Creating the New Northwest: Selections from the Herb and Lucy Pruzan Collection

June 15–October 6, 2013
Creating the New Northwest traces the rapid evolution of Northwest art beginning with the Seattle World’s Fair in 1962 to the present through the vision and passion of Herb and Lucy Pruzan. Reflecting generational shifts and social change, the collection includes a wide range of materials, objects, and aesthetic viewpoints.

Sitting for History: Exploring Self-Identity Through Portraiture

July 27, 2013–January 12, 2014
Sitting for History uses portraits to explore ways in which we create public identities and how that has changed across time, media, and cultures. The exhibition includes a cross-section of works from the museum’s permanent collection ranging from the late 18th century through today, and by both Northwest as well as national and international artists. Through comparisons and thematic groupings, the exhibition surveys how the look and role of portraits have changed across time and place and how those changes reflect societal shifts in ideas about public vs. private, status, societal role, and the relationship between artist and sitter. Organized by Tacoma Art Museum.

Austere Beauty: The Watercolors and Prints of Z. Vanessa Helder

July 27–October 20, 2013
This exhibition and the accompanying catalogue will be the first major survey of Vanessa Helder’s life and artistic career. Born in Washington State, Helder's career spanned several periods of major change in American art from the advent of modernism in the early part of the 20th century to the rise of abstraction in the post-war years. Her unique personal style was a hybrid of traditional and modern ideas. She worked primarily in watercolor creating works that radiate clear color, and showing a rare talent for tightly controlling a medium known for its fluidity and soft, blurry line. Organized by Tacoma Art Museum.