During the month of December, visitors 6 – 18 years of age get FREE admission to the Tacoma Art Museum.  Kids under 5 are always FREE. 

Brett Willis, president of the museum’s Board of Trustees said:  “Our Museum is a safe place where children and their families can come together to explore, think creatively, and build stronger connections, all through art.”

The museum’s permanent collection includes a rotating display of pieces of Northwest Art, Glass, Studio Art Jewelry, Works on Paper, Japanese Woodblock Prints, and European Painting and Sculpture.

Additionally, there are a number of special exhibits on display:

• Oasis: Western Dreams of the Ottoman Empire from the Dahesh Museum of Art
• What Is a Trade? Donald Fels and Signboard Painters of South India
• The Surrealist Impulse: New Acquisitions from the Tacoma Art Museum Collection
• Speaking Parts: Conversations between Works in the Collection

Put a little art into your holidays plans with a visit to the Tacoma Art Museum!

Location:  Tacoma Art Museum, 1701 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma (map it)

Date & Times:  Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 5pm, Third Thursdays till 8pm, and Sunday noon – 5pm.

Admission:  $7.50 adults, $6.50 military, and seniors (65+), and for the month of December, all youth admitted FREE.  Third Thursdays are FREE for everyone.

Photo credit:  flickr

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Post from: The Seattle Traveler

Orientalism art (example at right) is generally thought to include rich detail and lush colors depicting things based on fact, but often romanticized or combined with fantasy.  This works presented explore important historical and cultural aspects of this part of the world (Turkey, Greece, the middle East, and parts of North Africa) as developed through its art.

Early Orientalist paintings served the purpose of propaganda supporting French imperialism in this part of the world.  Others served as a record of customs and fashion of the region and era.  Eventually, Orientalism included scenes of every day life, historical events, and religion.

Art lovers may have seen some of the Orientalism style in works by Renoir, Matisse, Delacroix, and Klee.

This exhibition includes approximately 60 works, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, prints and drawings.  It is a companion exhibit to Napoleon on the Nile: Soldiers, Artists, and the Rediscovery of Egypt, on view at the Frye Art Museum through January 4, 2009.

Location:  Tacoma Art Museum, 1701 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma (map it)

Date & Times:  This exhibit runs through January 4th, 2009.  The museum is open Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 5pm, Third Thursdays till 8pm, and Sunday noon – 5pm.

Admission:  $7.50 adults, $6.50 students, military, and seniors (65+), children 5 and under are FREE.  Family admission, covering two adults and up to 4 children is $25.  Third Thursdays are FREE.

Photo credit:  wikimedia, public domain

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Post from: The Seattle Traveler

This is the only handwritten and illuminated Bible commissioned in over 500 years — since the advent of the printing press, and was created in the tradition of medieval handwritten manuscripts.

The calligraphy was done with goose-feather quills writing on vellum sheets created from calf skin.  The painting was done with hand ground minerals and stones, and included silver, copper, and gold.  To the extent that it was possible, the Bible was created with material and processes that replicate the way it would have been done during medieval times.

Theologians and consultants from a variety of faith helped to direct the interpretation of the scripture through illustrations, and you’ll find imagery represent Eastern and Western religious traditions, along with influence from Native American culture.

Only a portion of the Bible will be on display, as it is still a work in progress.  The entire project is not expected to be completed for another year.  When complete, it will consist of seven 1,150 pages bound in seven volumes, each volume approximately two feet tall and three feet wide.  It will be permanently housed at Saint John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minnesota.

An interesting Washington connection to this exhibit is the work of Suzanne Moore, a Vashon Island artist.  She was one of three American artists who work on the project.  Two of her illuminated pages will be on display.

Location:  1701 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma (map it)

Dates & Times:  July 12th – September 7th, 2008.  Tuesday – Saturday 10 am-5 pm, with third Thursday of each month open till 8 pm; Sunday noon-5 pm.  Closed on Mondays, except for holidays.

Admission:  Adults $7.50; Students, Military, and Seniors (65+) $6.50; Children 5 and under FREE.  Family plan $25 (two adults and up to four children under 18).  Third Thursday of each month are FREE.

Image credit:  Used with permission of Tacoma Art Museum

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Post from: The Seattle Traveler