Lincoln District Revitalization
The Arts Program is funding both a large public permanent artwork, and a series of smaller community-generated temporary projects as part of the Lincoln District Revitalization.
Public Art Project
Selected Artist
The artist Horatio H. Law was chosen by a selection committee in September 2015.
Project Overview
In 2015, the City of Tacoma’s Arts Program published a Call to Artists for the Lincoln Revitalization Public Art Project. Artists were asked to submit qualifications for a contract to conduct meaningful community engagement in the Lincoln District; design, build, and install public artwork gateway features for the District; work with the design team to affect the aesthetic design of the streetscape project; and identify opportunities for local artists to create artworks in the District. The project should reflect the needs of the community, create identity, and communicate an authentic sense of place. The selected artist has experience working with diverse cultural communities and demonstrated success creating aesthetically strong artwork that results from community engagement.
Installation Date
Fall 2017
Call to Artists
Download the Call to Artists for more project details.
Creative Community Engagement Workshop and Grants
Selected Projects
In September 2016, a selection committee chose the following projects:
Dionne Bonner
Timeline: Summer 2017
Local artist Dionne Bonner will work with Lincoln residents to design and paint street intersection murals. Dionne hopes the murals will encourage community pride and togetherness, while also slowing down traffic and promoting a safer pedestrian environment.
Silong Chhun
Timeline: November 2016 through January 2018
Silong Chhun, a filmmaker based in Tacoma, will create a series of short videos focused on local business owners. The series will illuminate their daily routine, background stories, challenges and triumphs. Silong believes that by putting a human face to businesses in the diverse district, he will encourage others to see that we are all able to coexist and succeed together.
Terese Cuff
Timeline: January 2017
Terese Cuff will create a digital media piece inspired by the businesses in Lincoln. She will use video and animation to document small movements that collectively paint a portrait of the area. Once complete, this artwork will be projected in the window of a vacant building in the neighborhood, bringing new energy to an otherwise empty space.
Erin Guinup
Timeline: November 2017
Erin Guinup, a long-time musician and voice coach, will host a free sing-along concert headlined by a professional performer. Her intent is to create new channels of dialogue in the Lincoln District by bringing people together to sing and unite through music.
Grand Cinema
Timeline: November 2016
Building on an existing partnership with Lincoln High School, The Grand Cinema Film Club will partner with the Lincoln drama program to produce a film festival at the high school in November 2016. The film festival will feature short films created by students as part of a film intensive, and will be an opportunity for students to build skills, explore their communities, and find ways to collaborate.
Michael Haeflinger
Timeline: October 2016 through April 2017
Michael Haeflinger will work with local youth to write and design visual poetry that investigates notions of place, home, community, and change. The visual poems will be displayed on and around bus shelters, translated into multiple languages to reflect the diversity of the district.
Lance Kagey and Brian Hutcheson
Timeline: July 2017 through September 2017
Flowercloud is a collaborative community project that seeks to build enthusiasm and collective creative expression in the neighborhood. Lance Kagey and Brian Hutcheson, of guerilla art group Beautiful Angle, will create lotuses from corrugated plastic sheeting that will be installed in cloud formations on chain link fences around the neighborhood. The artists will guide residents as they embellish the flowers with colors, patterns, and words about how their community is blossoming.
Lisa Kinoshita and Kenji Stoll
Timeline: November 2016 through December 2018
Artists Lisa Kinoshita and Kenji Stoll will create SNAP:100, a series of 100 Polaroid portraits, with accompanying 100-word interviews, of individuals connected to the Lincoln District. They will photo-document a vivid collection of personalities of all ages, ethnicities, genders and professions, to create a time capsule of the diverse range of stories that make up the neighborhood’s identity today. They hope this project will provide an opportunity for people to learn more, build connections and get engaged with one another.
Liesl Santkuyl and Latinos Unidos
Timeline: September 2017
Latinos Unidos is a community group made up of 20 Latino citizens of Tacoma of all ages and backgrounds. They will use their grant to host several youth workshops and organize an event at Lincoln High School featuring cultural music and dance. They aim to inspire local Latino youth to lift their voices, and become engaged citizens who are proud of their heritage.
Kimberly and Terry Sparks-Wilmer
Timeline: Summer 2017
In response to the upcoming plastic bag ban, Kimberly and Terry Sparks-Wilmer will create reusable cloth bags to distribute for free to Lincoln residents. Each bag will be screen printed with images of the red lantern street lights that have become distinctive symbols of the district.
Project Overview
The City of Tacoma Arts Program and the Tacoma Arts Commission hosted a free community engagement workshop on July 30th, 2016. Council Member Marty Campbell opened the workshop and thanked the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department who generously donated their auditorium space. Rebecca Solverson gave an overview of the grant opportunities and the plan for the day. She was followed by brief introductions from Joey Furuto from Metro Parks, Peter Anderson and Marianne Seifert from the Health Department, Marissa Vining from the City’s Office of Equity, Allyson Griffith from the City’s Community Based Services, and Patrick Babbitt from the City’s Healthy Homes Healthy Neighborhoods program. These representatives all shared their interest in partnering with artists and excitement about the grant projects. Introductions were followed by presentations and networking activities led by artists Linda Wysong and Horatio Law. The workshop ended with a community walk and a question session.
Following the workshop, the Arts Commission awarded grants to fund imaginative community engagement projects in the Lincoln District. Funding went to all kinds of creative collaborations, with an emphasis on innovative and fun approaches that facilitate economic development, neighborhood identity, and community cohesion. Applicants were encouraged to also consider topics that illuminate and engage the Lincoln District’s diverse communities and address social justice, gentrification, and help create a sense of place. These temporary creative collaborations can last one day or for months, and will be open and accessible to all.
Installation Date
Projects must be completed between September 2016 - December 2018.
Call to Artists
Download the Call to Artists for more project details.
Questions?
Contact Rebecca Solverson or call (253) 591-5564.