Tacoma Art Museum

Thank you to Craig Sailor and The News Tribune for featuring 'what if,' an exhibition of The Current and curated by Victoria Miles! 'what if' will be on view through October 13.

Artists explore their ‘interiority’ at Tacoma Art Museum show. No stereotyping allowed Ceramics, block prints, fiber art and sound allow them to ask, “what if.”

Join us Thursday, August 1 from 6-8pm for the next "Filament: TAM Cinema" screening of "Quantum Creole" by Filipa César!

In the beginning was the weave, and the transmission of its workings, a curse of mortality—so ends "Quantum Creole" with the fabulous words of the Papel weaver, Zé Interpretador.

While the Punch-card technology, designed for the textile loom was fundamental for the development of the computer, the binary code is closer to the ancient act of weaving than to that of writing. "Quantum Creole" is an experimental documentary film of collective research into creolization, addressing its historical, ontological and cultural forces.

Referring to the minimum physical entity in any interaction—quantum—the film utilizes different imaging forms to read the subversive potential of weaving as Creole code. West African Creole people wove coded messages of social and political resistance into textiles, countering the colonists’ languages and technologies. As the new face of colonization manifests itself as a digital image, upgrading terra nullius in the form of an ultra-liberal free trade zone in the Bissagos Islands, it also marks the continuation of the violence that erupted several centuries ago with the creation of slave-trading posts in the place then known as the Rivers of Guinea and Cape Verde.

"Filament: TAM Cinema" is free or by donation! Learn more at tacomaartmuseum.info/filament0801

Filament : TAM Cinema // "Quantum Creole" August 01 - Tacoma Art Museum Filament is a moving image series at TAM conceived in dialogue with the exhibition Soft Power – a cinematic response to and reflection on the multivalent themes, both latent and tangible, … Continue reading Filament : TAM Cinema // “Quantum Creole” August 01 →

"Soft Power" and "Finding Home: The Chinese American West" made The Seattle Times' list of must-see exhibitions this August. "Soft Power" closes on September 1st. Have you had a chance to check it out?
https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/visual-arts/trash-talking-art-and-other-must-see-seattle-shows-in-august-2024/

Image of Marc Dombrosky's
Sexy! No!, 2009/2023
Embroidery on found, folded paper
Courtesy of the artist and Platform Gallery

Join us at our next Contemporaries meet up for young professionals (21+) on Thursday, July 25 from 6-9! At this special gathering, we will be joined by Tacoma’s own Foster’s Creative who will be sharing their Tacoma film "Ten of Us."

"Ten of Us" is a one of a kind Tacoma film experience that explores themes of belonging, community building, and what it means to make your home in a city.

A multifaceted project rooted in collaboration, with more than fifty Tacoma-based emcees, musicians, visual artists, activists, and organizational leaders, "Ten of Us" is a patchwork story of this bright, beautiful, diverse community.

The resulting 90 minute film guides the audience on a tour through the city via the sounds, places, and people that give Tacoma its color.

Each scene in the film was shot on location at various iconic South Sound landmarks. The Ten of Us project weaves together elements of live theater, documentary filmmaking, and concert footage, giving the audience a sense of being part of the project along with the artists and storytellers.

Learn more and register your spot at tacomaartmuseum.info/tenofus

Contemporaries is an outstanding way to network with other professionals and connect through art via thoughtful exhibitions, exciting events, and enriching programs. All Contemporaries events are 21+.

Don't miss the free Perennial Pride Party at TAM tonight, Thursday, July 18 from 5:30-8pm! The "In Full Bloom" celebration will feature art vendors, live performances, and interactive installations. Explore a diverse array of artwork created by LGBTQIA artists, enjoy captivating performances that celebrate our community’s talents, and immerse yourself in an atmosphere of joy, inclusivity, and pride.

This year’s theme for pride programming at the Tacoma Art Museum is titled “Perennial Pride: Flowers While They’re Still Here” In embracing this theme, we aim to honor the resilience and creativity of the LGBTQIA community, with a particular focus on acknowledging the violence that disproportionately affects this community.
Rather than waiting for another tragic moment of senseless violence, we are committed to celebrating and uplifting our community members while they are here with us, living, breathing, and making history and art.

Learn more at tacomaartmuseum.info/pride24

Welcome back to The Current Corner! In this episode, The Current committee member Dr. Jasmine Mahmoud discusses Romare Bearden’s "Conjunction."

