The Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality manages public art projects that are part of the City of Tacoma's Municipal Art Collection. Projects are funded by Tacoma's 1% for Art program.

Below are some of the projects we are currently managing:

East 64th Street

• Artists: Elisheba Johnson and Kristen Ramirez
• Location: East 64th Street, between Pacific Avenue and McKinley Avenue 
• Timeline: Started in 2018, estimated completion in 2021
• Overview: Kristen Ramirez and Elisheba Johnson are creating permanent public artworks along the streetscape to enliven this multi-modal transportation corridor running through this residential neighborhood. In addition, they are working with the design team to affect the aesthetic design of the streetscape and identify opportunities for discrete or integrated artworks to be incorporated into the streetscape design in future phases. The project is informed by a meaningful community engagement process in order to reflect the needs of the community, create identity, and communicate an authentic sense of place.

Greening the Tacoma Mall Area

• Artists: to be determined; opportunity is open to artists who participated in one of the following City of Tacoma-led capacity-building programs: Public Art: Public Action, Public Art: Reaching Community, Eastside Community Center Cohort, HUE Collaborative
• Location: Tacoma Mall area 
• Timeline: Started in June 2021, estimated completion in December 2021
• Overview: The City of Tacoma’s Urban Forestry Program is looking for two artists or teams to engage community in “greening” the Tacoma Mall Area. Each artist will develop a creative project (temporary public artwork, event, installation, or socially-engaged project) that inspires community members to plant and maintain trees, rain gardens, and backyard habitat. The goals are to improve human and environmental health in the neighborhood, and create better communication between the City and the neighborhood for ongoing “greening” efforts. 

Black Lives Matter Mural

• Artist: to be determined; opportunity is an invitational
• Location: Tollefson Plaza, 1548 Commerce Street 
• Timeline: Started in June 2021, estimated completion in September 2021
• Overview: The City of Tacoma’s Human Rights Commission, in partnership with the Tacoma Arts Commission and Tacoma Art Museum, are looking for an artist or team to create a mural in Tollefson Plaza. The mural should express solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement while celebrating the achievements and contributions of African Americans throughout history. We encourage artists to draw from Tacoma’s history and imagined futures. 

Questions?

Contact Rebecca Solverson or call (253) 591-5564.

In addition to managing the City of Tacoma's Municipal Art Program, the Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality also provides consulting services for partner agencies around Tacoma including Metro Parks, Tacoma Housing Authority, Pierce Transit, Sound Transit, Port of Tacoma, and more.

Below are some of the public art projects we are currently managing for partner agencies.

Metro Parks

Public Art Reaching Community (PARC) Artist Training Cohort

• Lead Mentor Artist: Elisheba Johnson
• Participating Artists: Anida Yoeu Ali & Masahiro Sugano, Rahman Curtis Barika, Adika Bell, Priscilla Dobler Dzul, Sophia Munic, Teruko Nimura, Gillian Nordlund, Gerardo Peña, Paige D. Pettibon, Trenton Quiocho, Jessica Spring, Monica YoRam Yi
• Timeline: Started in 2020, estimated completion in summer 2021
• Overview: PARC has created an opportunity for Tacoma-area artists to gain skills in public art and engagement while creating artwork for their community on a neighborhood scale. Under the direction of lead mentor artist Elisheba Johnson, 12 Pierce County artists participated in the program, learning how to develop artwork for the public realm through a combination of online classes, presentations, and mentorship sessions led by experts in the field of public art. The final component of the training program is to create a public artwork for temporary installation at a Tacoma site. The artists were tasked with developing project proposals on the theme of “Long Distance,” exploring what it means to connect with people while maintaining a pandemic-safe physical distance. The artists will be launching their temporary projects throughout late 2020 and early 2021, both in Tacoma neighborhoods and virtually. Artists who successfully completed this training course are eligible to compete for four permanent Metro Parks Tacoma public art commissions to be determined in 2021-2022.

Youth Memorial

• Artist: Dionne Bonner
• Location: Eastside Community Center, 1721 E 56th Street
• Timeline: Started in 2019, estimated completion in summer 2021
• Overview: Dionne Bonner is designing and painting a memorial artwork that brings the story and creation of the Eastside Community Center full circle by acknowledging the loss of young people in the community. This piece will invite reflection and honor the resilience and initiative of young people stepping forward to support and inspire their community.

Billy Ray Memorial

• Artist: Jasmine Brown
• Location: Eastside Community Center, 1721 E 56th Street
• Timeline: Started in 2018, estimated completion in summer 2021
• Overview: Jasmine Brown is designing and fabricating a memorial artwork honoring Billy Ray, his legacy, and the work of Team Billy Ray. The artist talked with key family and friends in order to honor Billy Ray’s energy, essence, and humanity. A full size standing bronze statue of Billy Ray Shirley in his “you got this” pose will greet visitors to the new Eastside Community Center, creating a welcoming, interactive space for remembering and honoring Billy Ray’s powerful story. 

Dickman Mill

• Artist: Mary Coss
• Location: Ruston Way Waterfront, Dickman Mill Park
• Timeline: Started in 2018, estimated completion in summer 2021
• Overview: The Dickman Mill Park project site sits on Indigenous land, the traditional territory of the Coast Salish people. Cedar is sacred to the local Puyallup Tribe and Mary Coss' artwork honors their history through form and text incorporated into the sculpture.
  
  Originally commissioned as the design team artist for the current Dickman Mill Park Improvements Project, Mary Coss is creating a monumental artwork to go with the reinstallation of the historic head saw on the original mill site. The artwork, Ghost Log, resembles a cedar log that is 7.5’ in diameter, 40’ long. It morphs from the form of a gear (inspired by the historic Dickman Mill head saw) to the organic form of tree limbs, referencing both the industrial heritage of the site and the awe-inspiring natural resources that made that industry possible. Ghost Log is constructed of corten steel. The exterior is wrapped in a laser-cut pattern resembling cedar bark, punctuated by fragments of text drawn from historical sources and contemporary conversations with community members associated with the site.

To see more public art projects we've helped to manage for Metro Parks, go to their website.

Pierce Transit

Waterwall

• Artist: RYAN! Feddersen
• Location: downtown Tacoma, between South 9th and South 11th Streets, and Commerce and Broadway
• Timeline: Started in 2020, estimated completion in summer 2021
• Overview: The Waterwall is a recently decommissioned fountain and active pedestrian ramp that is approximately 2 stories tall and spans 175 feet in length. RYAN! Feddersen is creating an immersive, vibrant, comprehensive artwork inspired by the natural environment, architecture of the space, and use of the site.

Questions?

Contact Rebecca Solverson or call (253) 591-5564.