Nomination deadline:

Friday, July 26, 2024, 11:59 PM

Overview:

The Tacoma Arts Commission is accepting nominations for the 2024 AMOCAT Arts Awards, which recognize the people, organizations, and groups that positively impact Tacoma with their passion, innovation, and commitment to the arts. 

Individuals, organizations, and patrons previously selected as Award recipients are now eligible to be nominated and considered again after 5 years has passed since their last award.

The Tacoma Arts Commission will review all nominations and select one finalist in each award category based on the breadth and depth of the nominee’s community impact as well as the quality of the work being done by the nominee, not by the number of times the nominee was nominated. The 2023 AMOCAT Arts Awards will be presented at Kaleidoscope, the Tacoma Arts Month opening party on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, at STAR Center, 3873 S 66th Street.

All 2024 AMOCAT Arts Awards nominees will be shared publicly on the Tacoma Arts Month website.

Award Categories:

• Community Outreach by an Individual – Community outreach, engagement and involvement in the arts in Tacoma by an individual
• Community Outreach by an Organization – Community outreach, engagement and involvement in the arts in Tacoma by an organization
• Arts Patron – A community partner who significantly supports or contributes to the arts in Tacoma

To Make a Nomination:

Deadline for nominations is Friday, July 26, 2024 by 11:59 pm. Fill out the online nomination form via Submittable: https://tacomaarts.submittable.com/submit

In the category of Community Outreach by an Individual, past recipients include: Reid Ozaki and Kristina Batiste (2023), Tamiko Nimura (2022), Aya Hashiguchi Clark and Randy Clark (2019), Jackie Fender (2018), Michael Haeflinger (2017), Christopher Paul Jordan (2016), Connie K. Walle (2015), Jessica Spring (2014), David Domkoski (2013), Katy Evans (2012), Stella Haioulani (2011), Oliver Doriss (2010), William Kupinse (2009), Linda Danforth (2008), Lance Kagey & Tom Llewellyn (2007), Laura and Matt Eklund (2006), Jared Pappas-Kelley & Michael S. Lent (2005), and Lynn Di Nino (2004).

In the category of Community Outreach by an Organization, past recipients include: Southeast Asian Comedy Collective (2023), Real Art Tacoma (2022), Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center (T.U.P.A.C.) (2019), Tacoma Little Theatre (2018), Monkeyshines (2017), Tacoma Youth Symphony Association (2016), Tacoma Public Library (2015), Asia Pacific Cultural Center (2014), Puget Sound Book Artists (2013), The Grand Cinema (2012), D.A.S.H. Center for the Arts (2011), Fab-5 (2010), Hilltop Artists (2009), King’s Books (2008), Victory Music (2007), Barefoot Studios (2006), Tacoma School of the Arts (2005), Tacoma Art Museum & Museum of Glass Education Programs, and Arts Impact (2004)

In the category of Arts Patron, past recipients include: Foster’s Creative (2023), Grit City Magazine (2022), Tacoma Creates Campaign (2019), MultiCare Health System (2018), Tacoma Housing Authority (2017), Metro Parks Tacoma (2016), University of Washington Tacoma (2015), ArtsFund (2014), Erivan and Helga Haub and Family (2013), Key Bank (2012), The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation (2011), Urban Grace Church (2010), City Arts (2009), Hotel Murano (2008), The Weekly Volcano (2007), 6th Avenue Business District (2006), Pierce Transit (2005), and Sound Transit Art Program (2004).

Questions? 

Contact Daniel Garcia at (253) 453-9793 or dgarcia2@cityoftacoma.org.

Application deadline: Friday, June 28, 2024, 11:59 p.m.

The Tacoma Arts Commission invites Tacoma artists and creatives, working in all artistic disciplines and mediums, to apply for the Tacoma Studio Tour and/or Arts at the Armory. You only need to fill out one application to be considered for either or both events.

About the Tacoma Studio Tour:

The Tacoma Studio Tour is an exciting opportunity to invite the public into your working studio or performance space, give demonstrations of how you make your work, or host a simple interactive activity with the community. The emphasis of this tour is on raising awareness of artists and creatives and providing opportunities for the community to connect to the arts. Your working studio and/or a performance space must be located in Tacoma. A studio is defined as a location where artwork is created on a consistent basis. There is no fee to apply and/or participate in the Tacoma Studio Tour.
  
Studios will be open on Saturday, and Sunday, October 12-13, from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. You can choose to be open on Saturday, Sunday, or both days. While not required, we encourage you to have work for sale; no commission will be taken on any sales, and you will handle any sale of your work directly. The Tacoma Arts Commission will produce extensive electronic publicity materials including email communications, social media posts, and an interactive website and map. We will also produce a basic printed mailer for the Tacoma Studio Tour. Each participating artist and creative is required to actively promote the Tacoma Studio Tour to their own contacts; we will provide publicity materials for this use. 

This year, we will be continuing the Studio Tour Passport program as an incentive for people to visit new and/or multiple studios. Each studio space will receive a unique stamp to indicate guests’ attendance. You are encouraged, but not required, to donate a small art item that can be included in the prize packages.

About Arts at the Armory:

Arts at the Armory is an arts market for Tacoma-based artists and creatives who would like to share and/or sell their work with the community, side by side with other creatives, all under the roof of the Tacoma Armory. You are not required to provide a hands-on experience or demonstration at this event. There is no fee to apply and/or participate in Arts at the Armory.