“On a very on the nose way, this work is called 'Conjunction.' Thinking about The Current as this river, as this place that brings people together around Black art. Romare Bearden is someone who worked across medium- from visual art, painting, drawing, cartooning, and collaging; but also, beyond visual art, he was a musician. The Current, as an award for Black artists in the Tacoma area is celebrating artists across genre. ”
-Dr. Jasmine Mahmoud

Learn more about The Current, An Artist Award at tacomaartmuseum.org/resources/the-current-an-artist-award/

Romare Bearden
(born Charlotte, North Carolina, 1911;
died New York, New York, 1988)
"Conjunction," 1979
Color lithograph
Gift of Greg Kucera and Larry Yocom

The Current Corner // Episode 006 : Jasmine Mahmoud Subscribe to Tacoma Art Museum's channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/tacomaartmuseumWelcome back to The Current Corner! In this video, Current committee membe...

Artist Willie Bonner says of his painting: “A revolutionary visual aesthetic must emerge that re-appropriates, revises and reinvents. My painting has given me many new ways of seeing myself within the structure of our society. There are layers of unknown issues that are standing parallel with the known. These issues are part of the Black American experience that are lost precisely because they are not often seen or if seen, not understood.”

Blackness is…the Refusal to be Reduced seeks to recenter the margin, bringing to focus the unique, complex, and visceral ways contemporary Black artists in the West refuse reduction and express beauty, subtlety, resilience, and connection through their work. Guest-curated by Nikesha Breeze and organized by Tacoma Art Museum as part of the [re]Frame: Haub Family Collection of American Art project, this exhibition invites us to glimpse the ways these artists are engaging with themes of memory, materiality, marginality and generational inheritance.
Willie Bonner
Born Cleveland, Ohio, 1952
Black Gold, 2007
Tar and feather on cotton duck canvas

Save the date for the 2024 Indigenous Fashion Show at Tacoma Art Museum on Saturday, August 10, from 2-3pm. It is a vibrant celebration of Indigenous culture, held annually as part of the In the Spirit Festival in collaboration with the Washington State History Museum. The event showcases contemporary Indigenous fashion, featuring intricately designed garments that reflect ancestral motifs and innovative interpretations of traditional materials. Led by Mary Kelsay, the creative director and owner of MEKA clothing, the fashion show highlights the resilience and creativity of Indigenous designers. Learn more on our website at tacomaartmuseum.info/inthespirit

We're excited to share the featured performers at our upcoming In Full Bloom: The Perennial Pride Celebration on July 18, from 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM. This free celebration will feature:

DELYLA DALYTE: Coming to ya from round the south sound, It’s Delyla Dalyte. Born in Puyallup and raised all over Tac-town, the city of Destiny's Child has been pumping the streets of the 253 for the last 12 years making a name as Tacoma's Downtown Diva. Electrically charged and always pulse pounding, Delyla Dalyte is sure to leave you on the edge of your seat & be the last Thot on your mind!

THE HISTORICAL CONJURER: As the Historical Conjurer, Professor DR Schreiber evokes the spirit of early magical performances. He leads you on a stroll through the past centuries of conjuring entertainment. His unique presentations entertain while educating about historical events, literary and cultural figures, and the science and art of conjuring. Professor DR Schreiber is a member of the Academy of Magic Arts (Magic Castle) and member of the Society of American Magicians Portland Assembly. In 2011, Professor DR Schreiber won the Stan Kramien Excellence in Stage Magic Award. He is a former cast member at Disneyland and frequent emcee, magic historian and historical re-enactor.

ALLISON FINE: A Generation X’er from California who got into comedy to use her life experience, observations and opinions to give people a moment to destress in these crazy times we live in. Her most important title is Mom of an adopted special needs young adult who doesn’t laugh enough at her Moms jokes. A former teacher and social worker, she also does political work, community and Union organizing with an emphasis on Q***r and other marginalized communities. Allison is also a survivor of severe domestic violence, so she loves being able to find humor in her pain. Although annoyingly cliche, she truly wants to leave the world better than it was when she was forced into it.

Join us for a series of show and tell artist workshops in conjunction with our newest exhibition "what if." This month’s show and tell program on July 19 will be led by artist Le’Ecia Farmer. Farmer will lead a discussion with participants, sharing an excerpt from "Lo—TEK. Design by Radical Indigenism" by Julia Watson, in connection with her bioplastic shoe prototypes. The discussion will explore wearable bio designs that interact with and respond to the environment and/or provide environmental solutions.

