We Art Tacoma: Recent Episodes
Channel 253
Jamika and Katy are back in the host chairs, excited to learn from dindria of the Tacoma Public Library’s Community Archives Center.
From left to right, Jamika, dindria, and Katy in the recording studio
dindria and the Tacoma Public Library team are collecting stories and oral histories through the Community Archives Center. From the website:
For more than fifty years, scholars and archivists have illuminated a significant problem with the American historical record: missing from it are the experiences of our marginalized and underrepresented communities. Their histories have not just been excluded from the historical record – they have been actively suppressed. In response, archives are being formed around the core values of social justice. There remains an urgent need to preserve and make accessible the histories of communities that are missing from archives and to reshape the historical record.
The Tacoma Community Archives Center was established to begin addressing the gaps and silences existing in the local history record through a community-driven, participatory process. In August 2021, the project was awarded a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services. Over the next two years, the Tacoma Public Library will partner with the community on digitization, oral history, and storytelling projects aimed at moving our city toward a more inclusive historical record.
dindria, Jamika, and Katy discussed the exciting, upcoming Hilltop Story Fest, happening Saturday, May 6, 2023, 11 am – 3 pm at the Tacoma Community House.
Here’s what you have to look forward to at Hilltop Story Fest:
- Share your story and add to the Community Archives Center digital archive:record a short oral history (any language welcome!) about your life in Tacoma.
- Bring a special family photograph, document, or recipe that helps tell your story and have it scanned at our Digitization Station.
- View highlights from the Northwest Room’s local history collections related to the area.
- Participate in a gallery walk answering questions about Hilltop on paper.
- Engage in a virtual story map.
- Enjoy stories from local artists.
- Kids of all ages are invited to create their own comic book.
Shout outs and topics include: dindria barrow, community storytelling, Hilltop Story Fest, Tacoma Community Archives Center, poetry, spoken word, stand-up comedy, Hilltop neighborhood, Eastside neighborhood, South End neighborhood, Salishan neighborhood, Hilltop Artists, First Creek Middle School, Tacoma Public Library, Institute for Museum and Library Services, Kenya Adams, Tacoma Colored Women’s Club, Dr. Nettie J. Ashberry, Helen Stafford, City of Tacoma’s Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality, Hilltop History Plaques, lore, myth, nostalgia, resiliency, truth-telling, Boss Mama’s Kitchen, Grit City, Since I Been Down, Dr. Gilda Sheppard, cross-age learning, mentorship, teaching, middle-schoolers, kleenex, youth voice, journaling, anxiety, Mt. Tahoma High School, Stadium High School, The Cave at PLU, 24-hour coffee shops, Alma, Parable
Special shout-out to the lovely artwork memorializing producer Doug’s dog (that distracted us in the studio)!
The “Off the Record” podcast is normally available exclusively for Channel 253 members. But this was a special enough episode we wanted to publish it widely.
If you appreciate this interview with Gregory Youtz about The Tacoma Method opera, please consider joining Channel 253 as a member.
Links* Gregory Youtz * The Tacoma Method opera * Channel 253 membership
Eden Redmond is the Institutional Giving Manager and one of the representatives of TAM WU: Tacoma Arts Museum Workers United. She graciously educates the We Art Tacoma team on the importance of union recognition and...
Jamika and Katy talk with Grit City Magazine publisher and writer Sierra Hartman. Sierra and his publishing partner Sara Kay received the Amocat Art Award for Arts Patron. Sierra shares the trials and joys of...
Jamika and Katy talk with author and community builder Tamiko Nimura about her well-earned Amocat Art Award for Community Outreach by an Individual. We explore her incredible literary and historical work, and “wax rhapsodic”! Listen...
Jamika and guest host Hannah Devine interview community-builder and all-ages music advocate Tom Long! Tom Long represents Real Art Tacoma, the Amocat Award Winner for Community Outreach by an Organization. Tom is the president of...
Jamika and Katy sit down with the incredible Chevi Chung – actor, director, and Community Programs Specialist at the Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality for the City of Tacoma – to learn what we...
Jamika and Katy sit down with the incredible Chevi Chung – actor, director, and Community Programs Specialist at the Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality for the City of Tacoma – to learn what we...
We jump back in with Nakanee Monique and they kick us off with a reading of part 2 of her epic poem Listen. Take some time to read the full poem, included below. Tacoma-based writer...
