Community Calendar

Symphony Tacoma (Sarah Ioannides, conductor0
Demarre McGill, flute

Nielsen: Helios Overture
Mozart: Flute Concerto No.1 in G Major
Sibelius: Symphony No.1

From sunlit overtures to symphonic grandeur, this concert echoes with beauty and soul.

Nielsen’s Helios Overture paints a radiant musical journey from sunrise to sunset, setting the stage with warmth and breathtaking themes. An unforgettable performance by Demarre McGill, one of today’s most captivating flutists, brings his charm to Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 1 in G Major. Opening with quiet tension and building to sweeping grandeur, Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1 surges with Nordic expression, romanticism, and the bold voice of a rising symphonic hero.

Come Early for Symphony Tacoma Soundcheck – 6pm
Learn more about the music, artists, and personalities of Echoes of Greatness with composer and Professor of Music at Pacific Lutheran University, Gregory Youtz, and Symphony Tacoma Music Director Sarah Ioannides.

Supported by KNKX. “When I began, soul was something people had. It wasn’t a style of music,” Taj Mahal says. No matter where we come from, we are all part of the same circle. We all want to dance, to get out of our heads, and tap into ourselves. When delivered by the Taj Mahal Quintet, the blues can take us there. For more than 40 years, Grammy-winning legend Taj Mahal and his band have taken blues on a joyride through reggae, funk, jazz, cajun, and more, leaving a trail of swinging hips and raised palms in their wake. The quintet is made up of internationally renowned bassist Bill Rich and steel drummer Robert Greenidge (Jimmy Buffet’s Coral Reefer Band), revered percussionist/drummer Tony Durham and Hawaiian based guitarist and lap steel master Bobby Ingano. The five match musical virtuosity with downhome grit unlike anyone else: a blend of sophistication and humble familiarity that is equally at home on a shotgun-shack porch or a Carnegie Hall stage. According to Taj, the collaboration extends far beyond the Taj Mahal Quintet themselves. “Music is like theater to a lot of people -- they’re watching it,” he says. “Well, you can watch it, but you’re supposed to participate. The audience is just as much a part of the music as the musicians are.” Taj pauses, then adds with a warm laugh, “I do like it when they dance.”

One of the most prominent and influential figures in late 20th century blues and roots music Taj Mahal is a 2014 recipient of the Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award along side such luminaries as Jackson Brown, Loretta Lynn and Flaco Jimenez. The three-time Grammy winner and one of the most influential American blues is roots artists of the past half-century.

A self-taught musician, Taj plays over 20 instruments including National Steel and Dobro guitars, and his remarkable voice ranges from gruff and gravelly to smooth and sultry. His music remains a well-seasoned gumbo, spiced with influences that originate in the Caribbean, West Africa, the Southern States, and the inner cities of America.

A group of visual artists have come together to express their concern over the current state of the nation/world due to today’s political situation. The show title “Degenerate” Art harkens back to the label used by the Nazis in the 1930s to attack modern art and the artists who did not adhere to the permitted view of racial purity, militarism, and obedience.

Pieces by six established Vashon Island artists will be presented: Gregory Burnham, Bill Cleaver, Bill Jarcho, Alice Larson, Marc Pease, and Lenard Yen.

“Every day this becomes a more important show as we see the arts attacked and erosion of our freedom of speech,” said Alice Larson. “What is happening parallels fascism in Germany under Hitler. Anything not toeing the line of the administration in power is deleted, banned, and those related to it punished.”
Bill Cleaver summarized why the exhibit is particularly relevant to the group. “We are artists, so this is how we express our concerns. We hope this show will inspire others to find their own way to declare their distress.”

The “Degenerate” Art Show will be on display at Snapdragon Café, 17817 Vashon Hwy SW, Vashon Island, WA during November 2025, with an opening celebration on First Friday November 7, 6 – 9 p.m.

Echoes of the Floating World features a striking collection of 18th, 19th and early 20th-century Japanese woodblock prints from the Tacoma Art Museum and others, displayed alongside works by contemporary Northwest artists. This exhibition honors the rich legacy of ukiyo-e while exploring its cultural impact on today’s artistic expressions.

Hours-

Monday CLOSED
Tuesday CLOSED
Wednesday 10 am – 5 pm
Thursday 10 am – 8 pm
Friday 10 am – 5 pm
Saturday 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday 10 am – 5 pm

We are protesting project 2025. TacomaRama marching band will join us for the next 4 years. We will meet each month on the Saturday closest to the 18th each month. Always 10am, always Reconciliation park.
Feel loved and supported.

The period from the 1870s to the 1900s, known as the Gilded Age, saw the rise of the railroad, textile industry, and production. It also saw a rise in migration to US cities, providing workers to fill low paying jobs producing many of the fashions of the era. This era marked a turning point in fashion as new technologies and changing cultural norms transformed the ways in which people dressed.

Explore this history and enjoy the rare chance to see clothing, notions, and artifacts of the period from the Washington State Historical Society collections.

Never Turn Back: Echoes of African American Music unveils the profound legacy of Gospel, Blues, Jazz, and Soul artists who shaped the soundscape of American culture and used their music as instruments of resistance, identity, and representation.

Gospel, Blues, Jazz, and Soul embody the profound influence of African American music on culture and history. From the spiritual foundations and transformative movements of Gospel hymns to the revolutionary improvisations of Jazz, the Blues’ Southern roots rising from the Mississippi Delta, and Soul’s powerful amplification of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, these genres have defined the unique sound and undying spirit of a nation that continues to echo through contemporary Black music today.

This is a permanent exhibition. Since time immemorial, Tribal nations have existed in this place we call Washington. This Is Native Land invites visitors to understand Washington State through the lived experiences and voices of its Native people.

Tribal nations are sovereign nations. Today, Native history, culture, and community thrive in our state. Through everyday acts of sovereignty – big and small – Indigenous peoples demonstrate they are still here, they have persevered, and they will always be here.

This Is Native Land is guided by three teachings:
We are of the land and waters
With knowledge comes responsibility
Sovereignty protects people, lands, and waters

These teachings are shared through multimedia, artwork, and interactive objects designed for guest engagement. They represent a contemporary continuation of Tribal stories and traditions.

Over 100 Native contributors from more than 60 Tribes shaped the exhibition’s stories and content. We thank the Native Advisory Committee and all community participants for their contributions.

Stories are shaped by the ways we tell them. In Shaping the Story: Designs for the Theatre by Carey Wong, go behind the scenes to see how theatre sets bring stories to life. During a career spanning over 50 years, Carey Wong has designed sets and costumes for more than 300 productions, including operas, plays, musicals, and ballets.

This exhibition features scale models of his designs in addition to costumes, set pieces, and stories of Washington’s rich entertainment history. From sketches of an idea to fully realized sets, explore how a designer’s decisions craft the world of a story.

LeMay – America’s Car Museum proudly presents The Birth of the American Supercar, a groundbreaking exhibition guest curated by renowned automotive innovator Steve Saleen. This one-of-a-kind display invites guests on an exhilarating journey through the evolution of American supercars. From early speed pioneers to cutting-edge modern marvels, visitors will experience a stunning lineup of vehicles that have redefined engineering, speed, and style, built by a wide range of American automotive manufacturers like Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Saleen himself, and even some more obscure ones like Vector, Cunningham, and Hennessey. From roaring V8s to sleek carbon-fiber bodies, discover how American automakers pushed boundaries, challenged European rivals, and redefined what a supercar could be. This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to see some of the most thrilling and historically significant American-made performance vehicles ever built—all under one roof.