After the discussion, Farmer will lead a workshop where participants will create their own bioplastic inspired by the artist’ work and earlier discussion. Materials will be provided.

Register on our website at: tacomaartmuseum.info/showtellfarmer
Questions? Please contact [email protected]

artwork:
Le’Ecia Farmer
"Self Portrait Tapestry," 2023
Fabric, Bioplastic, acrylic, raffia, and cotton batting
74 x 56 inches
Courtesy of the artist

You can also follow on Instagram to see more.

Tacoma Art Museum

TAM Members, have you signed up to join us tomorrow evening for an exclusive artist presentation? Join artist Lily Martina Lee for a presentation about her work "The Great Basin Murders." Get an inside look into Lily’s research methodology and textile processes from case files to heddle threading in the series "The Great Basin Murders," which is on view in the group exhibition "Soft Power." This body of work is a collaborative series of handwoven shrouds by Lily and site-specific photography by Carrie Quinney. "The Great Basin Murders" are a loose grouping of homicides spanning the 1970’s to 1990’s in which women were found killed and dumped in remote areas, often along the region’s highways. Most of these cases are unsolved today.

This free talk is exclusive to TAM members and will be capped at 30 participants.

Members, please register at tacomaartmuseum.info/lilylee

Lee will speak in the first hour and then join guests for an informal in-gallery conversation--this portion is open to non-members as well, and is included with free Thursday night Museum admission!

Lily Martina Lee was born in 1985 in Pullman, Washington, United States. She earned a BFA in Fibers and a BA in American Indian Studies from the University of Washington, and an MFA in Sculpture from the University of Oregon. Lee has exhibited her work in the United Kingdom, Portugal and Greece and in numerous exhibitions throughout the United States including Soft Power at the Tacoma Art Museum and the Commuter Biennial in Miami, Florida. She lives and works in Boise, Idaho where she is an Associate Professor at Boise State University. She is a member of the Handweaver’s Guild of Boise Valley and serves as the Idaho and Oregon Area Director for Doe Network, a nonprofit organization that assists law enforcement in cold cases of missing persons and unidentified remains.

artwork:

Lily Martina Lee
"The Shroud of Bitter Creek Betty," 2018
Digital color print
18 x 24 inches
Courtesy of the artist
Photo credit: Carrie Quinney

This year’s theme for pride programming at the Tacoma Art Museum is titled “Perennial Pride: Flowers While They’re Still Here.” In embracing this theme, we aim to honor the resilience and creativity of the LGBTQIA community, with a particular focus on acknowledging the violence that disproportionately affects this community.

As part of our programming, we are excited to host "Rooted in Pride: Flower Making Workshop," free, this Thursday, July 11, from 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM in the TAM Studio. Join us for a hands-on workshop lead by Phi Pottery where participants can create flowers as symbols of beauty, growth, and resilience. This event offers a space for self-expression and solidarity, as we come together to craft vibrant blooms that represent the vitality of our community.

Join us July 19, from 4:00 - 6:00 pm, in the "what if" exhibition as artist Le’Ecia Farmer leads a discussion with participants, sharing a piece of literature that resonates with their work on view. After the discussion, Farmer will lead a workshop where participants will create a work of art inspired by their work and earlier discussion.

Register on our website at tacomaartmuseum.info/showtellfarmer
About Le’Ecia Farmer:

Le’Ecia Farmer is a q***r Black parent and creative. She has studied fiber art, visual art, apparel design, and mixed media. She continually draws inspiration from the overt and covert connections between her cultural upbringing and art practice. Le’Ecia likes to play with the various meanings that materials possess and views every medium as an opportunity to explore, experiment, or disrupt. Le’Ecia often engages with themes of diasporic longing and loss. She is drawn to materials like cotton, wool, raffia, fabric and natural dye and treats these materials as living and vibrating things. They carry our stories, as we do them

"what if" is an immersive exhibition that explores the expansiveness of interiority through personal curiosity, as evidenced in Black artists’ visual narratives. This exhibition focuses on the ways the artists remain curious, imaginative, and authentic to self, despite outside perceptions of Black art, highlighting their sources of curiosity through interior monologues that flirt with ideas of time, ritual, tradition, and playful expressions of self and emotion. Through artwork, spaces for convening, and programming, what if invites visitors to be curious and consider how these artists have come to understand themselves and their worlds, away from the stereotyping of Black art, by tending to their curiosities and inner selves.

