As I promised you a few days ago, I took advantage of an opportunity to get a sneak peek at the new artwork at Portland’s ironically named Bullseye Gallery that will be on display here at the Hotel Murano. In keeping with their mission to eschew blown glass, most of the artwork they feature is flat glass panels that have been formed in a kiln. Even though they were closed that day, the gallery’s Event Coordinator, Ryan Watson, opened the doors and gave me a very knowledgeable tour of the show pieces. Here he is standing by my favorite piece.

Gotta love these camera phones. Check back over the next couple of days. I’ll be serving you up samples of the artwork that you’ll be able to chow down on when you get to Tacoma.

Josh

It looks like a trip down the I-5 to Portland, Oregon is in my future. How can I pass up the chance to get a sneak preview of some of the new glass art that will be installed in my own hotel? Dale tells me that you can check it out at Bullseye Gallery, 300 NW 13^th Avenue in the city’s hipper-than-thou Pearl District. The show runs through December 22^nd. While I’m down there I’m going to round out the trip with a visit to two other Provenance hotels in P-Town: Hotel Lucia and Hotel deLuxe. Seriously, these places are so cool they’re liable to start acquiring a cult following.

Josh

No, I’m not quoting Geddy Lee, I’m quoting the Bard. Google “Shakespeare in the Park” and you’ll discover that, from New York City to Oklahoma City, you can find enough iambic pentameter and padded breeches to earn a degree in Elizabethan literature – all for the price of an Amtrak Pass and a few grass stains on your picnic blanket. Google “Shakespeare in the Parking Lot” on the other hand and, well, okay, New York will come up again. But right after that, you’ll find the Tacoma’s version of Shakespeare. Starting with their slogan “Taking the Fear out of Shakespeare,” S.i.t.P.L. promises to make Shakespeare accessible to everyone. The best part is that they work year-round, undaunted by a muddy outfield. If you’ll be in town in November, you can catch Macbeth at King’s Bookstore. Leave your umbrella at home – they’ll be taking over the event space in the back of the store.

–Josh

I’ve got my calendar marked for these two films at the First Annual Asian Film Festival. They both take place at University of Washington’s Carwein Hall in the Keystone Bldg.:

Take Me Home
Oct. 23rd, 6p.m.
- A story about the Japanese internment camps in the U.S. during WWII. (As prep for this movie, you might want to catch Bad Day at Black Rock, one of the rare instances of issues-based film coming out of Hollywood in the early fifties. This beaut stars Spencer Tracy as a one-armed vet who returns to his hometown after the war only to find out a very dark secret about what happened to the Japanese-American family of a fellow GI who saved his life.)

Voices of Challenge: Hmong Women in Transition
Oct 30, 6 p.m.
- With their exotic mix of unique languages and subtle cultural differences the history and culture of some of my own Asian neighbors can be, for me, terra incognita. The Asian Film Festival is just the cure. And Voices of Challenge is a good place to start, as it explores the lives of Hmong-American women as they seek to pursue their education and careers in a culture that is far different from their family’s patriarchal traditions.

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Josh

Asian-Americans have long streamed to America, sometimes to seek prosperity, at other times to escape oppression from their home countries, only to find that life here brings a new set of challenges. The Asia Pacific Cultural Center is presenting an Asian Film Festival that explores some of those issues in what it hopes to be its First Annual event. Screenings are free!

Dale

What’s not to love about independent film? Aspiring film makers calling in every favor from every friend to donate their acting or camera-lugging skills, going for broke (literally) as they max out every credit card in their wallet…. Indie filmmakers might just be the last of the barnstormers. In celebration, over 70 films will be screened from October 4-11 at the Second Annual Tacoma Film Festival. Better load up on salad now, because, Spartans, tonight we dine on hot buttered popcorn! The festival will take place at three venues:

The Grand Cinema (Event putter-oner and primary venue)

School of the Arts (SOTA) Theater

Tacoma Art Museum

Dale

Just in case you haven’t heard, a national sport has evolved called dock dogs, of which Tacoma has their own chapter with the Puget Sound Dock Dogs. The concept is pretty simple. Get a bunch of dogs and their owners together wherever there’s a body of water (hint: the swimming pool at Mill Creek Town Center works great) and let them take turns diving into the pool. When your dog’s number comes up, toss its favorite chew toy into the water, yell “Fetch!” and watch the aerial ballet begin. Naturally enough, kids are more than welcome. But it’s the canines’ turn to bark “Last one in is a rotten egg!” Next event is September 29th and 20th at Northwest Club Challenge and Fun Jump in Lacey.

-Dale

Sometimes it feels like a part-time job, explaining to my out-of-town friends that Tacoma is heading in a new vibrant direction. It’s a city in transition, where its blue-collar origins mingle vibrantly with the upscale economy of urban revitalization. For an artist’s take on this scene, drop by the windows of the Woolworth Building at Broadway and 11th Street for its current series, featuring Patrick Grenier, Paul McKee, Margot Myers, Heather Joy & Matthew Olds and David Traylor. These pieces have been touted in the press as depicting the contradictory nature of a city in transition. Okayyyy. I’ll have to run down there and take a peek before the show ends November 3.

Cheers,

Josh

I’ve always experienced Tacoma as a beer town. A place where you could always get a good pork chop and a pitcher of beer. Here are a couple of places where you can celebrate the magic of the hops this harvest season:

Harmon Brewery Beer Dinner

For its 10th Anniversary, Harmon Brewery will roll out a few barrels of Killerbrew, its Oktoberfest Lager for a five-course dinner, in which each course is matched with a special beer.

Where: Harmon Brewery, 1938 Pacific Avenue
When: September 26

Cost: $30

Info and reservations: 253.383.2739

Third Annual Oktoberfest Northwest
At this traditional Munich-style festival, you can get your bratwurst on, your schnitzel schnapped and , well, you get the picture. Kids wilkommen.

Where: Puyallup fairgrounds

When: October 5 through 7

Prost!

Dale

Around our house, now’s the time to begin planning your Halloween. The gals over at Tacoma Mama think so too. They’re starting a special section called The Halloween Pages, which will include family-friendly Halloween happenings. They’re compiling the list right now, so if you have an event that could be included, drop by the site and let them know about it.

Dale