The first of a two-part series, Jamika and Katy talk with Tacoma-based writer and activist Nakanee Monique about her art and activism. Nakanee (she/they) has been writing poetry since they were 8 years old and...
Jamika and Katy turn to the art of the essay for healing, processing, and metabolizing grief, as our community and country faces compounding trauma and tragedy. “Joy is not the opposite of grief. Grief is...
Jamika and Katy get together with elder-in-training Amy McBride: City of Tacoma Arts Administrator, artist, creatrix, mystic, and witch! Amy shares her experiences from over 20 years in arts administration and creative community building, and what...
We Art Tacoma is back, baby, with some fresh new hosts! It’s Jamika and Katy, at your cultural service! Jamika Scott and Katy Evans are delighted to take the helm as “art super fans.” In...
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Tacoma marketed itself in a variety of ways, including song. Several songs, such as “You’ll Like Tacoma,” and “Watch Tacoma Grow,” were aimed to be catchy jingles for...
This episode, Rosemary Ponnekanti is back for a record third time in 2020 to talk about a new project—Tacoma Light Trail, a festival/walk/driving tour of light centered around downtown Tacoma. From Wright Park to Dock...
Michael. Liang of Spaceworks Tacoma is back on the podcast to talk about what’s happening with Tacoma’s artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs. He also shares some resources for shopping local this holiday season. Enjoy! Links Spaceworks...
David Fischer, Executive Director of Tacoma Arts Live, joins the podcast to talk about how TAL has been navigating the pandemic, virtual shows (such as The Muse Hour with Karamo Brown on Saturday October 17)...
David Setford, Executive Director of Tacoma Art Museum, joins the podcast to talk about reopening plans at TAM on October 9 and what he sees going forward at museums in general. Tacoma Art Museum will...
Two guests join the podcast today to talk about Tacoma Ocean Fest. Executive Director Rosemary Ponnekanti talks about the origins of Tacoma Ocean Fest’s unique blend of art and science. She also shares how the...
Dr. Kimberly Keith joins the podcast to talk about Hilltop Artists, which teaches youth to blow glass and a whole lot more. The organization was recently honored as the Washington State Organization of the Year....
The doors to the Grand Cinema have been closed since March, but that doesn’t mean everything has stopped. Executive Director Philip Cowan talks about how you can stream new movies through the Grand, their online...
Christina Butcher is the founder of Blue Cactus Press, a small Tacoma-based press that focuses on poetry, fiction, and essays. She shares how she ventured into Tacoma’s literary and books arts scene to create books...
Creative Colloquy has been going strong for six years now with regular events for writers of all sorts. During the pandemic, they’ve adapted to virtual hangouts every Monday night at 7:00. Jackie Casella and Jonny...
Michelle Matlock is originally from Tacoma, but her career took her far. She wrote, acted, and produced her own shows in New York. She learned clowning and circus arts and eventually created a character for...
Ingrid Barrentine joins the podcast to talk about her photography. She got the photo-bug at 19 as a hobbyist and managed to create a professional career as a photographer. For Channel 253 this week, she...
Amy McBride, of the City of Tacoma’s Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality, joins the podcast to talk about how arts organizations and artists are doing in Tacoma during the COVID-19 pandemic, and some of...
Writer Tamiko Nimura joins the podcast today to talk about her life as a writer, writing the biography of State Senator Rosa Franklin, the first African-American woman to serve in the Washington State Senate. We...
The You’ll Heart Tacoma sign has been making the rounds around Tacoma. It’s a mashup of the classic You’ll Like Tacoma sign from 1909 and the new 253 Heart. On this episode we dig into...
The cast and director of Oleanna join the podcast to talk about the new show at Tacoma Arts Live. The play reinvestigates a script from thirty years ago that tells the story of sexual harassment...
Once a year, the We Art Tacoma podcast geeks out on movies. This year’s guests are Chase Hutchinson and Andrew Hammond. Chase writes for The News Tribune on film and other topics. Andrew is a...
Artist Lisa Kinoshita kicked off an important discussion on Facebook when she wrote, TACOMA (POP. 213,418) NEEDS AN ARTS CRITIC.” And what a dialog ensured! I sat down with Rosemary Ponnekanti, the last full-time art...
David Fischer, Executive Director of Tacoma Arts Live, sits down to look back at the year in Tacoma arts and then look ahead to First Night! First Night buttons are $14 through December 30 and...