Questions? Please contact [email protected]

pictured: a same of the artist's bioplastics

This year’s theme for pride programming at the Tacoma Art Museum is titled “Perennial Pride: Flowers While They’re Still Here” In embracing this theme, we aim to honor the resilience and creativity of the LGBTQIA community, with a particular focus on acknowledging the violence that disproportionately affects this community.
Rather than waiting for another tragic moment of senseless violence, we are committed to celebrating and uplifting our community members while they are here with us, living, breathing, and making history and art.
As part of our programming, we are excited to host three distinct events, each offering opportunities for connection, creativity, and celebration:

Rooted in Pride: Flower Making Workshop
July 11, 2024, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
TAM Studio, Free
Join us for a hands-on workshop lead by Phi Pottery where participants can create flowers as symbols of beauty, growth, and resilience. This event offers a space for self-expression and solidarity, as we come together to craft vibrant blooms that represent the vitality of our community.

In Full Bloom: The Perennial Pride Celebration
July 18, 2024, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Event Space, Lobby Atrium, Free
This celebration will feature art vendors, live performances, and interactive installations. Explore a diverse array of artwork created by LGBTQIA artists, enjoy captivating performances that celebrate our community’s talents, and immerse yourself in an atmosphere of joy, inclusivity, and pride.

Petal Power: Open Mic
July 25, 2024, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Lobby, Free
In addition to our structured events, we invite community members to share their voices and talents during our open mic night. Whether you’re a seasoned performer or simply want to express yourself in a supportive environment, this is an opportunity to be seen, heard, and celebrated for who you are.

Learn more at tacomaartmuseum.info/pride24

Artwork by artist Carlos Martinez ()

re[Frame] artist Monyee Chau’s mural explores risk and reward: "One side portrays the Pacific Ocean as a complex subject: a voyage and a spirit, holding lost stories and souls, embodying grief and longing. The other side spotlights labor, the desecration of Indigenous lands, and the relationship Chinese immigrants were forced to have with the land for survival. Do the rewards outweigh the toil? As the adage goes, 'We must taste the bitter before we can appreciate the sweet.'" - Guest Curator, Lele Barnett.

"Finding Home: The Chinese American West" honors the Chinese immigrants of the American West. The exhibition touches on the history of racism and violence against the Chinese in America—specifically Tacoma’s exclusionary past—but it also offers artists’ views into Chinese immigrants finding a sense of home and hope and persevering despite hardship. "Finding Home" is on view at TAM through September 5, 2027.

Artist Monyee Chau working on their installation
"Of Salt and Altars," 2024.
Paint and wood,
139 x 656 3/8 inches.
Courtesy of the artist.
Photo of the artist by Nancy Mariano

Calling all TAM members to join artist Lily Martina Lee for a presentation about her work "The Great Basin Murders."

Get an inside look into Lily’s research methodology and textile processes from case files to heddle threading in the series "The Great Basin Murders," which is on view in the group exhibition "Soft Power." This body of work is a collaborative series of handwoven shrouds by Lily and site-specific photography by Carrie Quinney. "The Great Basin Murders" are a loose grouping of homicides spanning the 1970’s to 1990’s in which women were found killed and dumped in remote areas, often along the region’s highways. Most of these cases are unsolved today.

Lee will speak in the first hour and then join guests for an informal in-gallery conversation

This free event is for TAM members and will be capped at 30 participants.

Members, please register at tacomaartmuseum.info/lilylee

Lily Martina Lee was born in 1985 in Pullman, Washington, United States. She earned a BFA in Fibers and a BA in American Indian Studies from the University of Washington, and an MFA in Sculpture from the University of Oregon. Lee has exhibited her work in the United Kingdom, Portugal and Greece and in numerous exhibitions throughout the United States including Soft Power at the Tacoma Art Museum and the Commuter Biennial in Miami, Florida. She lives and works in Boise, Idaho where she is an Associate Professor at Boise State University. She is a member of the Handweaver’s Guild of Boise Valley and serves as the Idaho and Oregon Area Director for Doe Network, a nonprofit organization that assists law enforcement in cold cases of missing persons and unidentified remains.

artwork:

Lily Martina Lee
"The Shroud of Bitter Creek Betty," 2018
Digital color print
18 x 24 inches
Courtesy of the artist
Photo credit: Carrie Quinney

This week's re[Frame] post highlights the work of artist Sama Alshaibi, born in Basra, Iraq, who created the Borderland series (2007).

