Tacoma Art Museum
About Us:
In May 2003, Tacoma Art Museum opened a new facility twice the size of its previous home, allowing the museum to expand on its vision and mission. The Antoine Predock-designed building, located in the heart of Tacoma’s Cultural District, features flexible exhibition space in a series of galleries that wrap around an open-air interior stone garden. The galleries showcase Tacoma Art Museum’s permanent collection; American, European and Asian art; and traveling national and international exhibitions. The interior reflects the museum’s spirit, from the emphasis on education spaces that are designed to make art accessible to the framed views of Mt. Rainier.
Watch a brief documentary about Tacoma Art Museum, produced by TV Tacoma.
Mission:
Connecting people through art. Tacoma Art Museum serves the diverse communities of the Northwest through its collection, exhibitions and learning programs, emphasizing art and artists from the Northwest.
History:
Founded in November 1935 as the Tacoma Art Association, the museum has since moved to five separate locations: the Jones Hall Tower at the University of Puget Sound, 742 Broadway (between a state liquor store and a Christian bookshop), a former jailhouse at 621 Pacific Avenue, a vacant Bank of Washington building at 1123 Pacific Avenue, and now 1701 Pacific Avenue. The museum was founded and run by volunteers until the 1970s, and it still receives outstanding community support today.
