Opportunities
Below are the current opportunities available through the Arts & Cultural Vitality Division. Click on any item for more information.
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Current Opportunities
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Link to Nominate
Click here to submit a nomination for the 2025 AMOCAT Arts Awards
What are the AMOCAT Arts Awards?
The AMOCAT Arts Awards honor the people, organizations, and businesses that make Tacoma an exceptional place for arts and culture. These awards recognize civic impact, creative advocacy, and grassroots leadership that uplift Tacoma’s diverse and vibrant arts community.
Presented each October during Tacoma Arts Month, the AMOCAT Awards are a celebration of those who make a lasting impact through creativity, collaboration, and community.
Award Categories
Community Outreach by an Individual
Someone who uses the arts to build bridges, create access, and inspire connection.
Think about how they serve others, center inclusion, or build community through creativity.Community Outreach by an Organization
A group or organization creating lasting impact through arts programming, collaboration, or cultural leadership.
Consider who they engage, what partnerships they’ve built, and how they’ve shaped Tacoma’s cultural landscape.Arts Patron
An individual or business who champions the arts through advocacy, support, or direct investment.
Think about how they uplift artists, fund the future, or foster creative opportunities for others.
Who Can Nominate?
Anyone may submit a nomination—artists, neighbors, colleagues, or community members. You do not need to be affiliated with an organization or be a past award recipient to nominate someone.
How to Nominate
Nominations must be submitted online by Monday, August 4, 2025, at 11:59 p.m.
You’ll be asked to provide:
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Your name and contact information
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The nominee’s name and contact info
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A short description of why you’re nominating them
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Specific examples of their impact in Tacoma
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Optional: supplemental links, press, or project documentation
You may nominate more than one person or organization, but a separate form must be completed for each.
Key Dates
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Nominations Open: June 24, 2025
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Nomination Deadline: August 4, 2025
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Panel Review: August 2025
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Winners Notified: September 2025
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Awards Presentation: October 2025 during Tacoma Arts Month
Questions?
For questions or nomination support, contact Daniel Garcia at dgarcia2@tacoma.gov or (253) 830-6763.
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Link to Apply
Click here to apply for the Tacoma Studio Tour and/or Arts at the Armory 2025
What is the Tacoma Studio Tour?
The Tacoma Studio Tour is a free, self-guided weekend event that invites the public into the working spaces of local artists. Held during Tacoma Arts Month, it highlights the vibrancy of Tacoma’s creative community and provides direct, personal connections between artists and the public.
Participating artists open their studios for two days, offering demonstrations, artwork for sale, and insights into their creative process.
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Event Dates: October 11–12, 2025
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Event Hours: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. both days
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Location: Artist studios across Tacoma
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Admission: Free
What is Arts at the Armory?
Arts at the Armory is a curated indoor arts market and exhibition held at the historic Tacoma Armory. This two-day event features artist booths, installations, and performances in a festive atmosphere designed to spotlight Tacoma’s creative economy.
This is an opportunity for artists to showcase and sell their work, interact with new audiences, and be part of a high-visibility public event in a central location.
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Event Dates: November 15–16, 2025
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Event Hours: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. both days
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Location: Tacoma Armory, 1001 S Yakima Avenue
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Admission: Free
Who Can Apply?
We invite applications from visual artists, artisans, and makers of all kinds who:
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Live or work in Tacoma
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Create original works in any medium (e.g., painting, ceramics, textiles, jewelry, photography, wood, glass, etc.)
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Can commit to full event participation on both days of their selected event(s)
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Are comfortable interacting with the public and sharing their work
Artists may apply to one or both events using the same application form.
What’s Included?
Tacoma Studio Tour Participants Receive:
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Promotion through Tacoma Arts Month materials (print guides, website, social media)
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Personalized signage, maps, and inclusion in outreach campaigns
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A unique opportunity to connect directly with the community in your creative space
Arts at the Armory Participants Receive:
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One booth space (table and chairs provided; electricity available upon request)
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Promotional support and event exposure
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Load-in assistance and day-of-event volunteers
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Wi-Fi access, food vendors on site, and artist amenities
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted online by Monday, July 21, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Late submissions will not be accepted.
