Tacoma Art Galleries, Museums, Supplies & More

Best art galleries Tacoma museums supplies classes your area

We are all about to dive deep into everything about art in Tacoma and our opening section will fully cover the best art galleries and museums near you.

Up next we will discuss a variety of other topics like local art supply stores, events, festivals, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures and statues, art classes, studios for rent, and the top frame shops in your area.

If you are searching for any specific section you can jump straight to it by using the table of contents on the left and we will also be sharing a Tacoma art map with all of the various venues we mention throughout the post pinned on it.

Anyone that is looking for info on the full Seattle metro area can find it at that link.

Best Art Galleries & Museums In Tacoma

If you want to visit the best art galleries and museums in Tacoma you can go to:

At the Tacoma Art Museum which is open from 10am to 5pm Wednesday through Sunday and until 8pm on Thursday there are over 5,000 works of art on display and many of them have a Pacific Northwest theme. The pieces in their collection range from the late 18th Century to modern times and USA Today has even named them as one of the “Top 10 Great Places to See Art in Smaller Cities”. Educational programs for teachers and students along with after school programs also take place at TAM.

Some would tell you that the Museum of Glass is the most active museum glass studio on the West Coast and every year over a hundred thousand people visit. They blow glass daily live for the visitors and every Friday they give out 100 free admission tickets to small family groups plus they are active in annual events that include the Northwest Glass Fest, the Fire and Ice Festival, and the Iittala Bird Lover’s Weekend. Head over from 10am to 5pm Wednesday through Sunday to see all that they have on display and to watch them do their thing.

The Throwing Mud Gallery is another gallery that focuses on local artists around the Pacific Northwest as they exhibit a great collection of pottery while also offering pottery classes for adults in the morning from 10am to 12:30pm and at night from 6pm to 8:30pm. They also provide pottery painting programs for all ages.

The B2 Gallery African Empire Collection is loaded with a rare collection of African works that are often from West Africa. They can also help with custom framing, restorations, and private sales and B2 Gallery is open from 11am to 5pm Tuesday through Saturday.

Materials & Supplies Near You

When you need some new materials or supplies go to local art stores like:

The TAM Store is part of the Tacoma Art Museum where you can find all kinds of art supplies, handmade jewelry, toys for kids, and more.

Tinkertopia takes reusable materials that we throw away and refurbishes them into unique arts and crafts supplies for kids, instructors, and creators plus they put on workshops and host field trips and private parties for children.

There are over 10,000 available items at the Clay Art Center. If you want to buy or sell a used kiln they are the place to go and they also repair broken kilns while selling brand new ones too.

Shows & Events

There are some really cool annual art shows and events in your area:

We mentioned them earlier but the Museum of Glass is going to be a big part of this section as well. The Fire and Ice Festival takes place every year from the Third Thursday in November until the end of the year when there will be a bunch of themed activities, demonstrations, and performances for all to enjoy.

Glass Fest Northwest is another event they host along with the Tacoma Art Museum each July where there will be people blowing glass, all kinds of demonstrations, music, food, drinks, and hands-on activities.

The last event that the Museum of Glass is affiliated with is the Iittala Bird Lovers’ Weekend each October. Iittala is a Finnish glass blower who is known around the world and you can watch them create unique glass birds in the museum’s Hot Shop.

The Dí­a de los Muertos Festival which is also known as the Day of the Dead Festival is put on by the Tacoma Art Museum every November. Expect to see all kinds of unique Mexican art on display as well as traditional food, music, dancing, and more.

In the Spirit: Northwest Native Arts Market and Festival is one of the largest Native American art events in the region and each August the Washington State History Museum plays host to this event and the art market in your area is loaded with cool stuff you can buy.

Art Dealers & Appraisers

When you want to buy something new or learn the real value of something in your collection you can go to art dealers and appraisers near you like:

Proctor Art Gallery provides works made by regional and local artists in a wide variety of mediums plus they have a layaway program and you can pay via installments if necessary.