In this triptych taken along the U.S./Mexican border in Nogales, Arizona, Sama Alshaibi uses her own body to describe a deep connection to the fractured lands home to border communities. Confronting the problematic history of photography used in colonial endeavors, Alshaibi alludes to the psychological toll and physical weight of displacement as she is framed by the restrictive structures that run along the man-made border.

"Nepantla: The Land is the Beloved" centers on a group of artists identifying with the Arab diaspora who live and work in the western United States and are drawn to landscapes as dramatic and ancient as those found in their homelands. These artists, however, complicate traditional representations of the region, acknowledging and resisting its settler-colonial history, thus deepening our understanding of these places. "Nepantla: The Land is the Beloved" is part of the (Re)Frame: Haub Family Collection of Western American Art project at Tacoma Art Museum. This exhibition is organized by TAM and guest-curated by Maymanah Farhat.

Sama Alshaibi,
Borderland series, 2007
left: Nogales/Mexico;
center: No-man’s Land II (along the Mexican/American Border);
right: Nogales/USA.
Digital archival print,
23 x 92 inches (overall).
Courtesy of the artist

The opening celebration of "what if" is tonight and we are so excited! This immersive exhibition explores the expansiveness of interiority through personal curiosity, as evidenced in Black artists’ visual narratives. The exhibition focuses on the ways the artists remain curious, imaginative, and authentic to self, despite limiting public perceptions of Black art, featuring works from artists Kristina Batiste (), Cristina Martinez (), Le'Ecia Farmer () and sound design by Chris Lee Hill (.)

Join us this evening for our opening celebration, 6-8pm, and be part of the exclusive first look at the exhibition, with a chance to mingle with the artists and curator. Enjoy delightful drinks, refreshments and music! Guests will also have the first opportunity to purchase a print by Cristina Martinez () in TAM store this evening!

Cristina Martinez
"Happy Place," 2024
Oil and oil pastel on canvas
24 x 30 inches
Courtesy of the artist

Kristina Batiste
"Five Moons," 2024
Porcelain and stoneware platters (5),
2 inches height x 16 inches diameter;
cups (13), dimensions variable;
plinths (5) 13-1/2 x 10-1/2 x 1-3/4 inches each
Courtesy of the artist

Le’Ecia Farmer
"Self Portrait Tapestry," 2023
Fabric, Bioplastic, acrylic, raffia, and cotton batting
74 x 56 inches
Courtesy of the artist

The opening party is 21+. Remember to RSVP and secure your spot at tacomaartmuseum.info/what-if-party!

Call for Vendors! We are looking to invite LGBTQIA+ artists from our community to be vendors at our 2024 Perrenial Pride Celebration at TAM on July 18. The event will be held indoors and each vendor will be given one six foot table with two chairs. The artist alley will start at 3pm to give visitors a quiet chance to shop before our celebration begins and clean-up will be at 7:30pm. For this event there will not be a vendor fee, but due to limited number of spots available the call will be first come first served. Applications due July 5th! Submit your application on our website at tacomaartmuseum.info/pride24

As we put the finishing touches on the gallery for our upcoming "what if" exhibition, check out this behind the scenes explanation for Kristina Batiste's "Compose #5," which is part of the exhibition.

"Compose uses touch, purposeful interaction, and consideration, in the same way that choosing a favorite mug does and creates a way for a person to curate a moment and memory, and let the clay hold it."
-Kristina Batiste,

Throughout the duration of the exhibition, the curator, Victoria Miles, will invite visitors to create their own compositions during "what if" programming. These compositions will be documented and shared in the gallery. Gallery visitors will be able to witness the transformations of "Compose #5" from the opening of the exhibition to its closing.

We invite you to join us on Friday, June 28 from 6-8pm for the opening party of "what if." Be part of the exclusive look at the exhibition, with a chance to mingle with the artists and curator. Enjoy delightful drinks, refreshments and music! Remember to RSVP and secure your spot at tacomaartmuseum.info/what-if-party

The Current // "what if" : Kristina Batiste's "Compose #5" - Tacoma Art Museum As we put the finishing touches on the gallery for our upcoming what if exhibition, check out this behind the scenes explanation for Kristina Batiste’s “Compose #5,” which is part of … Continue reading The Current // “what if” : Kristina Batiste’s “Compose #5” →

TAM Cafe will be closed from Sunday, June 23 through Thursday, July 4. Swing back in starting Friday, July 5 at 10am, to enjoy a coffee or one of our delicious paninis on our patio.

