2013 U.S. Go Congress

http://tacomaartmuseum.org/ Founded in 1935, Tacoma Art Museum began collecting artwork in 1963. Since then, it has built a permanent collection of artwork by regional, national, and international artists. The museum’s rich collection contains more than 3,500 works, with an emphasis on art by Northwest artists, a notable collection of Japanese woodblock prints, and the most comprehensive public collection of glass art by Tacoma native Dale Chihuly. The collection also includes key holdings in nineteenth-century European and twentieth-century American art. The museum’s collection of Northwest art has grown substantially and includes works by Mark Tobey, Morris Graves, Guy Anderson, Jacob Lawrence, Marie Watt, and Gaylen Hansen, among others.

A visitor favorite is Leroy, the Big Pup, Northwest artist Scott Fife’s monumental puppy made from archival cardboard, glue, and wood screws. Although Leroy is moved around the building, he can often be found in the lobby, greeting visitors as they enter the museum. Leroy was originally created for the 2004 retrospective exhibition of Fife’s work at Tacoma Art Museum, Scott Fife. Dale Chihuly Glass Collection One of the most prominent collections in the museum is the Dale Chihuly glass collection. As a gift to the region, Dale Chihuly donated a retrospective collection of glass in honor of his parents, Viola and George, and his brother, George W. Chihuly. Approximately forty of these works are featured in a long-term installation in the museum. In 2006, Dale Chihuly donated the installation Ma Chihuly’s Floats, a collection of thirty-nine works from the Niijima Floats series, in honor of his mother. Tacoma Art Museum’s collection now includes 110 works by Chihuly.