10 Reasons Tacoma"s Arts Scene is Awesome
Tacoma hasn't always had a great rap, especially locally. Always second fiddle to Seattle, Tacoma has suffered from second city syndrome like no other. A bout with some urban blight in its downtown core for most of the 1980s and 90s didn’t help, but these days, downtown Tacoma is a different sort of place. There are museums. There are thriving theaters and antique shops. There is public art galore. If you dig on the arts, downtown Tacoma is worth exploring and here are 10 reasons why.
In 2014, Tacoma Art Museum added an entirely new wing, in which the new Haub Family Collection of Western Art is housed. The collection is the largest collection of Western Art within 1000 miles and has taken what was already a respectable art landscape and kicked it up a notch. The collection has garnered national attention, and was a gift of close to 300 pieces by the Haub family. Notable artists in the collection include Georgia O’Keefe, Rosa Bonheur and Frederic Remington, as well as many, many others.
Bridge of Glass is a unique attraction—a bridge that links downtown Tacoma with the Thea Foss Waterway decked out with Dale Chihuly’s artwork. You can stand underneath a ceiling filled with thousands of pieces of blown glass, admire a wall filled with insanely detailed glass vases called Venetians, or stare up at the towers (made of a unique polyurethane material) of blue that are illuminated at night.
For Tacoma’s size (third largest city in Washington State), it has an especially strong showing in the museum department. Where Seattle’s museums are spread out from one another, Tacoma has several all within walking distance or a very short drive downtown. These include the Tacoma Art Museum, Washington State History Museum, Museum of Glass, the Children’s Museum and LeMay – America’s Car Museum. On Dock Street (on the other side of the Bridge of Glass), you’ll also find the Foss Waterway Seaport. The close proximity of its museums makes Tacoma unique.
Also see:Free Museum Days
Get out of downtown and Tacoma’s arts venues aren’t as conveniently placed near each other, but there is still much to see. The Proctor Arts Gallery in the Proctor District has a great variety. Small theaters like the Tacoma Little Theatre, Lakewood Musical Playhouse and Tacoma Musical Theatre round out the theatre scene. There are even museums outside of the downtown core, including Gig Harbor’s Harbor History Museum and the Buffalo Soldiers Museum.
Once a year, the Tacoma Art Commission puts together Tacoma Arts Month (formerly Art at Work Month). Special events include a big opening party and a studio tour—select days of the month where many of Tacoma’s artists open their studio doors to the public. Visitors can see what happens in working art studios of many types, but also enjoy some kind of hands-on activity as each studio is required to have one. The Art Month website also lists all the arts activities going on during the month so you can go onto the website, pick a day, and see exactly what your artsy options are.
Each Third Thursday, Tacoma’s museums and participating galleries open their doors from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for the Art Walk (though, some venues do require a car to get to). The best part of the Art Walk is free admission to the city’s museums, which all do have regular admission fees.
Also see:Self-Guided Downtown Tacoma Glass Art Tour
Many summers, the Tacoma Art Commission heads up the Tacoma Murals Project, an especially cool facet of Tacoma’s art scene. The Murals Project pairs established mural artists with mural-artists-in-training into teams. Each team works to convert a wall that either needs some love or has dealt with vandalism into a work of art. As a result of this program’s on-going nature, Tacoma now has murals all over the place!
1. Haub Collection
In 2014, Tacoma Art Museum added an entirely new wing, in which the new Haub Family Collection of Western Art is housed. The collection is the largest collection of Western Art within 1000 miles and has taken what was already a respectable art landscape and kicked it up a notch. The collection has garnered national attention, and was a gift of close to 300 pieces by the Haub family. Notable artists in the collection include Georgia O’Keefe, Rosa Bonheur and Frederic Remington, as well as many, many others.
2. Museum of Glass Hotshop
The Museum of Glass is a unique museum located across the Bridge of Glass from Tacoma’s Union Station. While the Museum is a fine museum overall, a highlight is the Hotshop—a glass blowing studio where museum visitors can view the studio team as well as visiting glass artists (from emerging artists to Dale Chihuly to Lino Tagliapietra) blowing glass live.
3. Bridge of Glass
Bridge of Glass is a unique attraction—a bridge that links downtown Tacoma with the Thea Foss Waterway decked out with Dale Chihuly’s artwork. You can stand underneath a ceiling filled with thousands of pieces of blown glass, admire a wall filled with insanely detailed glass vases called Venetians, or stare up at the towers (made of a unique polyurethane material) of blue that are illuminated at night.
4. Local Bookstores
The literary scene of many cities goes hand-in-hand with the arts. Tacoma’s literary scene includes a number of stellar books stores, chief among them King’s Books near the Stadium District and Tacoma Book Center near the Tacoma Dome. King’s Books is known for hosting author readings, wayzgoose parties (a traditional printing press party) and other literary happenings, while Tacoma Book Center is the city’s largest used book store by far. Tacoma also has a number of published authors, including at least one New York Times bestseller—YA author Marissa Meyer.
5. Museums Close to Each Other
For Tacoma’s size (third largest city in Washington State), it has an especially strong showing in the museum department. Where Seattle’s museums are spread out from one another, Tacoma has several all within walking distance or a very short drive downtown. These include the Tacoma Art Museum, Washington State History Museum, Museum of Glass, the Children’s Museum and LeMay – America’s Car Museum. On Dock Street (on the other side of the Bridge of Glass), you’ll also find the Foss Waterway Seaport. The close proximity of its museums makes Tacoma unique.
Also see:Free Museum Days
6. Theaters Close to Each Other, Too
In addition to the strong museum contingent, downtown Tacoma also has a theater district in which the city’s major theaters are all within feet of each other. The Pantages, Rialto and Theatre on the Square (all part of the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts) are only blocks away from Tacoma’s museums. Take the Link light rail between both hubs and you’ve got yourself a great, artsy day.7. Other Galleries and Museums
Get out of downtown and Tacoma’s arts venues aren’t as conveniently placed near each other, but there is still much to see. The Proctor Arts Gallery in the Proctor District has a great variety. Small theaters like the Tacoma Little Theatre, Lakewood Musical Playhouse and Tacoma Musical Theatre round out the theatre scene. There are even museums outside of the downtown core, including Gig Harbor’s Harbor History Museum and the Buffalo Soldiers Museum.
8. Arts Month
Once a year, the Tacoma Art Commission puts together Tacoma Arts Month (formerly Art at Work Month). Special events include a big opening party and a studio tour—select days of the month where many of Tacoma’s artists open their studio doors to the public. Visitors can see what happens in working art studios of many types, but also enjoy some kind of hands-on activity as each studio is required to have one. The Art Month website also lists all the arts activities going on during the month so you can go onto the website, pick a day, and see exactly what your artsy options are.
9. Monthly Art Walk
Each Third Thursday, Tacoma’s museums and participating galleries open their doors from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for the Art Walk (though, some venues do require a car to get to). The best part of the Art Walk is free admission to the city’s museums, which all do have regular admission fees.
Also see:Self-Guided Downtown Tacoma Glass Art Tour
10. Murals
Many summers, the Tacoma Art Commission heads up the Tacoma Murals Project, an especially cool facet of Tacoma’s art scene. The Murals Project pairs established mural artists with mural-artists-in-training into teams. Each team works to convert a wall that either needs some love or has dealt with vandalism into a work of art. As a result of this program’s on-going nature, Tacoma now has murals all over the place!
Source...