Using fabric, thread, and paint, q***r multimedia folk artist Joey Veltkamp creates “soft paintings” of their everyday life, brimming with cats, flowers, and a healthy dose of protest.

Text, images, and exuberant color express deeply personal stories infused with empathy and humor.

Born in Montana, the artist currently lives and works in Bremerton, WA. Veltkamp has exhibited widely, including solo exhibitions at Bellevue Arts Museum and Greg Kucera Gallery.

Soft materials. Powerful ideas. Using traditional processes, the artists of "Soft Power" have created potent contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke. Stitches, purls, and pleats form an urgent and vital material language: Cultural stereotypes, humanity's impact on the environment, and healthcare access are among the topics examined in this exhibition.

The Art of "Soft Power" // Joey Veltkamp - Tacoma Art Museum Soft materials. Powerful ideas. Using traditional processes, the artists of Soft Power have created potent contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke. Stitches, purls, and pleats form an urgent and vital material language: Cultural stereotypes, humanity's impact on the env...

Our [re]Frame focus this week centers on Portland artist Lisa Jarrett, whose work is on view in "Blackness Is… the refusal to be reduced." This exhibition focuses on contemporary art that explores intertwined concepts of materiality, the body, memory, and resilience and centers on Blackness, offering a counternarrative to the homogenous story often told in museums.

Lisa Jarrett says: “I use the tools of these ritual practices as drawing materials whose histories both trace and extend our lost languages and homelands. These material and formal choices reflect my broader interest in repetition and reproduction as tools of consumer culture and cultural preservation. I am curious about how our personal/private routines (and the attendant products and purchases) live within our imaginations, conversations, and stories while also connecting us to our collective past and future."

"Blackness Is… the refusal to be reduced," curated by Nikesha Breeze, is a part of our [re]Frame exhibitions and runs through March 2027.






Lisa Jarrett. "Migration Studies (No. 43)," 2022.
Mixed media, Kanekalon 26-inch hair,
Yasutomo Metallic Gold Black Ink, acrylic,
Kozo paper, 40 x 30 inches.
Courtesy of the artist and Russo Lee Gallery, Portland, Oregon.
Photo credit: Russo Lee Gallery

In celebration of PRIDE month, all are invited to this special event where OASIS Youth will be sharing their photos and personal stories with community. We’ll have cameras, printers, and other supplies for you to join in creating a community mural which will remain on display during PRIDE month, also bring your own images, and come prepared to have fun!




+

TAM will be closed tomorrow, June 19, in honor of Juneteenth. We will reopen for regular hours on Thursday, June 20 at 10am.

We are less than two weeks away from the opening of our upcoming exhibition, "what if." Opening June 29 with an opening celebration June 28 (21+), "what if" is an immersive exhibition exploring the expansiveness of Black interiority using curiosity as a way finder, illustrating how Black artists remain curious, imaginative, and authentic to self, despite societal perceptions and limitations.

Join us for our opening celebration on June 28, 6-8pm. This event is 21+. Register now via our website: https://tacomaartmuseum.info/what-if-party.

We look forward to sharing this exhibition with you!

Le'Ecia Farmer
Spokane, WA, 1993
"Self Portrait Tapestry," 2023.
Fabric, Bioplastic, acrylic, raffia, and cotton batting.
Courtesy of the Artist

"what if" is an immersive exhibition that explores the expansiveness of interiority through personal curiosity, as evidenced in Black artists’ visual narratives.

The curator, Victoria Miles, has included a bookshelf of thoughtfully selected literature, media and photobooks reflective of the exhibition—for all ages to enjoy. We invite you to come read, and explore, this upcoming exhibition.

Save the date: Mark your calendars and come join us on Friday, June 28 from 6-8pm for the opening party of "what if." Be part of the exclusive look at the exhibition, with a chance to mingle with the artists and curator. Enjoy delightful drinks, refreshments and music! (21+ only) Remember to RSVP and secure your spot at:

tacomaartmuseum.info/what-if-party!

The Current // "what if" : the bookshelf - Tacoma Art Museum "what if" is an immersive exhibition that explores the expansiveness of interiority through personal curiosity, as evidenced in Black artists’ visual narratives. The curator, Victoria Miles, has included a bookshelf of thoughtfully selected literature, media and photobooks reflective of the exhibi...