Tacoma Art Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1935 |
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| Location | 1701 Pacific Avenue Tacoma, Washington 98402 |
| Type | Art museum |
| Architect | Antoine Predock |
| Public transit access | Union Station/South 19th Street station |
The Tacoma Art Museum (TAM) is an exciting art museum located in Tacoma, Washington, in the United States. It mainly shows art and artists from the Pacific Northwest and the wider western part of the U.S. The museum started in 1935. It is a very important part of the community and helps make up the university and museum area in downtown Tacoma.
Museum History and Growth
The Tacoma Art Museum began as a casual group called the Tacoma Art League around 1891. In the 1930s, it changed its name to the Tacoma Art Society. Finally, in 1964, it became the Tacoma Art Museum. The museum's main goal is to collect and show visual arts from the American Northwest. It aims to bring people together through the power of art.
Early Homes of the Museum
In 1971, the L. T. Murray family, who owned a timber company, gave the museum a three-story building. This building was at 12th Street and Pacific Avenue. It was built in 1922 and used to be the National Bank of Tacoma.
Moving to a New Building
In May 2003, the Tacoma Art Museum moved into a brand-new building. This building is 50,000 square feet (about 4,650 square meters) and is located at 1701 Pacific Avenue. Antoine Predock designed this modern building. The new steel and glass structure cost $22 million. It almost doubled the space available for the museum. This allowed them to show more of their amazing art collection.
Inspiration for the Design
When designing the building, Predock was inspired by the light in the region. He also thought about how the light connected to the water, Mount Rainier, the Thea Foss Waterway, and the area's industrial past. This area is now known as the Tacoma Museum District.
Recent Expansion Project
A big expansion project costing $15.5 million was finished in November 2014. Olson Kundig Architects designed this addition. The expansion added about 16,000 square feet (about 1,500 square meters) to the museum. This new space holds the Haub Family Collection of Western American Art.
Museum Leadership
Andy Maus is the current Executive Director of TAM. He started in 2023.
Art Collections and Exhibitions
The museum has more than 5,400 pieces of art in its collection. About two-thirds of these pieces are considered Northwest art. Since 1934, the Tacoma Art Museum has built a permanent collection. It includes works from famous artists like Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas, Edward Hopper, and John Singer Sargent.
Northwest Art Focus
Nearly seventy percent of the collection features works from Northwest artists. Some of these artists include Guy Anderson, Morris Graves, Jacob Lawrence, and Mark Tobey. The museum also has the best collection of glass artwork by Tacoma native Dale Chihuly. This collection is always on display for the public to see.
Special Artworks on Display
Untitled - Stone Wave is a major artwork by Seattle sculptor Richard Rhodes. It is a large piece that sits in the central court of the museum.
Biennial Exhibitions
As of 2012, the museum had organized and shown ten Northwest biennials. These special exhibitions highlight the museum's strong connection to artists in the region. Notable Northwest artists featured in these shows include Susie J. Lee and Sean M. Johnson.
Commitment to Diverse Art
The museum is known for being open to showing a wide range of art. In 2012, it presented a show that had been displayed elsewhere. TAM intended to present the show fully. The museum also planned to follow with another show curated by Jonathan Katz.
Current Exhibitions to Explore
Permanent Collections You Can Always See
- The Christopher and Alida Latham Display
- Dale Chihuly at Tacoma Art Museum
- Metaphor into Form: Art in the Era of the Pilchuck Glass School
- Martin Blank's Current
- Richard Rhodes' Untitled
- Outdoor Sculptures at TAM
Exhibitions Happening Now
- Animals: Wild and Captured in Bronze
- On Native Land: Landscapes from the Haub Family Collection
- Native Portraiture: Power and Perception
- Places to Call Home: Settlements in the West
- Winter in the West
- Painting Deconstructed: Selections from the Northwest Collection
- Benaroya Project Space: Glass as Canvas
