welcomes you to the Tacoma Studio Tour with a hands-on stone carving demonstration that will enhance your understanding and enjoyment of her work.

Juan La Torre

    
Juan La Torre, an artist with passion for transforming art, has experience with many materials. His idea of artistic freedom is always bringing him to a new path of expression, where problems can be solved while loving the visual and tangible results of every new artwork. Juan says, “An artist’s creative view of the past and present can and do, change the world a bit at a time.”

Mark Larson, Larson Fine Art

    
Mark Larson is one of America’s leading contemporary symbolist painters, having shown and sold his work in galleries and museums throughout Europe and North America. He recently joined the Jet Artist Cooperative to be in the middle of Tacoma’s vibrant arts community and enjoy the great north light and Commencement Bay views in the studio as well.

Lorraine Toler

    
Lorraine is a painter who lives and works in Tacoma. She loves a good story, especially biographies, and seeks out the kind of stories that capture the imagination and leave you with an itch that needs to be scratched. Through paintings she re-tells these stories. Lorraine particularly likes painting the stories of strong Asian women.

Toni Snyder

    
Painting landscapes in oil has been Toni’s passion for the past 12 years. She is primarily self-taught and loves to create art. The view from her studio gives her the inspiration to keep refining her craft. She also continues to work in the classical style of drawing to consistently develop her drawing skills.

 

Check out these other artists on the tour and watch for future previews:
Studio Tour Preview: Part 6
Studio Tour Preview: Part 5
Studio Tour Preview: Part 4
Studio Tour Preview: Part 3
Studio Tour Preview: Part 2
Studio Tour Preview: Part 1

Art at Work Month is sponsored by Click! Cable TV, The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, KPLU, Weekly Volcano, Tacoma Weekly, and Premier Media Group.