The event will be held Saturday, and Sunday, December 7-8, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., inside the spacious Tacoma Armory (1001 S Yakima Ave, Tacoma). You can choose to participate on Saturday, Sunday, or both days. Participating artists and creatives will be assigned a maximum of a 10’x10’ space (table and chair provided, if requested in advance), where they can share/demonstrate their work and talk about their creative practice with the general public. 

While not required, we encourage you to have work for sale; no commission will be taken on any sales, and you will handle any sale of your work directly. The Tacoma Arts Commission will produce extensive electronic publicity materials including email communications and social media posts, as well as a printed postcard for Arts at the Armory. Each participating artist and creative is required to actively promote Art at the Armory to their own contacts; we will provide publicity materials for this use. 

You will be responsible for setting up, being present, staffing, and tearing down your own space. All displays and set ups must be freestanding (no wall attachments allowed) and fit within the allotted space. You are not allowed to provide and/or sell food or beverages to the public or have any open flames. 

Eligibility:

The following eligibility criteria applies for both the Tacoma Studio Tour and Arts at the Armory:

• You must live within the Tacoma city limits and/or your regular working studio or performance space must be located within the Tacoma city limits
• Your work must be created, performed, and/or handmade by you; not commercially acquired and/or appropriated

If applying for the Tacoma Studio Tour and you would like to be a guest at another artist’s studio location, the eligibility guidelines listed above still apply. Each artist or creative in a group studio needs to submit their own application, work samples, and artist statement.

Creatives and artists who identify as members of the Global Majority; Black, Brown, Indigenous, People of Color (BBIPOC); African, Latinx, Arab, Asian, Native-American (ALAANA) communities; economically or socio-economically marginalized communities; LGBTQIA+ communities, and people living with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Deadline for applications is Friday, June 28, 2024, by 11:59 p.m. All applications will be reviewed by a sub-committee of the Tacoma Arts Commission and selected based on the quality of work and the overall variety of artistic disciplines and work represented. The Tacoma Studio Tour will also take into account geographic diversity of the studio locations. By applying for the Tacoma Studio Tour and/or Arts at the Armory, and if accepted, you are making a commitment to participate in the event(s), short of extreme life circumstances. 

Eligible artists and creatives interested in either of these opportunities must fill out the online application form and attach the following items via Submittable: https://tacomaarts.submittable.com/submit 

1. Five Work Samples
   • If working in visual art, upload 5 high quality JPEG files of your past work. If selected, we will use the images in promotional materials. Images must be at least 300 ppi resolution. Images smaller than 600 pixels per side are not recommended.
   • If working in performing or media arts, upload any combination of 5 video files and/or URLs. We also recommend submitting at least 1 JPEG image that can be used in promotional materials.
2. Artist Statement
   Submit a short (70 words or less) artist statement/bio which describes you and your work. This information will be used in promotional materials. Please write in the third person (using “she”, “he”, or "they" instead of “I”). We reserve the right to edit the text to fit the parameters of the promotional materials.

Questions? Contact Daniel Garcia or (253) 453-9793.

What is a Panel?

A panel is a group of individuals pulled together by staff to review applications or nominations for Arts & Cultural Vitality managed programs or opportunities. Panel members use published review criteria to evaluate applications and make recommendations about who gets grant funding, public art projects, roster appointments, etc.

Panelists are selected for a variety of reasons which can include: their connection to community, knowledge of relevant subject matter, and the diversity of perspectives and experiences they bring to the group overall. For each opportunity, we assemble a unique panel of three to nine people to make collective recommendations about which applicants should receive funding or commissions through our office. Those recommendations generally go to the Tacoma Arts Commission or the Tacoma Creates Advisory Board for final approval.

Why be a Panelist?

The Arts & Cultural Vitality Division (ACV) is deeply appreciative of the time and expertise community members invest in serving on panels. Serving on a panel is a proactive way to impact how public funds are spent in Tacoma, and panelists receive valuable professional development as well as insight into how the application review process works from the inside.

ACV provides panelists with free parking and food during meetings, in addition to offering a monetary honorarium.

The length and number of meetings needed for a selection process vary based on the project. Depending on the application, some panels will require a small amount of prep work in advance, one to two hours, and some panels may require extensive reading and evaluation work in advance of the in-person panel meeting, anywhere from 10-50 hours. Community members will be offered a stipend for their service as follows:

• $50 – quarter day meeting (1 – 2 hours)
• $100 – half day meeting (3 ‐ 4 hours)
• $200 – full day meeting (6 – 9 hours)
• $100 – pre‐meeting work to digitally read and score applications (only when requested)

Members of a City‐appointed commission or board are volunteers and are not eligible to receive a stipend for their service on a panel. City of Tacoma employees and project staff are not eligible to receive a stipend for their service on a panel.

Submit a Panel Interest Form

Please complete the online form to be considered for a position on an upcoming ACV panel: www.surveymonkey.com/r/tacomapanels 

Staff will take into account many factors when putting together panels, and may not be able to use the services of all qualified individuals who submit. If an individual is offered a position on a panel but is unable to participate because of scheduling or conflict of interest, ACV will continue to consider them for future panels. Panel Interest Forms will be saved and reviewed periodically for up to three years from the submission date.

Questions