FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 14, 2007
MEDIA CONTACTS
Naomi Strom-Avila, Community and Economic Development, nstrom-avila@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-5191
Roxanne Murphy, Community Relations, roxanne.murphy@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-2054
The Tacoma Arts Commission recently announced funding recommendations to support the contributions of 16 individual artists in Tacoma.
The Tacoma Arts Commission creates this type of financial support through its Tacoma Artists Initiative Program. This program was established in 1999 to assist artists in generating new work and sharing their talent with the public.
“There was a prominent change in the applications we received this year, specifically in film, the performing arts and especially dance,” said Phillip Hill, Tacoma Arts Commission chair. “We seem to have crossed an important artistic threshold due to the variety of individuals and the unique and important works that they’re creating in our city.”
The Tacoma Arts Commission received 24 applications requesting $106,123 in funding. Sixteen artists spanning visual, media, literary, performance and interdisciplinary arts were funded at a total of $45,000.
Funded artists are Carla Barragan, Terese Cuff, Kyle Dillehay, Justin Gorman, Scott Gruber, Chad Hagedorn, Justin Hahn, Janet Marcavage, Kevin Miller, Betty Ragan, Elise Richman Holly Senn, Lucas Smiraldo, Katherine Stricker, Josephine A. Zmolek, and Paul Zmolek.
Their proposed new artwork includes the compilation and reading of a book of poems, a short film to be screened at the Grand Cinema, the creation of a new dance and theater production to be performed at Barefoot Studios, the creation of an outdoor public garden and sculpture, and a series of embossed lithographic prints.
The Tacoma Artists Initiative Program is one of three funding programs administered by the Tacoma Arts Commission. For more information about these programs, visit www.tacomaculture.org/arts/funding.asp.
###