If your organization is interested in applying for Tacoma Creates funding for the first time, you are encouraged to go through the Organizational Eligibility Review process.

This process will determine whether your organization is eligible for Tacoma Creates funding, so that you will know whether or not to complete the full funding application, which is released in late January 2027. 

Organizational eligibility requirements are explained on the Tacoma Creates website:

• Eligibility for Impact Funding (this funding category is generally for organizations with annual budgets under $400K)
• Eligibility for Comprehensive Organizational Support (this funding category is generally for organizations with annual budgets over $400K and with year-round work in both general public programs and youth education programs)  

If you have any questions about eligibility requirements, please contact Lisa Jaret, Tacoma Creates Program Manager, at ljaret@tacoma.gov. 

Portland Ave Park - Call to Artists

BUDGET: $10,000 design and consultation fee

DEADLINE: June 8, 2026 11:59PM

OPPORTUNITY: Parks Tacoma is looking for an artist or artist team to design site-responsive artwork for Portland Ave Park, specifically, digital vector graphics for potential application as several small art interventions (such as concrete stamps or metal inlays) throughout the new splash pad and spray park areas. The art designs should be relevant to the cultural and historical significance of the park space and appropriate for a “sprayground” water play area. 

The selected artist or artist team will coordinate closely with the architectural and engineering design team, Mithun, to recommend integrations of the artwork into the specific planned improvements. The project will also include engagement with staff, local community members, and the Puyallup Tribe. The selected artist or artist team will recommend fabrication and installation techniques for applications using the designs they produce but they will not be responsible for the final implementation. The selected artist or artist team will provide the final, approved digital art designs to Parks Tacoma, and the fabrication itself will be managed by the Park District. 

 ELIGIBILITY:

• Applicant(s) must live in Pierce County, Washington
• Applicant(s) can apply as a single artist or as an artist team
• Applicant(s) must be 18 years or older
• Applicant(s) cannot be an employee, advisory council member, or commissioner of Parks Tacoma 
• Before starting work, the chosen artist(s) must have:

                     o General Liability Insurance - Full insurance requirement details

People who are members of historically disenfranchised racial, ethnic, cultural, and other identity groups, including artists from Puyallup, Coast Salish, and/or the other tribes of the Pacific Northwest, are encouraged to apply. 

SELECTION CRITERIA: Criteria on which artists/artist teams will be judged by selection panel:

• Artistic quality as exemplified in past work 
• Ability to create artwork that speaks to an authentic Indigenous experience, particularly local tribal experiences 
• Ability to relate to multiple types of viewers 
• Ability to meet project deadlines as exemplified through past projects
• Ability to produce designs translatable into multiple mediums, as exemplified in past work

TIMELINE*

June 8, 2026 11:59 pm Deadline for submissions

Week of June 22, 2026 Review of submissions and selection of artist or artist team

Month of July 2026  Selected artist gets under contract

Fall 2026 – Spring 2027 Implementation

*All dates subject to change

ABOUT THE PORTLAND AVE PARK PROJECT:

Portland Avenue Park is a 13.4 acre community park on the Eastside and serves a diverse community. In May of 2023 a master plan was adopted by the Park Board of Commissioners which identified specific improvements for the park, including the work included in this capital project. The current capital improvement project will cover a Phase I design and construction of a sprayground, playground and restroom building with storage. 

Portland Ave Park is within the boundary of the Puyallup Reservation, and sits within a few blocks of the current headquarters of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians administrative offices. The adopted Master Plan for the park includes elements designed specifically with tribal input, and the designs for public artwork should take into account the role of the space for community gatherings for the Tribe and other local user groups. 

 For more details on the project and to access the full park Master Plan, please visit the project webpage here: https://www.parkstacoma.gov/project/portland-avenue-park/ 

ABOUT PARKS TACOMA

Parks Tacoma is an award‐winning park district in Tacoma, Washington. Incorporated in 1907, the park district is one of only a handful in the country that exists as a separate municipal corporation with the ability to collect property taxes for support.

Parks Tacoma believes that good parks, open space, and program services contribute to economic development by fostering economic benefits and promoting tourism. Environmentally, they provide green infrastructure and help manage climate change. Socially, they revitalize communities, create safer neighborhoods, help children learn and grow, improve public and environmental health, and support smart growth. Culturally, open space and program services can nurture a sense of place in the community, and provide opportunities to engage the public of diverse backgrounds.

Mission: Creating healthy opportunities to play, learn and grow.

Vision: Parks Tacoma envisions a vibrant, active and engaged community.

Questions about this call may be directed to Claire Keller-Scholz, claire.keller-scholz@parkstacoma.gov

REFERENCE IMAGES AND PARK DESIGN CONCEPTS

Potential applications of the design work produced through this commission may include but are not limited to these locations or concepts:

•  Portland Ave Park Master Plan and sprayground rendering
• Sprayground overview rendering
• Potential art design application locations
• Potential art design applications - paving
• Potential art design applications - seat walls

We seek artists to join the City of Tacoma’s Mural Artist Roster. The City, private building owners, and community groups use the Mural Artist Roster to choose artists for ongoing mural opportunities.  Please read the full Mural Artist Roster Guidelines before you apply.

You may save you application and come back to it by clicking "save draft" at the bottom of this page.