Sara Kay and Sierra Hartman talk about Grit City Magazine, the independent magazine that “believes Tacoma has good stories.” Sarah and Sierra have been behind the magazine since it was founded in 2017. The produce...
After graduating Foss High School, Umi went to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. When he returned to Tacoma, he co-founded the store ETC Tacoma and the etcetera line of streetwear....
John Falskow, music professor at Tacoma Community College, joins the show to talk about a series of holiday (and not-holiday) shows around Tacoma, including the free TCC Orchestra concert and a fun event called “Tuba...
Singer songwriter Paige Hansen joins the podcast to talk about her musical background as a singer songwriter, her time as a jazz DJ at KNKX, and more. Links Paige Hansen on Facebook Paige Hansen on...
Lance Kagey and Tom Llewellyn have been behind the guerilla art project “Beautiful Angle” since the early 2000s. I was glad for the chance to talk to them more about their project, the origins of...
What is TUPAC? (By which we mean the Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center and not the rapper). TUPAC help kids who are racially and socioeconomically diverse get access to classical art forms like ballet. An...
Victoria Ashley joins the podcast to talk about her work as an actor as well as the upcoming show “Shakespeare in Love” opening this weekend at Tacoma Arts Live. The play is based on the...
Silong Chhun is a man of many artistic talents—music, audio, graphic design, film. He’s also a booster of Tacoma arts, having recently served on the Tacoma Arts Commission. Check out the new episode! Links Silong...
For this week’s episode, Melinda Raebyne and David Dinnell sit down to talk about film in Tacoma and the upcoming Tacoma Film Festival (October 3 – 10). Melinda’s new film is Stories of Us: Camp...
The Gritty City Sirens burlesque troupe likes to say that they put the T and A in Tacoma. Two performers, Rosie Cheex and Ava D Jor, share their story about how they got into burlesque,...
Poet Michael Haeflinger joins the podcast to talk about the nonprofit Write 253 and his new book of poems Low Static Rage. At the end of the poem, he reads a poem from it about...
In the early 1980s, Andy Warhol submitted a piece of art to the City of Tacoma. It would make the roof of the building a giant flower. It wasn’t a winning entry, but the idea...
This week’s episode of We Art Tacoma is with Native American glass artist Preston Singletary, who has an exhibit called Raven and the Box of Daylight at the Museum of Glass. Preston is a legend...
Kareem Kandi joins the show to talk about his life in jazz music. From teaching 40 music lessons a week to performing to teaching to managing a nonprofit, Kareem has his hands full. Links The...
Dan Friday comes on the podcast today to talk about his glass art and the Saturday August 10 “In the Spirit” Northwest Native Festival. Dan’s glass piece Full Circle Totem won the “Spirit of the...
The delightful Kim Archer joins the podcast this week to talk about how music brought her to Tacoma, the concert series she helps produce every summer, and her new work. Enjoy! Links Kim Archer Old...
Did you know there’s a local film production company in Tacoma called Zombie Orpheus? And that the team behind it has been making movies and web series here since 2002? And that they just raised...
Bill Heeter is a collector of animation cels from The Simpsons. These hand-drawn cels are put together for the public for at Tacoma Art Museum for the first Simpsons animation exhibit in the US! On...
Nicole Rathburn is the artist hired to create public art based on the novel Dune by Tacoma native Frank Herbert. She talks about what it was like to create a sculpture based on the book...
Micahel Liang of Spaceworks Tacoma joins the podcast this week. He shares his background in the arts and as a park ranger for the National Parks service. His love of art and the natural world...
This episode, we are joined by the Abby E. Murray, the current Tacoma Poet Laureate. Talking to Abby was a delight the whole way through. This wide-ranging interview goes from the work Abby does teaching...
Did you read the blog post in The Stranger by Charles Mudede? He writes: Something has clearly shifted in the way Tacoma and Seattle are perceived at the level of the arts. My point: As...
Mindy Barker joins the podcast to talk about how her background in decorative painting led her to murals. She has several murals around Tacoma, which we talk about, as well as her love for the...
Tacoma Arts Live is hosting a production of the award-winning (and hilarious) play “Art” at the Theater on the Square. Director Brett Carr sits down on the podcast to talk about what it’s like to...
Conductor and musical director Sarah Ioannides joins the podcast to talk about Symphony Tacoma’s May 11 program which brings together Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (including Ode to Joy) with “In Hopes of Finding the Sun,” a...
