November Events and Programs at Tacoma Art Museum

 

SPECIAL OFFERS

Museums on Us

Saturday and Sunday, November 1 and 2
All Bank of America bankcard holders and employees receive free admission to Tacoma Art Museum the first weekend of every month as part of Bank of America’s national Museums on Us inaugural program in the Pacific Northwest. Visit www.BankofAmerica.com/museums for details. 

 

PROGRAMS

Know More Art Lecture Series: Art, Empire, and Cultural Identity
Tuesdays, October 7 through November 11
6–7 pm
Tacoma Art Museum continues the Know More Art series in Fall 2008. Art, Empire, and Cultural Identity offers the community an opportunity to better understand and appreciate its fall exhibition Oasis: Western Dreams of the Ottoman Empire from the Dahesh Museum of Art. Art historians Rebecca Albiani and Koyla Rice lead the six-week series and provide a comprehensive understanding of the origins of Orientalist art and its proliferation in the 19th century. The series also examines how art has been used as an instrument in the service of nation-building and marginalizing cultures. 

 

Cost is $65 for the series or $12 per lecture; for members it’s $45 for the series or $8 per lecture.  Visit www.TacomaArtMuseum.org/knowmoreart for more information on individual sessions. Pre-registration is recommended as space is limited. E-mail education@TacomaArtMuseum.org or call 253.722.2455. Clock hours are available for educators. 

 

DÍa de los Muertos/Day of the Dead

Saturday, October 18 through Sunday November 2

For the fourth consecutive year, Tacoma Art Museum partners with Centro Latino in welcoming the community to participate in celebrating Día de los Muertos. Observed in Mexico on November 1 and 2, this powerful, symbolic celebration honoring loved ones who have passed away combines ancient and New World traditions and folk customs. Día de los Muertos will be observed at Tacoma Art Museum beginning Saturday, October 18 with the installation of community altars and a large tapete and will conclude on Sunday, November 2 with a free community festival.

 

Events and Activities:

Tapete and Ofrendas
Saturday, October 18
10 am –4 pm
Watch as Fulgencio Lazo and fellow artists create a colorful tapete (sand painting) in the museum lobby. Local community organizations and groups will install ofrendas (altars) in the atrium on the second floor.

Free Community Festival
Sunday, November 2
Noon–6 pm

Everyone is welcome to join us for a free community celebration featuring dance, music, decoration of sugar skulls, art displays, and a procession.

 

For more event details, visit our Day of the Dead MySpace page at www.myspace.com/diademuertos_tacoma.  

 

Community programming is generously sponsored by The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. Free Seasonal Community Festivals are made possible by The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, City Arts Tacoma, City of Tacoma Arts Commission. Día de los Muertos is generously sponsored by Brown and Brown Insurance.

 

Second Tuesday
Through Others’ Eyes: Ottomans and the West Seeing Each Other
Tuesday, November 11

10:30 am
There is a long history of European writers and artists describing and portraying the vast multiethnic Ottoman Empire that dominated the Near East and North Africa. What is less well known is that there was a similar tradition of Ottoman writers and painters representing the West. Ottomanist scholars Selim Kuru and Walter G. Andrews, from the department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization at University of Washington, discuss these representations and the realities behind them. Second Tuesday mid-day talks, demonstrations, and hands-on workshops are free with museum admission. Adults 65 and older and retired military receive reduced admission of $3.25.

 

Second Tuesdays at Tacoma Art Museum are generously funded by a grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.

 

Symposium
Melding Currents: Donald Fels and South Indian Sign Painters
Saturday, November 15

1:30 – 4 pm
Samuel Parker, Associate Professor at University of Washington Tacoma and exhibition catalogue essayist, discusses how images in What Is a Trade? relate to historical changes in perceptions about the East and West in postcolonial India and the correlation between fine and commercial arts. He will be followed by Gary Hamilton, Professor of Sociology at UW Seattle, who will consider how global trade and consumerism prompt changes in ideologies and innovation. The program will conclude with a discussion led by artist Donald Fels expanding on the question, “What does trading across borders look like?” A book signing will take place in the Museum Store after the program. Cost is $10 or $5 for members and students with valid I.D. Price includes museum admission. Advance tickets are recommended. E-mail programs@TacomaArtMuseum.org or call 253.272.4258 x3002.

 

Support for this program is generously provided by Port of Tacoma.

 

Free Third Thursday

Thursday, November 20

 

Dancing in the Oasis
6 pm
The dance form known as belly dancing is derived from traditional women’s dances of the Middle East and North Africa. Local belly dancer Hanan Valiant provides insights into this centuries-old dance and performs in the gallery.

Teen Night: East-West Explosion
6 pm
Calling all Teens! East meets West in this night of cultural explosion. Come check out dance performances and live music, create your own art, visit the galleries, or simply hang out. For more information, contact Melisa Jennings at 253.272.4258 x3016.

Third Thursday Happy Hour

5 – 7:30 pm
After visiting the galleries, stop by Untitled Café for Happy Hour specials. Enjoy freshly prepared appetizers paired with local wines and microbrews.

 

Free Third Thursdays are generously sponsored by The Boeing Company and Columbia Bank.

 

MemberShop
Friday and Saturday, November 28 and 29, 10 am–5 pm
Sunday, November 30, noon–5 pm
Find unique and inspired presents for everyone on your holiday gift list during MemberShop. Members receive 20 percent off all non-sale merchandise. Enjoy festive live music and a wide selection of distinctive jewelry, toys, and specialty items from local artisans. Don’t forget about the hand-painted Leroy, the Big Pup ornaments featuring Scott Fife’s eight-foot cardboard puppy, available exclusively at the Museum Store. New members receive same-day discounts. Visit www.TacomaArtMuseum.org/store to browse through the extensive online selection. Gift-wrapping is free with the cost of shipping, in the store or online.