TWO MUST-SEE EXHIBITS ENDING IN TWO WEEKS at Tacoma Art Museum

Roger Shimomura, Classmates #1, 2007. Acrylic on canvas, 24 × 36 inches. Collection of Tilman Smith, Seattle, WA.

With the sudden change in the weather here in the Northwest, we are reminded that nothing lasts forever, including summer and two excellent exhibits at the Tacoma Art Museum closing on September 13, 2015.

One of these two exhibits, An American Knockoff, features 53 paintings and prints by Seattle native Roger Shimomura. His distinctive style shows influences of both vintage American comic book art and traditional Japanese woodblock prints and provokes thought on topics such as racial stereotypes, politics, and personal identity. 

Shimomura's family was incarcerated at the Minidoka Relocation Center during World War II and in his lifetime he has experienced presumptions about himself based on his ethnicity, including having others believe him to be a foreigner when he is an American citizen and shares their American culture. All of these feelings have informed his art. The exhibit was organized by the Museum of Art at Washington State University, Pullman, Washington. 

The other soon-to-be-gone exhibit is Partners in Northwest Art: Selections from the Aloha Club Collection at TAM. The Aloha Club's roots go back to 1892 when it began as a women's study club. Now this Tacoma institution promotes the development of Northwest artists and supports and encourages participation in the city's cultural life. In 1971, the club donated its collection of important works by Northwest artists to Tacoma Art Museum in order to give more people the opportunity to see the pieces the club began to acquire in 1948. This exhibit includes 21 pieces from the collection.

Why not end summer and celebrate September's arrival by visiting Tacoma Art Museum before these outstanding exhibits leave? You will be glad you did. The museum is located at 1701 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA, 98402. 

HOURS – Tuesdays–Sundays 10 am–5 pm

ADMISSION – Adult $14; Student age 6-17, Military, Senior (65+) $12; Family $35 (2 adults and up to 4 children under 18).

Children 5 and under free. Third Thursdays free from 5–8 pm. Members always free.

CONTACT – 253-272-4258, http://www.TacomaArtMuseum.org

Note: Active-duty members of the military and their families can still take advantage of the Blue Star Museums program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, but only through September 7, 2015.  

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