ARTWALK

The child and I created our own art walk over the past few days. We visited galleries and installations in various neighborhoods of Tacoma.

MUSEUM DISTRICT

Our fourth stop was Tacoma's Museum District. The child and I enjoy wandering about the sidewalks, ramps, bridges, and stairs that surround Tacoma Art Museum, Museum of Glass, Washington State History Museum, and the waterfront. We do this on a regular basis. On this visit we stopped by William Traver Gallery, Union Station, and the UWT Library to look at pieces of glass art by Dale Chihuly.


(1) Drawings by Dale Chihuly at William Traver Gallery.



Clockwise from upper left: (2) William Traver Gallery sign on the historic Albers Mill building; (3) one "room" of the gallery; (4) a Chihuly basket set; (5) Chihuly cylinders and an inspirational drawing for the same.


(6) Drawings by Dale Chihuly at Union Station.



Clockwise from upper left: (7) the Monarch Window at Union Station; (8) End of the Day Chandelier and Lackawana Ikebana; (9) Basket Drawing Wall; (10) Water Reeds.


(11) Chinook Red Chandelier at UWT Library.

Dale Chihuly is a Tacoma native and has bestowed a generous amount of his art to public installations in the south Puget Sound region, especially Tacoma. He has an equal amount of vehement attackers and defenders—many people either love or hate him and his work. I seem to fall somewhere in the middle. I am not a rabid fan of his work, but I definitely see the beauty and artistry in it.

I have seen the Union Station pieces and the Chinook Red Chandelier on many previous occasions, as well as the Bridge of Glass. Therefore, I was especially interested in what the Chihuly exhibition at Traver Gallery was going to have on display. My favorite pieces were the drawings and paintings that influence and inspire the glass art. They are so vibrant and alive. I find it interesting to discover elements of the drawings that I have seen embodied in sculptural glass pieces. I also liked that Traver Gallery displayed the drawings in a presentation that was similar to that of those displayed in Union Station.

I was also intrigued by a turquoise colored set of baskets. They felt so different to me in color and feel from most of Chihuly's other work. It was refreshing to see something that I had not seen before.

The child and I also made sure that we stopped by the Venetian Wall, Crystal Towers, and Seaform Pavilion of the Bridge of Glass to ensure that we had viewed all of the Chihuly we could view for free during a short walk in the Museum District.

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[Artwalk 1 - Theater District]
[Artwalk 2 - Convention Center/Central Downtown]
[Artwalk 3 - University of Washington, Tacoma]
[Artwalk 5 - Antique Row & Hilltop]