Arts & Cultural Vitality Opportunities

Below are the current opportunities available through the Arts & Cultural Vitality Division. Click on any item for more information.

Sign up to receive automated updates when new opportunities are added to this page. All opportunities are also shared on the TacomaArt Listserv and on Facebook and Instagram.

Contact

Naomi Strom-Avila (she/her)
Funding & Cultural Programs Manager

Main: (253) 591-5191
Cell: (253) 453-9983

nstrom-avila@tacoma.gov

747 Market Street
Room 900
Tacoma, WA 98402

Current Opportunities

AMOCAT Arts Awards

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 Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at 11:59 p.m.

You’ll be asked to provide:

Your name and contact information
The nominee’s name and contact info
A short description of why you’re nominating them
Specific examples of their impact in Tacoma
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

Nominations Open: June 15, 2025
Nomination Deadline: July 15, 2025
Panel Review: August 2025
Winners Notified: September 2025
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.

Panel Interest Form

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.

Tacoma Dome Public Art Call to Artists

Apply to Create Public Art at the Tacoma Dome

View the complete Call to Artists

Click this application link to apply!

What is the Tacoma Dome Welcoming Project?

The City of Tacoma’s Arts and Cultural Vitality Division, in partnership with Tacoma’s Venues & Events Department and in consultation with the Puyallup Tribe, seeks an artist or artist team to create a welcoming artwork at the Tacoma Dome.

The selected artist will create site-responsive public artwork that honors and amplifies the cultural presence, stories, and language of the Puyallup Tribe. Artwork may incorporate Lushootseed language components and will activate the Dome’s lower Northwest Plaza and/or surrounding fence perimeter.

This is a highly visible opportunity to create an enduring piece that welcomes hundreds of thousands of annual visitors to the largest indoor venue in Washington State.

Project Goals

A successful project will:
• Honor and amplify the cultural presence, stories, and language of the Puyallup Tribe
• Incorporate Lushootseed language or visual storytelling that acknowledges Indigenous history and creates a strong sense of place
• Serve as a visual landmark that reflects Tacoma’s unique identity and Indigenous roots
• Engage a broad and diverse audience
• Be thoughtfully integrated into the site
• Use durable materials suited for an active outdoor environment
• Demonstrate artistic excellence and creativity

Who Can Apply?

This call is open to individual artists or artist teams. Before beginning work, selected artists must have:

A City of Tacoma business license
General liability insurance

City of Tacoma employees, Tacoma Arts Commissioners, and Events and Recognitions Committee members are not eligible to apply.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted online by Thursday, July 24, 2025, at 5 p.m. (Pacific Time).
You’ll be asked to submit:

Contact information
8 portfolio images of past work
Short written responses (200 words max) on your interest and connection to the project
(Optional) Additional artist statement

Key Dates

Call Opens: June 14, 2025
Application Deadline: July 24, 2025
Finalists Selected: Late July 2025
Orientation & Contracting: August–September 2025
Design Development: Fall 2025
Fabrication: Winter 2025–Spring 2026
Installation: June 2026

Questions?

Contact Marissa Laubscher, Public Art Program Manager
📩 mlaubscher@tacoma.gov

Call to Artists: Public Art for Sheridan Ave. at Wapato Park

Link to Apply
Click here to apply for the Sheridan Avenue at Wapato Park Public Art Project

What is the Public Art for Sheridan Ave. at Wapato Park Project?

The City of Tacoma’s Arts and Cultural Vitality Division and Parks Tacoma invite applications from artists or artist teams to design and create a sculptural artwork for Wapato Park along Sheridan Avenue. This permanent artwork will welcome visitors entering the park from the surrounding neighborhood and enhance the natural environment of one of Tacoma’s most historic parks.

Artists should consider the historical and cultural relevance of Wapato Park, and create a piece that is engaging, family-friendly, and harmonious with its surroundings. This commission is part of the Sheridan Avenue Complete Streets capital project and the 2025–2026 Parks Tacoma Public Art Plan.

Project Budget: $80,000 all-inclusive
Application Deadline: Tuesday, July 22, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. (PT)
Installation Deadline: September 2026
Location: Wapato Park along Sheridan Avenue (South Tacoma)
Eligibility: Open to artists 18+ who are not full-time students or employees/board members of Parks Tacoma or City of Tacoma

What’s the Context?

Wapato Park is a major South Tacoma landmark, added to the Tacoma Register of Historic Places in 2025. The Sheridan Avenue Complete Streets project will improve safety and access by narrowing traffic lanes, adding sidewalks, and creating a shared-use path. These upgrades offer a meaningful opportunity to integrate public art that reflects the community, highlights park history, and invites new visitors in.

The artwork may be located at either:

The green area near Sheridan & 72nd (main visibility point), or
The entry area near 64th & Sheridan leading to the pipeline bridge and walkway

Art Opportunity and Requirements

The selected artist will:

Create a site-responsive sculpture that enhances the environment
Consider community history and family-friendly appeal
Engage with the local community during design development
Coordinate with City and Parks Tacoma staff and contractors

The artwork must:

Be safe, durable, and code-compliant for a public park
Reflect South Tacoma’s identity and cultural landscape
Be imaginative and conceptually thoughtful
Be installed by September 2026

How to Apply

Submit your application via Submittable by July 22, 2025, at 5 p.m. (PT).
You’ll be asked to provide:

Ten (10) images of past work with info
Resume
Short answer responses (each up to 200 words):
- Artist bio and practice
- Interest in this project
- Experience connecting with community and/or Tacoma relevance
- Optional: anything else you’d like us to know