Upcoming Exhibitions
Opening 2026
Legacy: Highlights from the Permanent Collection
Opens February 14, 2026
Over the past 90 years, Tacoma Art Museum has developed an important collection of art that spans the Pacific Northwest and beyond. This exhibition offers a unique opportunity to explore some of the most beloved and significant works from the collection while tracing artistic innovation, regional identity, and the ongoing dialogue between Northwest artists and broader American and global art movements. Organized by Tacoma Art Museum and curated by Jessica Wilks.
Project NW
Opens February 14, 2026
Project NW is an artist-led solo exhibition space of focused engagement with regional contemporary art. With an emphasis on artists’ voice and vision, Project NW is dedicated to highlighting the depth and range of artistic expression in the region. Organized by Tacoma Art Museum and curated by Ellen Ito.
Decades in the Making: 10 Years of SOLA Awardees
Opens July 18, 2026
This exhibition marks SOLA’s 10th Anniversary and will celebrate the creative legacies of ten years of SOLA Award recipients — mature women artists whose vision, mastery, and resilience continue to shape Washington’s cultural landscape.
“This exhibition is a tribute to the extraordinary women visual artists across Washington selected by their peers as SOLA Awardees — and to Marge Levy, whose support and dedication makes their greater recognition possible,” said Nichole DeMent, Executive Director of SOLA.
“Marge believed deeply in celebrating artists while they are here to witness it, and this anniversary at TAM brings that vision full circle.”
Founded in 2016 by Marge Levy and Ginny Ruffner, SOLA (Support of Old Lady Artists) uplifts and honors the contributions of mature women artists across Washington State. What began as a single $1,000 award has grown into a statewide movement that includes five annual $5,000
awards, professional Video Spotlights, and a growing digital archive dedicated to preserving these artists’ stories.
December 2025 – March 2026
The One-Two Punch: 100 Years of Robert Colescott
Opens December 5
“But when I get my work up in a gallery, you see this room full of big, sensuous paintings. It’s the first impact that people get. They walk in and say, “Oh wow!” And then, “Oh shit!” when they see what they have to deal with in subject matter. It’s an integrated ‘one-two punch’; it gets them every time.”
—Robert Colescott
This year marks the centennial of the birth of esteemed artist Robert Colescott. In 2025, TAM also celebrates the opening of the permanent space for The Current, An Artist Award. With this convergence, The Current presents The One-Two Punch: 100 Years of Robert Colescott. This monographic exhibition celebrates the timeless work of Colescott, examining his deeply critical art practice and the stylistic transformations across his career. The One-Two Punch: 100 Years of Robert Colescott delves into Colescott’s approach to the figure, looking at the developments of his artistic evolution with a special focus on a provocative and satirical cartoon style he described as “cartoonist-exaggeration.” Significantly, the exhibition explores Colescott’s complicated relationship with race over the course of his lifetime and how it influenced his one-two punch strategy and the works shown. With this presentation, The Current, An Artist Award celebrates Colescott’s lasting impact on Black visual culture as he continues to influence new generations of Black artists to pave their own ways forward. Organized by Tacoma Art Museum and curated by Victoria Miles.