5 Questions for ... Stephanie Stebich
Many thanks to Stephanie Stebich, Executive Director of Tacoma Art Museum, for taking the time out to answer our 5 questions for her.
1. What role do you see Tacoma Art Museum playing in the Tacoma art scene?
As the civic art museum of Tacoma with a regional reach and a vision of being a national leader, we seek to engage, inspire and build community through art. How do we do that? By emphasizing the art and artists of the Northwest in our collections, exhibitions and educational programs. On view in the galleries right now is the compelling photographic work of Mary Randlett, a Northwest artist, who captures our unique landscape. Breaking news: her book featuring this work and poems by Denise Levertov is being reprinted by the University of Washington Press. We’ve extended the exhibition by popular demand through May 18, 2008.
Visitors can experience at least one exhibition featuring NW artists in our galleries every time they come. We present exhibitions that bring art of the world to Tacoma and can be seen next to the artistic production of our own region. For example, last summer’s Sparkle Then Fade exhibition showed the work of several NW artists such as Alex Schweder, Alice Wheeler and Claude Zervas next to works by Marilyn Minter and Andy Warhol. So our support of NW artists— placing them in an art historical continuum, adding to awareness of and scholarship on these artists—is an important part of our role here.
We also take seriously our role of building community through art as collaborators in the community. We work cooperatively with many other organizations from Centro Latino to the Boys and Girls Club to the Black Collective to the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts and on and on! When we partner with another organization I believe Tacoma benefits as we leverage our assets, cross pollinate our audiences, bring our staff and boards together to learn and create, and make memories through innovative programs and events. Consider our Day of the Dead celebration which has grown from 400 to 1100 to 2600 attendees in just three years. Reflect on how we’ve listened to our teacher audiences and developed school tours around the altars on display.
2. Are there any big projects on the horizon for the museum?
On March 8,2008 we collaborate with the Museum of Glass on a joint fundraising extravaganza, MUSEO, held at the new Hotel Murano with a live concert by the memorably Burt Bacharach.
We are marking the fifth anniversary of our new building on May 3, 2008 with a free community festival. This will begin our march towards celebrating our 75th anniversary in 2010.
We have a strong complement of exhibitions opening this spring that feature the complete graphic work of Renoir, the stunning imagery of Washington-native Chuck Close (who is coming out for a visit in May, more breaking news), and the 2008 Neddy Fellowship exhibition.
3. If you were going to give a subtitle to Untitled, the Tacoma Art Museum cafe, what would it be?
That is a tough one. The staff have helped me here: Soup with a side of steel, The art of lunch and small bites, Feed your soul than stuff your face, a study in mmmmmmm. Take your pick.
4. As a downtown dweller, do you have any advice for someone considering a move to downtown Tacoma?
Yes: do it. Come downtown and join the rest of us urban pioneers in repopulating the heart of the city. Walk to dinner, enjoy the views of a working city, and be steps away from three world class museums. The downtown YMCA, Grand Cinema and Broadway Center are nearby as are many houses of worship, unique shops, and pocket parks.
5. Have you given any thought to locking people in the rock garden at TAM as an “art” exhibit? If so, we know some people we’d like to volunteer for the project …
Thanks for the suggestion. We talk all the time about more innovative installations in that amazing space that is a draw for artists and visitors alike. We find it is a great space for a surprise installation. What comes after a boat and Chihuly’s floats? You’ll have to wait and see. We’ll call you when we need volunteers.
Filed under: General
3 comments
G grubedoo December 26, 2007
I am available as an installment if they have a greco-roman-gladiator-stud show or something.
C Crenshaw Sepulveda December 26, 2007
I’d like to thank Ms. Stebich for the sterling work she has done at the museum and the energy she brings to the arts community. More to the point, Ms. Stebich is interested in bringing art to all the people and not just the traditional patrons of the arts. Innovative programming like El Día de los Muertos has brought non-traditional museum visitors into the museum and has exposed the traditional patrons to the traditions of our Latino brethren, something near and dear to my heart. What I’d like Ms. Stebich to consider is the museum using the vacant lot in front of the museum facing Pacific and turn it into a public art park. A free form park of public art installations and possibly an alternative to the sterile and useless Tollefson Plaza that is not so far away. I think the public should take a crack at creating a usable public space in conjunction with the museum.
M Mofo from the Hood December 26, 2007
Stebich mentioned Warhol in reference to showing art placed on a historical continuum. I think Warhol’s biography is interesting because he started as a commercial artist. In that role before his major shift to fine artist, Warhol distinguished himself by developing a recognizable illustration technique for line drawing.
Warhol of the late 1950’s to 1960’s went from commercial artist to fine artist in an era when traditional subjects or themes were disposed of or mocked on a grand scale. And the production of that art was for the most part generated by highly coordinated mind to hand skills.
It might be argued that for the past couple of decades that the real shift in new image art production has gone from fine art to commercial art. Artworks produced with the use of technology such as telescopes, microscopes, cameras to capture images, plus computer generated images is really the vanguard of contemporary art.
This is the direction of art that I would like to see TAM acknowledge and inform the public with on a progressive continuum.