By Angela Brown
Northwest US Travel Expert, about.com
The Tacoma Art Museum has established itself as one of the Northwest's premiere art museums. Located next to beautiful Union Station, the Tacoma Art Museum combines with several nearby attractions to make downtown Tacoma one of the region's major cultural destinations. Other don't-miss attractions located nearby include the Washington State History Museum, the Museum of Glass, and the LeMay - Amerca's Car Museum.
[post_ads_2]
The
museum at its currently location opened in 2003 and was designed by
Antoine Predock, internationally renowned architect. The 50,000
square-foot, stainless-steel-and-glass building almost doubled the
exhibition space from that of the previous museum facility. A new wing
of the museum, designed by Tom Kundig, opened in 2014 to add gallery
space for the Haub Family Collection, a gift of one of the top Western
American art collections in the country.
What You'll See at the Tacoma Art Museum
Here is what you'll have an opportunity to see during a visit to the Tacoma Art Museum:
Here is what you'll have an opportunity to see during a visit to the Tacoma Art Museum:
- North Galleries
As you meander through these galleries, you'll wind upward from street level to the second floor. The Annette B. Weyerhaeuser Gallery, with its soaring 30-foot ceiling, features special exhibitions. The Bill and Bobby Street Gallery will feature artists with Northwest roots, both new and established. The remaining gallery space offers three areas for Tacoma Art Museum's rotating exhibits. - Lobby Area
The Kreielsheimer Foundation Alcove area of the exhibit space showcases a comprehensive collection of Dale Chihuly's early work. Highlights from the museum's collection of studio glass and sculpture are also displayed in the lobby area. - Haub Family Galleries of Western American Art
Your first stop as you step into this new wing of TAM is an alcove where you can take in a video orienting you to the Haub Familly Collection. The first gallery space is devoted to sculpture, including bronze works by Harry Jackson, Charles M. Russell, and Cyrus E. Dallin. You'll move on to a series of galleries featuring paintings by many prominent artists, including Thomas Moran, Albert Bierstadt, George Caleb Bingham, Karl Bodmer, and George Catlin.
The museum facility also offers
extensive education space. The 8,000-square-foot Gottfried and Mary
Fuchs Foundation Education Wing will provide visitors with a number of
hands-on art experiences:
- Art Classroom
The Esther and Gene Grant, Ben B. Cheney Foundation Art Classroom offers art classes and educational programs for children, adults, families and seniors and gallery space for visiting artists to present work. - Open Art Studio
The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Open Art Studio gives visitors a chance to create their own works of art. - Art Resource Center
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Library provides a variety of arts education materials, including reference works and periodicals.
Special
event space, a museum shop, and a small cafe are among the Tacoma Art
Museum's other offerings. The 1,800 square-foot Murray Family Event
Space provides space for lectures, film presentations, and performances.
During the warmer months, outdoor performances and events will take
place on the third-floor outdoor terrace.