B2 Fine Art Gallery from our best Tacoma museums list also sells art and offer art appraisals.

Walking Tours

If you are reading this on a sunny day why not go on an art walking tour:

Every Third Thursday from 4pm to 7pm you can check out the Tacoma Artwalk to see creative works from artists around the city on display and to enjoy live music, food vendors, and an art market.

On that same Third Thursday you can walk from one place to another in the museum district where the local museums will offer free or discounted admission.

Every Saturday you can meet at the Museum of Glass store as the staff there takes groups along the Thea Foss Waterway and fills you in on the art and architecture in town.

Sculptures & Statues

Framing art supply stores Tacoma lessons near you studios

Another good way to enjoy nice weather would be to check out some of these statues and sculptures in your area:

  • Proper Role of Man & Fish Statue at 2306 N 30th St
  • Statue of Earthquake Hero Kid at N I St
  • The Family at West End at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
  • New Beginnings by Larry Anderson at the Federal Courthouse

You can find the Proper Role of Man and Fish Statue just outside of Slavonian Hill in Old Town. Larry Anderson created that one as well as the Statue of Earthquake Hero Kid which was dedicated back in the early 2000’s.

Clare Shaver created The Family which is located at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium.

Larry Anderson was a busy man as he also was the mastermind of New Beginnings which you can find at the Federal Courthouse.

Tacoma Art Classes

Whether you are trying to find lessons for kids or adults some of the best Tacoma art schools and classes can be found at:

There are more than 30 art workshops near you at Dazed and Reused Artworks which include painting, clay sculpting, jewelry making, and more. They host paint and sip parties, private events, and have paint party club memberships for adults 18 or over while members get free studio time and discounts on classes.

Jewelry making and metalsmithing are the focus of the Tacoma Metal Arts Center who has classes for adults 18 or over and have a studio on site that you can use.

Glassblowing, flameworking, mosaics, and fusion are some of the skills the instructors at Hilltop Artists can teach you plus they offer school classes for kids 12 and up as well as local summer glass art classes.

Open Arts Studio has classes for drawing and painting, pottery, beading, sewing, and plenty more. They have day or night classes for adults, summer camps for kids, and homeschool programs.

Museum of Glass from our main list also offer classes for all ages.

Studios For Rent Near You

When you are ready to start your next project you can rent art studio space at:

Tacoma Metal Arts Center from the local art school list might also have studio space for rent.

Framing

Some of the top shops for art framing in Tacoma are:

There are a variety of ready made frames and mats in all kinds of styles and sizes at Artco Crafts and Framing who gives free estimates on custom framing and can help with canvas stretching or conservation framing.

Some of the available services at Tacoma Frame Makers include custom framing, picture hanging and installation, fine art reproduction printing, and fine art restorations.

Other places we have listed throughout this post that also do custom framing include B2 Fine Art Gallery, Hobby Lobby, and Michaels.

Just so you know we have also written about:

Have Fun Enjoying The Tacoma Art Scene

Well, we tried to cover the full art scene near you to the best of our abilities. We listed the best galleries, museums, events, shows, supply stores, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures, classes, studios, and framers in your area.

If you made it this far you probably love the local art as much as we do. You can let us know about any of your own tips and tricks in the comments at the end of the post, or please also let us know if we got anything wrong or if anything we posted is no longer relevant.

Have fun going to the galleries, museums, buying supplies, or doing anything that has to do with art in Tacoma!

Related Posts:

Author Avatar

This post and all of the posts on our site are edited by Dan Soloman who has been a huge fan of art since he was a little kid. His mother was a good local artist, and she taught him the trade from a very early age. He studied art and its history in both high school and college, has worked at multiple galleries, and recently has begun creating and editing online content for this site and some other online media platforms.

FacebookPinterest

Leave a Comment