2026 Tacoma Studio Tour and Arts at the Armory Guidelines 

The Tacoma Arts Commission invites Tacoma artists and creatives, working in all artistic disciplines and media, to apply for the Tacoma Studio Tour and/or Arts at the Armory. You only need to fill out this one application to be considered for either or both events.

About the Tacoma Studio Tour

The Tacoma Studio Tour is an opportunity to invite the public into your working studio or creative space, give demonstrations of how you make your work, or host a simple interactive activity with the community. This tour emphasizes raising awareness of artists and creatives and providing opportunities for the community to connect to the arts. Artists at all stages of their careers are encouraged to apply, from those just starting to longtime practitioners.

A studio or creative working space is defined as a location where an artist actively makes, develops, or demonstrates their work. The space must be located in Tacoma. You do not need a formal studio to participate. A library meeting room, community space, or borrowed workspace can qualify if your setup reflects your active practice and allows visitors to engage with how you make your work. A standard vendor or retail table setup, where you are simply selling your work, does not meet the intent of the Studio Tour. What matters is that visitors can see and engage with your creative process.

If you plan to participate as a guest at another artist's studio or shared creative working space, all application requirements still apply to you individually. Each artist or creative participating at a shared or group studio location must submit their own separate application. 

There is no fee to apply and/or participate in the Tacoma Studio Tour.

The Tacoma Studio Tour takes place on Saturday & Sunday, October 17 & 18, 2026, from 11 AM – 5 PM.

You can choose to be open on Saturday, Sunday, or both days. You must be open for the full 11 am – 5 pm time frame on the day(s) you select. While not required, we encourage you to have work for sale; no commission will be taken on any sales, and you will handle any sale of your work directly. 

The Tacoma Arts Commission will produce extensive electronic publicity materials, including email communications, social media posts, and an interactive website and map. We will also produce a printed mailer for the Tacoma Studio Tour. We ask that all participating artists actively promote the Tacoma Studio Tour to their contacts; we will provide publicity materials for this use. Thanks for your support! 

This year, we will be continuing the interactive Studio Tour Passport program as an incentive for people to visit and interact with new and/or multiple studios. Each studio space will receive a stamp they can use to indicate guests' active participation at their studio. You are encouraged, but not required, to donate a small art item that can be included in the prize packages.

About Arts at the Armory

Arts at the Armory is an arts market for Tacoma-based artists and creatives who would like to share and/or sell their work with the community, side by side with other creatives, all within the historic Tacoma Armory. Artists at all stages of their careers are encouraged to apply, from those just starting out to longtime practitioners.

Participating artists and creatives will be assigned a maximum of a 10’x10’ space (table and chair provided, if requested in the application), where they can share or demonstrate their work and talk about their creative practice with the public. You are not required to provide an interactive experience or demonstration at this event. 

There is no fee to apply and/or participate in Arts at the Armory.

The event will take place on Saturday & Sunday, November 14 & 15, 2026, from 11 AM – 5 PM, inside the Tacoma Armory (1001 S. Yakima Ave).

You can choose to participate on Saturday, Sunday, or both days. You must be on site and open for the full 11 am – 5 pm time frame on the day(s) you select. 

Arts at the Armory is a meaningful way to build your audience, connect with collectors and community members, and share your practice on your own terms. While not required, we encourage you to have work for sale. No commission is taken on any sales, and you will handle any sale of your work directly.

The Tacoma Arts Commission will produce publicity materials, including email communications, social media posts, and posters. We ask that participating artists and creatives actively promote Arts at the Armory to their own contacts. We will provide all the materials you need to make this easy and effective.

You will be responsible for setting up, being present, staffing, and tearing down your own space. All displays and setups must be freestanding (no wall attachments allowed) and fit within the allotted space. You are not allowed to provide or sell food or beverages to the public or have any open flames.

Eligibility

The following eligibility criteria apply to both the Tacoma Studio Tour and Arts at the Armory:

• You must live within the Tacoma city limits, and/or your regular working studio or performance space must be located within the Tacoma city limits.
• Your work must be created, performed, and/or made by you. It cannot be commercially acquired, appropriated, or AI-generated.

If applying for the Tacoma Studio Tour and you would like to be a guest at another artist’s studio location, the eligibility guidelines listed above still apply. Each artist or creative in a group studio needs to submit their own application.

Creatives and artists who identify as members of the Global Majority: Black, Brown, Indigenous, People of Color (BBIPOC); African, Latinx, Arab, Asian, Native-American (ALAANA) communities; economically or socio-economically marginalized communities; LGBTQIA+ communities, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

To Apply

The deadline for applications is Monday, June 22, 2026, by 11:59 pm. Eligible artists and creatives interested in either of these opportunities must fill out this online application form. 

All applications will be reviewed by a subcommittee of the Tacoma Arts Commission and selected based on the quality of work and the overall variety of artistic disciplines and work represented. 

If applying for both the Tacoma Studio Tour and Arts at the Armory, your application for each event will be considered separately. Past participation in either of these events does not guarantee future selection to participate. We regularly receive more applications than we can accommodate with available resources and limited event spaces.

By applying for the Tacoma Studio Tour and/or Arts at the Armory, and if accepted, you are committing to participate in the event(s), unless serious circumstances occur that make your participation not possible.

Questions?

Contact Daniel Garcia at (253) 830-6763 or dgarcia2@tacoma.gov.