Community Calendar

Once upon a vine, John Jarboe’s aunt revealed that John not only had a twin sister in the womb, but that John consumed her: “You ate her. That’s why you are the way you are.” This was a lot for John to swallow! In this musical shrine to the consumed twin, named Rose, John welcomes you into a feast of gender through song, storytelling, and a full plate of wordplay.

Created in partnership with the Bearded Ladies Cabaret. Featuring all original music written in collaboration with Emily Bate, John Jarboe, and Pax Ressler.

Supported by KNKX. Get ready for a funky good time when Martha High’s Funky Divas, backed by the Fred Wesley and The New JBs, performed a power-packed show of hots and standards from those played and sang with the Godfather of Soul, James Brown.

Martha Harvin began singing in The Four Jewels, whose members attended the same church and school and went on tour with James Brown in 1964. They did record two singles while they toured with Brown, but after a year and a half with Brown the group split up. Not ready to leave the tour, Harvin asked Brown if she could stay. Brown agreed, but he required her name change from Harvin to the stage name High.

She continued singing with Brown for the next 30-plus years, including her unmistakable high soprano falsetto wail on “The Big Payback.” She appeared with Brown on the track “Summertime” and on the Original Funky Divas album.

Joining Martha in the Divas will be Kelly Jarrell, who sang in Brown’s background group The Bittersweets from 1994 until his death in 2006, and Darlene Parker, who along with Martha were backing vocalists in the touring band of Maceo Parker, Brown’s iconic and beloved sax player.

Legendary bandleader, trombonist and author Fred Wesley is one of the forefathers of funk, still setting the standard with his jazz-funk band The New JBs. Together at its core for more than 30 years, the band is a living celebration of roots funk and more, performing such hits as “Pass the Peas” made with James Brown and the JBs including Maceo Parker, as well as selections from the P-Funk years and Fred’s own and others’ soulful jazz, funk and blues compositions.

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.

Childhood’s End Gallery presents its annual Studio Sale, featuring discounted and rarely seen works by beloved local artists including Jon Bradham, Sara Gettys, Kathy Gore-Fuss, Chuck Gumpert, Carla Paine, and Mimi Williams. The sale also includes a selection of unique, limited works by Marc Chagall, William Winden, and others. Begin the year with an exceptional find at a rare discount.

Jan 17 - Feb 22, 2026

Free

Childhood’s End Gallery
222 4th Ave W
Olympia WA 98501

360-943-3724

info@childhoods-end-gallery.com

Curated by a panel of art jurists, the exhibition features work by more than 20 South Sound artists. With media including painting, drawing, photography and glass art, some of the exhibition’s works provide windows into personal history and collective culture. Other pieces are non-representational.

Taken as a whole, the exhibition challenges us to take an expansive view of Black art as an abundance of unique expressions drawn from the deep well of vibrant community.

The exhibition will run from Feb. 11 - March 13, 2026. Admission is free to the public.

LOCATION:

The Gallery is located in Bldg. 4 at Tacoma Community College, near the corner of 12th and Mildred streets. Visitor Parking is available in Lot G.

HOURS:

Monday: Closed
Tuesday - Thursday: 10am-4pm
Third Thursday of each month: 10am-8pm
Friday: 10am-3pm
Saturday - Sunday: Closed

Discover how a new Nordic food movement has sparked interest in local ingredients and natural materials across borders and artistic disciplines.

New Nordic Cuisine is a movement that started in the Nordic countries in the early 2000s and has since grown into an international phenomenon.

With its interpretations of wild nature, the Nordic climate, local foodstuffs and culinary traditions, the movement spawned a distinctive aesthetic that was expressed in meals, tableware and restaurant interiors. Locally-sourced natural materials, animal skins and untreated wood, handmade ceramics and the use of wild vegetation as raw ingredients and for decoration all featured prominently.

"New Nordic: Cuisine, Aesthetics and Place" shows how this food movement merged with other contemporary cultural trends.

Through architecture, contemporary art, design and crafts from the museum’s collection, and objects loaned from various restaurants, the exhibition examines the “new Nordic” concept as a broad aesthetic development defined by the interaction between materials, people and landscape.

OPEN ADULT BALLET CLASS

Have you always dreamed of dancing ballet?
Now’s your chance to step into the studio and move with grace, strength, and joy.

This class is also for you if you are returning after years away from ballet or any other forms of dance.

Saturdays 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center (T.U.P.A.C.)
1105 Martin Luther King, Jr Way, Tacoma, WA 98405

A Class Designed for You:
- No experience needed—just a curious spirit
- Go at your own pace in a supportive, judgment-free space
- Build flexibility, confidence, and connection with your body

Wear what feels comfortable.
Come ready to move with intention and joy.

Whether it’s your first plié or your hundredth pirouette, this is your time to shine.

Questions? Call us at 253-327-1873

Let’s dance together at T.U.P.A.C.—where every adult belongs at the barre.