AMOCAT Arts Awards
The AMOCAT
Arts awards recognize those in our community who provide
distinctive contributions to the arts. The
honorees work hard to support and build our community by innovating in
artistic excellence. AMOCAT award recipients are
nominated and selected by the Tacoma Arts Commission.
The three categories for recognition are Community Outreach by an
Artist, Community Outreach by an Organization, and Arts Patron. Each
exhibit vision,
dedication, and action in creating a lively arts community in Tacoma.
2008 Community Outreach by an Artist award -
Linda Danforth
Tacoma
jewelry artist Linda Danforth specializes in one-of-a-kind and
limited-edition pieces, often using gemstones from her travels
around the world. Her jewelry is found locally at Dame
Lola and SAVI Day Spa, and at various other boutiques and spas.
About two years ago Linda downsized her housing
"footprint" and went in search of an affordable studio
in which to move her jewelry business. Finding nothing available at the
price she'd hoped for and figuring other people must be having the same
problem, she opened the Jet Artist Cooperative on the UW Tacoma campus
to welcome other artists in need of low-cost studio space. The space
filled up immediately and six months later, she opened the Broadway
Artist Cooperative at the other end of town. Both studios are
open-concept with the mission to provide affordable workspace and
support for artists.
More recently, Linda has mixed her jewelry design and business skills with
her other passion for global poverty alleviation through
micro-entrepreneur programs. Linda taught jewelry making
to girls at the Hèrè jè Center in
Mali,
West Africa, a program of the Schillios Development Foundation of which Linda
is a huge fan. After spending time at the Hèrè jè training
facility, Linda traveled around
Mali
and stumbled upon a women's cooperative that inspired her. Women at
this cooperative paid 40 cents a month to be able to use equipment at
the facility - sewing machines, candle making equipment and jewelry
tools - to help them support their families.
After returning home she hoped she'd find a model in the
U.S.
that she could propose to copy in
Tacoma
. Finding nothing quite like it, she built an advisory board to develop
a plan anyway. One year ago this month,
Tacoma Art Place
opened - our own non-profit art facility to bring affordable access to
art equipment to the community for creative pleasure or a business
effort.
Tacoma Art Place
hopes to be sustainable with volunteer support from the community
and to provide support for artists and aspiring artists for years to
come.
Contact:
www.TacomaArtPlace.org
info@TacomaArtPlace.org
253.238.1006
www.JetArtistCooperative.com
www.BroadwayArtistCooperative.com
2008 Community Outreach by an Organization award - King's Books
King’s Books is tyrannically run by two felines: Miko is more prone to
the visual arts and Harriet is more inclined to the literary. With
this dual focus, the bookstore strives to be a community center for
arts. To this end, they work with community organizations to host a
wide variety of events to highlight the various communities of
Tacoma
.
King’s Books showcases the letterpress and book arts community with
such annual events as the Wayzgoose festival and the Book Arts Auction. Working
with publishers and the local poetry community, they host frequent
author and poetry readings. King’s Books also seeks to foster a
culture of word nerds with such events as the annual Spelling Bee and
the Smartest Person In Tacoma Contest. Intellectual freedom and the
freedom to read are celebrated with annual events around Banned Books
Week. Lastly, the bookstore provides a venue for discussions of
politics and peace.
King’s
Books also partners with public schools on events to raise money, for
both school activities and school libraries, and to foster the next
generation of readers.
Contact:
King’s Books
218 St. Helens Avenue
253.272.8801
www.kingsbookstore.com
2008 Arts Patron award - Hotel Murano
Hotel Murano features glass artists from all over the world, educating
guests on various glass art techniques and introducing artists from the
United States
, Europe and
Asia
. With more than 45 artists showcased in the lobby, the exterior and the
guest floors, every step in the hotel is an artful journey. From its
exterior entrance where Costas Varotsos – internationally renowned
Greek artist – has created a 104-foot masterpiece of glass called
“Orizon” (horizon in Greek) sharing its magnificence with all of
downtown Tacoma to the interior where art is deeply integrated in
function and design, the hotel will stimulate anyone’s artistic sense.
The
Hotel Murano supports
Tacoma
’s already established art community by partnering with the
Museum
of
Glass
and the
Tacoma
Art Museum
to offer hotel packages (Artsy Fartsy Package, Hot Piece of Glass
Package) to their guests and supporting their fundraising efforts. They
also offer glass art tours of the hotel, providing yet another
attraction for the city’s visitors and natives and further lifting the
community to an art destination.
Contact:
Hotel Murano
1320
Broadway
Plaza
, Tacoma
253.572.3200
www.hotelmuranotacoma.com
2007 AMOCAT award recipients
Click here
to learn about the 2007 recipients
2006 AMOCAT award recipients
Click here to learn about the 2006 recipients
2005 AMOCAT award recipients
Click here to
learn about the 2005 recipients.
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