The City of Tacoma’s Media and Communications Office – in partnership with the Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality – has released a new episode of artTown, a cultural documentary-style TV initiative exploring Tacoma’s emergence as a major creative hub in the Pacific Northwest.

The new episode spotlights the Hot Shop Heroes program at the Museum of Glass, a partnership with the Warrior Transition Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord designed to help wounded veterans transition back into civilian life; Fiery Jade: Cai Yan, a full-length opera production by Pacific Lutheran University about a Chinese woman poet born in 177 AD at the war-ridden end of the Eastern Han Dynasty; and Creative Colloquy, a group formed by local writer Jackie Fender that encourages writing through a literary website, an annual print review, monthly readings and occasional events. It also explores tattoo artistry around Tacoma, and profiles local artists Marisela Fleites-Lear and Nick Stokes.

Launched in 2013, the series has earned numerous awards and features diverse perspectives on a variety of creative disciplines. Offering a more holistic look at creativity in Tacoma, artTown stretches beyond what people might traditionally think of as “creative” – such as fine art, music or dance – to spotlight other creative areas of interest that have flourished in Tacoma like fashion, innovative education practices, architecture and more.

Online, full episodes of artTown are available at cityoftacoma.org/artTown and the City’s YouTube account. Portions of the show are also available through the City’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. On TV Tacoma, artTown airs on Mondays at noon, Tuesdays at 1 a.m., Wednesdays at 8 a.m., Thursdays at 6 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 5 a.m. It will also be available through Click! ON Demand’s TV Tacoma and TacomaArt & Culture menu listings.

– City of Tacoma