One of the many perks of working at the Murano is being surrounded by the beautiful art collection we boast. Our lobby, rooms, and Bite Restaurant are all adorned with really amazing pieces. Being an enthusiast, I was pretty excited when I found out that a collection of Norman Rockwell’s iconic work would be passing through the Tacoma Art Museum this month. The exhibit features 367 pieces of Rockwell’s original work; both paintings and Rockwell’s Saturday Evening Post covers are included, as well as background information on the revolutionary artist’s creative process.

Whether you’re a Rockwell fan, a general appreciator of fine art, a history buff, or just someone looking for a different art experience, I’m guessing this exhibit will do the trick. And, since it’s practically across the street, you may just see me there.

Hope to see ya soon,

Dale

Tacoma Museum of Glass

Harboring a secret? Pretending that you travel for the restaurants, shopping or theater? Well, you’re not alone. There are a lot us out there. Closet museum geeks. That’s right. We don’t really care what’s it’s a museum of. Shoes from around the world? Sure. Beer bottles of every continent? Why not. It’s not to say that we don’t enjoy a higher, shall we say, caliber, of museum, but we take what we can get.

Tacoma’s got you covered, my friend. Everybody’s familiar with our famous Museum of Glass (hmm, can you say Chihuly?), but we’ve also got a top-notch Art Museum—currently showing a wonderful Impressionism exhibit. You’ll also need to make it over to the Washington State History Museum, housing fascinating artifacts, interactive exhibits, even storytelling. All are walking distance from the Hotel Murano, which has an impressive glass art collection of its own. Told you we had you covered.

See ya soon,

Dale

Dale, I loved the “the art of meeting people’s needs” line. It actually got me thinking about our art. So after writing about the Neddy Fellowship the other day I took a little tour of our collection. I’d never done that if you can believe it! I recommend it, especially to any employees like me who really checked it out.

Here are some of my favorites. In case you want to include them in your itinerary.

Grand Corridor
Specimen Block by Steffen Dam: It’s like a puzzle that you could look at for hours.

Lobby
Fish Lures by Rick Beck: They’re just fun. I’m lucky I can seem them all day from reception.

Floor 4, Bite Restaurant
Totem by Costas Varotsos: It’s amazing the way he managed to use both glass and stainless steel.

Floor 24

Iceberg by Peter Bremers: This one is incredible because of all the research he did. See the pictures showing his process.

Visit us and you’re sure to find some favorites of your own!

Have fun,
Danielle

Here in Tacoma we’re rather proud of our glass art tradition, and rightfully so. It’s a world-class act. Visitors explore our hallways and frequently exclaim that they never realized that glass art could be anything more than blown-glass baubles and church windows. Another great opportunity to see yet another use of glass as an art medium is happening right now at the Museum of Glass. The show, “White Light: Glass Compositions by Daniel Clayman” takes what could be the most ordinary of treatments—white glass—and uses it to stretch our perceptions of light and space. But you’d better get there soon, the show ends June 14.

–Dale

Yes, it’s true.  Our very own Hotel Murano was recently featured on the Today Show.  They were doing a show on art hotels and selected us as one of their top picks.  If you’re interested in watching the clip, we’ve posted a video of it right here.

In case you didn’t know and are new to the area, the Hotel Murano features all glass art throughout the entire hotel.  Each floor is dedicated to a different artist and best of all, you can buy any of it!  I’d say it’s time to start planning a trip to Tacoma.

- Danielle

Some of my friends are lamb fanatics. They’re always on the search for the next wild-tasting, deliciously oily kebab or rack or leg or whatever.  Lately, they’ve been talking up Pacific Grill. This is lamb that is sure to make the children (or, at least, the grownups) laugh and play.

–Dale

This could be one of the best graphics arts shows of the year. Handforth Gallery at Tacoma Public Library.  is showing 230 concert posters by the Ames Bros., who won awards for designing virtually every poster for Pearl Jam concerts. In addition, their work is highly sought after by Nike, MTV, Amazon.com, K2, Ride Snowboards and others. Very inspiring stuff.

–James

He may be the biggest name in show business you’ve never heard of. Why? Because David Foster is the man behind the stars, writing hit after hit. Think: Chicago’s “Hard To Say I’m Sorry,” Peter Cetera’s “The Glory of Love,” and John Parr’s “Man in Motion” (the St. Elmo’s Fire soundtrack) and you’ll get the idea. He wrote all that and more. The CD to pick up right now (you can get it Costco and other places) is this gem: “David Foster & Friends.” He’s joined by a ton of his friends that he has either produced or written for. Better yet, get the DVD and watch him share the stage with Kenny G, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion and more. Wow!

–Dale

And it seems just like yesterday when it opened. At least, that’s what the younger members of the Murano staff have been kidding me about. The Seymour Botanical Conservatory in Wright Park is celebrating its 100th birthday, and in honor of that, a special collection of Dale Chihuly glass (about 250 pieces in all) has been installed, to mingle as it were with the flowers and plants. If the grey skies have you pining for a walk through the garden, come here and take a stroll through the conservatory’s exotic tropical room.

–Dale

Even in the best economic times, opening a new art gallery can be a challenge. When the going is tough, such a venture can be even more dicey. Hats off, then, to owners (and cousins) Robert and Daniel Stocker, who opened the Robert Daniel Gallery at 2501 Fawcett Ave. Their stable of artists currently includes about 15 painters and sculptors from around the Northwest. Names include:  Andrew Glass, Christopher Hoppin, Dave Haslett, Dawn Sorrell, Debra VanTuinen, Eve Chang, James Minden, Jan Rimerman, Jay Lazerwitz, Karen Schroeder, Katie Harkins, Lyria Schaffer-Bauck, Martha Pfanschmidt, Patricia Hagen andWilliam Turner.

–James