The Tacoma Arts Commission recently awarded $148,000 in Community Arts Projects funding to 21 Tacoma organizations, groups, and businesses in support of 2025 public outreach projects in the fields of culture, culinary arts, dance, literary, music, visual, and cross-disciplinary arts. The selected projects give a glimpse into what the arts in Tacoma will be bringing forth in 2025.
“We’re proud to be funding these arts projects that will take place around Tacoma’s many neighborhoods,” said Tacoma Arts Commission Chair Heide Fernandez-Llamazares. “Every year, we see new organizations and projects that truly reflect Tacoma’s cultural community and we are proud to invest in community engagement experiences made by and for historically under-funded communities. We look forward to seeing the impact and beauty of these projects, and where they will take us next.”
Funded projects include the production of nine cultural and arts festivals, two youth education programs, one oral history project, one artist market series with performing arts programming, one literary and music performance, one music concert, one ballet production, one series of hands-on visual art workshops, one interactive art installation, one community engagement project, one cross-disciplinary program exploring health, and one cross-disciplinary program exploring arts and food justice.
Funding was awarded as follows:
ArtCity Collaborative – ArtCity: Tacoma Mapping Project ($6,000): This is an oral history initiative dedicated to visually mapping Tacoma’s creative ecosystem through a series of artist-led interviews with a diverse intergenerational group of people who have shaped Tacoma’s past and present art scene.
Asia Pacific Cultural Center – 27th Annual Asia Pacific New Year Celebration featuring India ($9,000): This is a community-based arts and culture exhibition showcasing unique performances and demonstrations from more than 30 groups representing different Asia Pacific countries and cultures, including this year’s featured host nation of India.
Asia Pacific Cultural Center – From Scratch: Tasting the Tenderness in Food Production ($6,000): This multi-faceted project includes experimental dumpling-cooking performances and accompanying public programs and aims to help us rethink our relationship with food, globalization, and immigrant labor in Tacoma.
Black Night Market LLC – Black Night Market Events: Holidays, Poetry After Dark, Art Soiree ($9,000): Black Night Market events, including Poetry After Dark, Black Art Soiree, and Holiday Black Night Markets, empower Tacoma’s BIPOC artists, fostering cultural expression and community connection through accessible, inclusive arts programming spanning literary, performing, and visual arts.
Caribbean Queens – Caribbean Queens Fest ($6,000): This festival engages community members in celebrating the music, food, artistry, and culture of the Caribbean diaspora with a variety of performances, workshops, and food and small business vendors.
Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation – Tacoma Moon Festival ($9,000): The 13th Annual Tacoma Moon Festival celebrates and brings together Tacoma’s diverse heritage, including immigrant and refugee communities, for a day of family-friendly activities and experiences including performances, cuisine, and arts and crafts activities.
Foss Waterway Seaport – Tacoma Salmon in the Classroom Art Project ($6,000): Students in approximately 90 elementary classrooms across Tacoma Public Schools will decorate wooden salmon sculptures that will be exhibited at the Foss Waterway Seaport. This art project accompanies an environmental education program where students at 29 Tacoma Public Schools raise salmon in tanks at their schools while learning about the environmental, cultural, and historical importance of these fish.
Greentrike – Sparks at Children’s Museum of Tacoma ($6,000): Sparks is a weekly play-based arts education program held in the Children’s Museum of Tacoma. Activities explore various media using accessible materials so projects can be replicated at home. Children and caregivers work alongside each other to engage their creativity.
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Tacomans can look forward to another year of Black Night Market events. |
Hilltop Artists – Hilltop Artists Monkeyshines Project ($9,000): Hilltop Artists youth will create and distribute 1000+ hand-crafted glass art pieces (Monkeyshines) throughout Tacoma as part of our city’s annual Lunar New Year treasure hunt.
Lincoln International Business Association – Lincoln District Lunar New Year Festival ($9,000): The 33rd annual Lincoln District Lunar New Year Festival is a cherished Tacoma tradition celebrating Asian heritage, fostering community unity, and promoting cross-cultural understanding, bringing hope and joy to the heart of Lincoln District each year.
Mattice Beauty Supply LLC – Arts and Crafts Workshops ($6,000): This project will present a series of hands-on workshops across many artistic disciplines including painting, sewing, culinary art, clay, crafting, and written word.
Museum of Glass – Glass Fest Northwest ($9,000): This free summer festival is a celebration of glass and the artists of the Pacific Northwest and will feature artists in the hot shop, flameworking, live music, and a market of local artists and makers.
Por Vida NW – Lincoln District Food Walk ($9,000): This is a multicultural festival in Tacoma’s Lincoln District featuring diverse cuisines, performances, and inspiring educational opportunities.
Rob Young Productions – “Said by The Father and Son” Event ($3,000): This will be a community-centered performance honoring Black fatherhood in Tacoma through poetry, song, and storytelling. This immersive show will feature father-son dialogues that explore heritage, resilience, and family bonds within an engaging creative lens.
Tacoma Art Museum – Dia de los Muertos Festival ($6,000): This free annual festival features a rich tapestry of activities, including altars, live music, traditional dance performances, and art-making workshops. Visitors can immerse themselves in the meaningful traditions of Dia de los Muertos, exploring the history, significance, and artistry associated with this unique celebration.
Tacoma Refugee Choir – “Let There Be Peace on Earth” concert ($4,000): This will be a high-energy concert covering a wide variety of perspectives on peace and mental wellbeing, with original songs by Tacoma Refugee Choir’s members and featuring guest artists sharing messages of belonging.
Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center – “The Secret Garden” Ballet ($3,000): A modern ballet adaptation of The Secret Garden explores themes of healing, friendship, and environmental renewal. Set in an urban garden, it highlights Mary and Colin’s transformation through nature, with contemporary choreography, vibrant set design, and relatable, nature-inspired music.
The Painting Panda Pottery Studio LLC – “Kai’s Room” collaborative art installation ($9,000): “Kai’s Room” is an immersive, collaborative art installation inviting community members and artists to co-create an imaginative space.
University of Washington Tacoma – Sexual Healing: A Queer-Affirming Sex Ed Do Over ($6,000): This event will include a queer-focused interactive gallery featuring a live mural, video diary installation, and artist-led activities on themes of sexual health. Honoring queer creatives, it reimagines sex education for adults by emphasizing art as a tool for learning, healing, and connection.
Washington State Historical Society – IN THE SPIRIT Arts Market & Northwest Native Festival ($9,000): Now in its 20th year, the IN THE SPIRIT festival is an annual summer celebration of Native arts and culture and will include live performances, an artist market, and an exhibit.
WayOut Kids – Juneteenth Celebration: A Road to Economic Freedom Festival ($9,000): This Juneteenth event celebrates Black history and culture through live performances and visual arts. The event fosters racial justice, community pride, and economic empowerment for underserved communities, addressing systemic inequities through inclusive, creative expression.
The Community Arts Projects funding program financially supports organizations and groups producing arts-focused community projects that are inclusive, accessible, and/or address equity issues. Community Arts Projects is one of two funding programs administered by the Tacoma Arts Commission. For a complete list of funding programs and information about the Tacoma Arts Commission, visit cityoftacoma.org/funding.