Open Art Studio The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Open Art Studio is a place for all museum visitors to make art while at Tacoma Art Museum. This is where visitors make hands-on connections between the art in the galleries and the process of creation. The Open Art Studio is full of art projects and supplies: You can follow one of the five art station’s more structured activities, or you can use the available art materials in whatever way inspires you. The activities are designed to be simple enough for three-year-olds to enjoy, yet complex enough that more experienced artists can take the projects to another level. Supplies include professional artist-quality materials, such as watercolor paint in tubes, high-quality paintbrushes, printing inks, specialized papers, drawing pencils, and more. The Open Art Studio also features stations containing art toolkits focused on artworks currently on display in the museum’s galleries. The activities and stations change with the museum exhibitions (approximately every four months). Several art suitcases filled with art supplies and usage tips for painting, sculpture, jewelry, drawing, and printmaking are also available. Visitors have fun exploring new media, new concepts, and new inspirations in the Open Art Studio. Activities in the Open Art Studio are free with museum admission. The studio is open whenever Tacoma Art Museum is open and is a help-yourself/clean-up-after-yourself art studio staffed by volunteers. Are you interested in volunteering in the Open Art Studio?

Current Open Art Studio Stations

Animal Stories
Anthropomorphism gives non-human creatures, beings and objects human characteristics. It is a recognized literary tool that has been used for centuries in various cultures' story-telling traditions. The art of bookmaking is traceable to the beginning of the written word.  At this station, inspired by the exhibition The Secret Language of Animals, write and illustrate an animal story of your own.

Compose a Collage
Paul Horiuchi, featured in A Concise History of Northwest Art, uses collage as his medium of expression. This station explores the technique of creating a composition by attaching colored and patterned paper, or other similar two-dimensional materials onto a blank surface.

Creature as Muse
Inspired by the current exhibition The Secret Language of Animals, this station explores how artists often use animal forms to represent the relationship between man and nature.  Animals have been an inspiration for artists over the centuries, spanning various art materials and movements. Animals have been both practical tools, crucial to armies and farmers throughout history, and companions that many people come to love. How do you want to depict the animal you choose?

Curate an Exhibition
Have you ever wondered where exhibitions at the museum come from?  Be the curator at this station inspired by each of Tacoma Art Museums' galleries. Take a look through the collection of artworks and compose your own exhibition. 

Paint an Impressionist Landscape
Inspired by the exhibition The Movement of Impressionism: Europe, America and the Northwest, this station celebrates the characteristics of impressionist paintings; using unmixed colors, and an increased emphasis on light and shadow. Select a landscape to recreate and express your perceptions of nature.

 
Artist-in-Residence

The Open Art Studio regularly features local artists as artists-in-residence, working on their own artworks and sharing their knowledge. Featured artists are connected to Tacoma Art Museum’s current exhibitions either by inclusion in an exhibition or by shared techniques.

Gelatin Monoprinting with Artists-in-Residence Ann Darling & Colleen Maloney
Thursday, May 27, 11 am – 3 pm

Back by popular demand! Join Ann & Colleen in the Open Art Studio to learn how to make prints using the unique and fun surface of gelatin. Create greeting cards or pages for handmade books, print on fabric or just create art for art’s sake using this wiggly medium. Free with museum admission, all supplies provided.