Tacoma Art Museum was founded by a group of volunteers in 1935 and has since grown to become a national model for regional, mid-sized museums. The museum is dedicated to exhibiting and collecting Northwest art, with the mission of connecting people through art. The museum’s permanent collection includes the premier collection of Dale Chihuly’s glass artwork on permanent public display.

Tacoma Art Museum opened its current facility on May 3, 2003, when it moved from a former bank building that was built in 1920. Nearly twice the size of its previous building, Tacoma Art Museum’s new $22-million Antoine Predock-designed structure provides the space to exhibit more of the permanent collection. In designing the building, Predock drew inspiration from the region’s light, its relationship to the water, the neighborhood’s industrial history and character, Mount Rainier, the Thea Foss Waterway, and the surrounding structures in what is now known as the Museum District.

Tacoma Art Museum serves the diverse communities of the Northwest through its collection, exhibitions, and learning programs, emphasizing art and artists from the Northwest. Our vision is to be a national model for regional museums by creating a dynamic museum that engages, inspires, and builds community through art.

Education and Outreach:
Tacoma Art Museum’s interactive school tour programs function as an extension of the classroom. In the museum’s galleries and studios, teachers and students can learn about the works of art on view, exchange ideas, voice opinions, explore how art relates to their own lives and experiences, and discover what's new and compelling about art today.

Because of the museum’s distinctive learning opportunities, Tacoma Art Museum draws students and teachers from a wide geographic range—an area including Pierce, King, Snohomish, Kitsap, Lewis, Thurston, Clark and Mason counties.

Similarly, the museum is dedicated to reaching people from all walks of life. Many of the community outreach programs address socio-economic barriers and neighborhood isolation in Tacoma and Pierce County. In 2007, nearly twenty-five percent of all museum visitors were admitted free-of-charge through various educational and community programs.

Board Members

Jeffrey Atkin: Co-Chair, Collection Committee and Investment Committee, Principal, Kunath, Karren, Rinne & Atkin, LLC

Drew Bamford: Assistant Vice President for User Interface, HTC

Steve Barger: Past President, former President of Northwest Cascade

John Barline: Attorney, Harlowe & Falk LLP

Anthony Chen: Director of Health, Tacoma-Pierce County Department of Health; Clinical Associate Professor, University of Washington

Bill Driscoll: Treasurer, Chair, Finance Committee; Second Vice President, Arts Patron

Andy Fagan: Co-Chair, Investment Committee, Sr. VP & Senior Portfolio Manager, Key Private Bank

Matt Gnau: Regional Brokerage Manager & Sr. VP, Wealth Brokerage Services, Wells Fargo

Stuart Grover: Vice Chair, Finance Committee, Arts Patron

Susan Russell Hall: Co-Chair, Collection Committee, Artist

Steve Harlow: President, Sr. VP, Private Client Advisor, U.S. Trust

Liliane Haub: Arts Patron

Rita Herrera Irvin: First Vice President, Chair, Board Governance Committee; Attorney and Partner, McKinley Irvin

Alice Kaltinick: Arts Patron

Clara Ladd: Arts Patron

Elizabeth Lufkin: Arts Patron

Pam Mayer: Arts Patron

Xan McCallum: Director of Corporate Communications, Weyerhaeuser Company

Jemima McCullum: Attorney, Gordon Thomas Honeywell LLP

Laure Nichols: Secretary, Arts Patron

Neel Parikh: former head of Pierce County Library System

Peter Petrich: Chair, Audit Committee, Attorney, Davies Pearson

Lisa Quigg: Marketing and Public Relations Consultant

Richard Remmert: Production Engineer Manager, Boeing Co.

Gary Severson: Arts Patron

Dianne Stoehr: CPA & Principal, Doty, Beardsley, Rosengren & Co.

Janine Terrano: Chair, Facilities Committee, President & CEO, Topic Technology

Maidee Watson: Co-Chair, Development Committee, President, Watson’s Greenhouse & Nursery

Jeff Williams: Co-Owner, South Sound Property Group

Connie Willis: Co-Chair, Development Committee, Arts Patron

LIFE TRUSTEES

Wendy Griffin: Arts Patron

Richard Moe: Dean Emeritus, Pacific Lutheran University School of Art

William Street:&