Wayzgoose–a letterpress and book arts extravaganza–is in its 15th year. This family-friendly event is at Kings Books and features a steamroller press, a “print your t-shirt” booth, and many letterpress and book art vendors and...
On this episode of We Art Tacoma, sculptor Gustavo Martinez talks about his background, teaching, and (of course) his art, which includes a variety of fascinating styles and inspirations. Links Gustavo’s website Fear not, there...
Chandler O’Leary joins the podcast today to talk about her book, “The Best Coast.” The book is an impressive achievement—it’s entirely illustrated atlas of the west coast. That means the hundred maps, several hundred locations,...
Meet Steve LaBerge. Originally from Minnesota who now makes his home in Tacoma where he has one foot in his day job (insurance) and another foot in fantastical, whimsical art. Steve talks about his projects...
Erin Guinup started the Tacoma Refugee Choir as a way to welcome immigrants and refugees to our community. This innovative singing group is made up of both refugees and longtime residents. Bringing together Tacomans, new...
The Tacoma Night Market is a legit phenomenon that draws thousands (really) of shoppers. Leah talks about how they founded the night market, and Gretchen, a jewelry-maker shares how it’s supporting her work. Links Tacoma...
Jeff and Adrienne started with a stack of reclaimed wood. They turned that wood into some amazing pieces of furniture and built a business creating bookcases, tables, and more. Now with a fabulous workshop space...
Film buffs Katy Evans and Jamika Scott will be co-hosting the VIP Room at the Grand’s Film Awards Party (where they will be screening the Oscars, just to be clear). They sit down in the...
Dani Shepherd works at the Tacoma School District and consults with FabLab Tacoma. She is fascinated by digital art platforms and has worked with laser cutters, 3D printers, video games, and more. These tools are...
If you’ve been near the corner of South Tacoma Way and Pacific Ave in the last week or so, you’ve likely seen a monster emerging from the ground. Gertie’s Ghost is a 40,000-lb steel sculpture...
This episode we sit down with Ms. Monkey and the Great Ape (wait, let us check that.). Yes, that is who we talk to. They are two of the anonymous monkeyshine artists behind a Tacoma...
Jackie Casella comes onto the podcast to talk about Creative Colloquy, a monthly literary gathering that has been around for the last five years. The next event is Monday, January 21, at 7:00 pm at...
Rock Hushka has been at Tacoma Art Museum for 17 years. He’s been there for three expansions of the museum, most recently with the opening of the Rebecca and Jack Benaroya Wing. Rock joins the...
Andrew Fry has been singing and dancing his way across stages in Tacoma for years. A frequent cast member at Tacoma Musical Playhouse and Tacoma Little Theatre, he is now starring as Ebenezer Scrooge in...
Gerard Morris, Maestro of the Tacoma Concert Band, and Steven Neshyba, dancer and singer at Puget Sound Revels, visit the podcast to talk about two Tacoma holiday performances. They share their own background with the...
Angela and Daniel, owners of Crescent Moon Gifts on 6th Avenue, join host Amanda Westbrooke to talk about their newest project, “Wonderful Weekend of Wizardry” this weekend at the Hotel Murano. Think “Harry Potter Con.” Expect...
Artist Chris Paul Jordan grew up on the Hilltop. He started working as an artist when he was 14. Since then he’s been active in studio art, public art, activism, and now film. In 2014...
Artist Lynn Di Nino, named the 2017 Artist of the Year by Governor Inslee, has been active in the Tacoma art scene for many years. She shares her Tacoma story and the story of her...
David Fischer, Executive Director of the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, Tacoma Arts Live, comes on the show to talk about some new developments in Tacoma’s theater district. A new name, a rehabilitated Pantages...
Ksenia Popova has been training to sing opera since she was 14. What’s the difference between opera and musical theater? How does it connect to modern audiences? And why is Lucia di Lammermoor (at Tacoma Opera...
Local author Tom Llewellyn joins this episode of We Art Tacoma to talk about his writing, Nazis, a certain wheat-paste poster series, and what inspired him to write about a wish-granting imp. His newest book...
Welcome to the first episode of a new podcast about the arts in Tacoma. In this episode we preview the Tacoma Studio Tour (part of Tacoma Arts Month) and get to know two Tacoma artists—Jasmine...