Tacoma’s Biggest Celebration of Local Creativity Returns in October

October will become one long celebration of Tacoma’s creative community as Tacoma Arts Month returns for its 25th anniversary.

First held in 2002, the annual celebration brings together artists, performers, cultural organizations and residents for events throughout the city. This year’s calendar includes exhibitions, performances, workshops, open studios and opportunities for people of all ages to make something themselves.

The month begins with Kaleidoscope from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, October 3, at the Tacoma Public Library’s Main Branch. The free, family-friendly opening celebration will fill the library with live performances, art displays, cultural programming and interactive activities.

Music and dance will take place throughout the building, with performances by the Tacoma Youth Symphony Association, Mo’Motion, Butoh Tacoma, Allison Preisinger and others. Visitors can also hear a vinyl set from DJ Kenya Shakoor, watch the Grit City Rotating Cypher and learn to dance cumbia with Mi Centro.

The Handforth Gallery will host “The 253,” a juried exhibition featuring work from more than two dozen Tacoma artists and groups. The exhibition includes familiar local names such as Beautiful Angle, Hilltop Artists, Jessica Spring and Chandler O’Leary, Paige Pettibon and Kenji Stoll, and will remain on display through late December.

Kaleidoscope will also introduce “The Hair Story Project” by Tacoma artist Cennady Coleman. The exhibition pairs portraits with personal stories about hair and includes glass, ceramics and photography while exploring race, class, gender, disability, identity and creative expression.

Hands-on activities will range from circuit building and tin art to crochet, clay character design, printmaking and community mural painting. Greentrike will provide creative activities for children ages 2 to 6, while other stations will invite visitors to make art, ask tattoo artists questions and contribute to collaborative projects. The celebration will be followed by an Artist Trust social hour from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

One of the month’s largest attractions arrives October 17 and 18, when more than 100 artists participate in the Tacoma Studio Tour. Working studios across the city will open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for two days of free, self-guided exploration.

Visitors can meet painters, sculptors, printmakers and other Tacoma creatives inside the spaces where their work is produced. Every participating studio will offer a demonstration or hands-on activity, and visitors will also have opportunities to purchase original work directly from the artists.

Kaleidoscope and the Studio Tour anchor a much larger calendar of arts, cultural, heritage and science events taking place around Tacoma. New listings continue to be added, so residents can explore the complete schedule and plan their October at TacomaArtsMonth.org.