Three Reasons to Visit the Tacoma Art Museum This Year

 

Before moving to Tacoma in 2010, Mark and I came up from Los Angeles for a couple of exploratory visits.  There were a lot of things about Tacoma that appealed to us, but it was ultimately the Tacoma Art Museum (TAM) that played the pivotal role in our decision to make the move. We were blown away by the beauty of the building and by the quality of the exhibits.  It was a real “aha” moment for us.  If a city the size of Tacoma could support a museum of this caliber, we knew it was a place we could be proud to call home. 

 

 

 

We became actively involved at the museum soon after moving to Tacoma, attending exhibits and getting to know the staff and other museum supporters.  I was asked to join the museum’s board of directors in 2012, and I’m currently serving as the Vice President of the board (in line for the presidency in 2021).  We’ve got three upcoming exhibits at the museum that I wanted to share with you – each one different from the next and all worth a look.

Bart at TAM: Animating America’s Favorite Family

Beginning this month, TAM will be showcasing a private collection of animation cells from America’s longest-running prime time television series – The Simpsons.  The exhibit offers an in-depth look at the collaborative process behind this much loved classic.  We’re excited to bring this show to the Pacific Northwest and expect it to be a blockbuster, appealing to visitors of all ages.  Opens July 20, 2019.

 

 

 

Monet, Renoir, Degas and Their Circle: French Impressionism and the Northwest

This fall, TAM will launch a special exhibit of French Impressionism, curated by Executive Director David Setford.  The French Impressionists were thought to be radicals in their time, but they had a significant impact on artists in the Pacific Northwest and their work was eventually incorporated into the best public and private art collections in the region. This exhibit will include signature works by Monet, Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisely, Gustave Caillebotte, Gauguin, Berte Morisot, Mary Cassatt and Degas, as well as works by some of the American artists that were influenced by the French Impressionists – Theodore Robinson, Theodore Wendel, CC McKim, and Clara Jane Stevens.  Opens September 28, 2019.

 

 

Forgotten Stories: Northwest Public Art of the 1930s

I’m particularly excited about TAM’s upcoming exhibit of public art from the 1930s.  Many people have forgotten that the U.S. government supported the visual arts all across the country during the Great Depression, employing hundreds of artists and commissioning thousands of works of art.  This exhibit will offer an extensive overview of the work that was created in the Pacific Northwest during this period.  The exhibit is being developed by TAM’s Curator of Collections and Specific Exhibitions, Margaret Bullock, who has been working with a group of colleagues to produce a major publication to accompany the exhibit, supported by the Henry Luce Foundation. I think Margaret is brilliant so you won’t want to miss this show.  Opens February 22, 2020.

 

 

 

The Tacoma Art Museum is a world class institution.  Its mission is to connect people through art.  The museum is a big part of what makes Tacoma so special to me, and I’m proud to support it.  I hope you’ll take the opportunity to visit soon.