You’ll be asked to provide:
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A short artist statement and event preference
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4–6 images of recent work
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(Studio Tour) Description of your studio and any demos or activities you’ll offer
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(Armory) Booth needs, layout ideas, and sales approach
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Studio or business address (if applicable)
Artists will be notified of acceptance by August 2025.
Key Dates
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Applications Open: June 17, 2025
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Deadline to Apply: July 21, 2025
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Notifications Sent: August 2025
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Tacoma Studio Tour: October 11–12, 2025
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Arts at the Armory: November 15–16, 2025
Questions?
Please reach out to Daniel Garcia at dgarcia2@tacoma.gov or (253) 830-6763 if you have questions or need help with your application.
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Link to Apply
Call to Literary Artists
Here is the link for the full opportunity
What is the Tacoma Poet Laureate?
The Tacoma Poet Laureate is a civic leadership role that uses poetry and the literary arts to build community, amplify culture, and inspire dialogue across Tacoma’s diverse neighborhoods. The Poet Laureate engages with the public through free workshops, readings, performances, and community projects, creating opportunities for connection through the power of words.
The Tacoma Poet Laureate serves a two-year term and receives a $6,000 stipend and a $1,000 project budget to support public literary programming.
The Tacoma Arts Commission selects a new Poet Laureate every two years through an open application process.
Who Can Apply?
We welcome applications from literary artists of all backgrounds, styles, and levels of experience—whether emerging, professional, or established—who are dedicated to creating inclusive, community-focused programming that reflects Tacoma’s diverse voices.
Applicants must:
- Live in Pierce County and be actively engaged in Tacoma’s creative community
- Be 18 years or older
- Be a practicing literary artist (poet, spoken word artist, writer working in intersecting genres)
- Not be a previous Tacoma Poet Laureate, current Tacoma Arts Commission member, City of Tacoma staff, or a member of the Poet Laureate selection panel
What Does the Poet Laureate Do?
The Poet Laureate will:
- Lead two free public workshops annually (four total over two years)
- Present at up to two official City of Tacoma events each year
- Participate in Tacoma Arts Month programming each October
- Collaborate with local organizations, schools, and nonprofits to broaden the reach of literary arts
- Help produce an event in April 2027 to announce the next Poet Laureate
The Poet Laureate determines the focus, direction, and community engagement strategies for their term of service.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted online by Friday, June 27, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. No late submissions will be accepted.
Applicants will be asked to provide:
- A 450-word essay answering:
- What is your relationship to Tacoma?
- How would you serve the community as Tacoma Poet Laureate?
- Two sample workshops or projects you would consider offering as Tacoma Poet Laureate
- A resume or artist bio
- Two references
- 5 written poetry samples
- 1–2 recorded poetry samples
Key Dates
- Applications open: May 27, 2025
- Application deadline: June 27, 2025
- Panel review: Week of July 8, 2025
- Poet Laureate announcement event: August 2025
- Term of service: September 2025 – April 2027
Questions?
For questions or assistance, please contact Daniel Garcia or (253) 830-6763.
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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 division. 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 an honorarium for their service as follows:
- Panel Meetings: panelists will receive between $25 – $225 for attending a panel meeting; staff will determine the exact rate, depending on the length of the meeting.
- Pre-Meeting Preparation: panelists will receive between $100 – $500 for pre‐meeting work to digitally read and score applications (only when requested); staff will determine the exact rate, depending on the estimated time this work will take.
Members of a City‐appointed commission or board are volunteers and are not eligible to receive an honorarium for their service on a panel. City of Tacoma employees and project staff are not eligible to receive an honorarium 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?
If you have questions, please contact Naomi Strom-Avila or (253) 591-5191.