City issues 11 grants to Tacoma residents and organizations for art projects
The City of Tacoma’s Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality has awarded 11 Creative Community Engagement Grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 to Tacoma residents and organizations. The funding will be used to support creative projects in the Lincoln District from November 2016 through 2017. The goal is to support creative activity and vibrancy in the Lincoln District, particularly during construction.
“This unique granting program is one of the ways we’re using the arts to support the Lincoln District’s revitalization,” said District 4 Council Member Marty Campbell. “Be on the lookout for more creative activity relating to this over the coming year, starting with the Grand Cinema’s Lincoln Film Festival at Lincoln High School this weekend, featuring short films created by students from Lincoln High School and First Creek Middle School.”
In 2014, Tacoma’s City Council set a strategic objective to focus on development of the Lincoln Business District and neighborhood. As a direct result of this, the Community and Economic Development Department is leading the Lincoln Neighborhood Revitalization Project, which is a focused effort from multiple City departments to strengthen and improve the Lincoln District by investing in four key areas: public safety; economic development, urban design, and community vitality; housing and property conditions; and code compliance and neighborhood beautification. Creative projects and public art are among the City’s strategies for revitalizing the Lincoln District.
Following is a complete list of awarded projects. More information is available at cityoftacoma.org/arts.
Grand Cinema, Lincoln Film Festival
Building on an existing partnership with Lincoln High School, The Grand Cinema Film Club will partner with the Lincoln High School drama program to produce a film festival at Lincoln High School Nov. 17-19, 2016. The film festival will feature short films created by students from Lincoln High School and First Creek Middle School. More information is available at grandcinema.com/events/lincoln-film-festival.
Dionne Bonner, Intersection Mural
Local artist Dionne Bonner will work with Lincoln District residents to design and paint street intersection murals. Bonner hopes the murals will encourage community pride and unity, while also slowing down traffic and promoting a safer pedestrian environment.
Silong Chhun, Short Films Featuring Business Owners
Silong Chhun, a filmmaker based in Tacoma, will create a series of short videos focused on local business owners in the Lincoln District. The series will illuminate their daily routine, background stories, challenges and triumphs. Chhun believes that by putting a human face to businesses in the diverse district, he will encourage others to see that we are all able to coexist and succeed together.
Terese Cuff, Video Installation
Terese Cuff will create a digital media piece inspired by the businesses in the Lincoln District. Cuff will use video and animation to document small movements that collectively paint a portrait of the area. Once complete, this artwork will be projected in the window of a vacant building in the neighborhood, bringing new energy to an otherwise empty space.
Brittani Flowers, Temporary Vertical Garden
Working with local business owners and residents, Brittani Flowers will install upcycled bed frames as vertical hanging gardens in an underutilized alleyway. The garden space will be tended by senior citizens, who can grow their own herbs and vegetables in the planters. Flowers’ hope is that her project will provide a sense of equity, inclusion and empowerment for residents of the Lincoln District.
Erin Guinup, Community Sing-Along
Erin Guinup, a long-time musician and voice coach, will host a free sing-along concert headlined by a professional performer. Guinup’s intent is to create new channels of dialogue in the Lincoln District by bringing people together to sing and unite through music.
Michael Haeflinger, Visual Poetry Project
Michael Haeflinger will work with local youth in the Lincoln District to write and design visual poetry that investigates notions of place, home, community and change. The visual poems will be displayed on and around bus shelters, and translated into multiple languages to reflect the diversity of the district.
Lance Kagey and Brian Hutcheson, Flowercloud
Flowercloud is a collaborative community project that seeks to build enthusiasm and collective creative expression in the Lincoln District. Lance Kagey and Brian Hutcheson, of guerilla art group Beautiful Angle, will create lotuses from corrugated plastic sheeting that will be installed in cloud formations on chain link fences around the neighborhood. The artists will guide residents as they embellish the flowers with colors, patterns and words about how their community is blossoming.
Latinos Unidos, Latino Cultural Celebration
Latinos Unidos is a community group made up of 20 Latino citizens in Tacoma of all ages and backgrounds. They will organize an event at Lincoln High School featuring cultural music and dance. They aim to inspire local Latino youth to lift their voices, and become engaged citizens who are proud of their heritage.
Lisa Kinoshita and Kenji Stoll, SNAP: 100
Artists Lisa Kinoshita and Kenji Stoll will create SNAP: 100, a series of 100 Polaroid portraits with accompanying 100-word interviews, of individuals connected to the Lincoln District. They will photo-document a vivid collection of personalities of all ages, ethnicities, genders and professions, to create a time capsule of the diverse range of stories that make up the neighborhood’s identity today. They hope this project will provide an opportunity for people to learn about, build connections and engage with one another.
Kimberly and Terry Sparks-Wilmer, Screen Printed Lincoln Bags
In response to the upcoming plastic bag ban, Kimberly and Terry Sparks-Wilmer will create reusable cloth bags to distribute for free to Lincoln District residents. Each bag will be screen printed with images of the red lantern street lights that have become historically emblematic of the district.
— City of Tacoma
