A NOVEL GEM >>>

To the outsider, the South Sound can seem like a sea of trucker hats, strip malls, teriyaki restaurants and traffic jams. At first glance, we may be viewed as an over-caffeinated lot with seasonal affective disorder that loves a good cover band and burger while we try to claim a more liberal definition of the American Dream.

Three talented Tacomans have a different view of the South Sound. They see the nooks. They see the treasures. They see the back trails. And they see it through a creative eye.

Civic activist Ken Miller and artists Chris Sharp and Sean Alexander have assembled a team of writers and visual artists to produce the South Sound Users Guide - a guidebook to the region's more than 3,000 square miles and its 1.1 million inhabitants.

This will not be your typical, glossy travelogue. From what I can gather, it will carry an independent tone with sass completed with hand-drawn illustrations and an out-of-the-box design.

I traded a few questions with Miller as the team generates money for the project via Kickstarter.

WEEKLY VOLCANO: What sparked this project?

KEN MILLER: I've been convinced for a long time the South Sound is a distinct cultural and economic region, and then I saw some of Sean's drawings and talked with Chris and it just sort of tumbled together.

One of my motivations really is to help us see ourselves as a distinctive place. We don't have a Pottery Barn, for example; but by population we're bigger than eight states.

Plus with LeMay and the U.S. Open, we'll need a guide of our own, and I want it to be cool, rather than glossy photos of daffodil fields.

VOLCANO: What's your definition of the South Sound?

MILLER: We're concentrating on Pierce, Thurston and Mason counties – breaking them down by locations, much like Saul Wurman's Access series.

VOLCANO: Where will the guide be distributed?

MILLER: We're finalizing a distribution agreement with Partners West, to put the book into bookstores and gift shops across the western U.S. and Canada. We'll have an e-version, too. There won't be advertising in the text, but we have the ability to offer "customized" back covers in volume - over 100 copies - for $5 per book. The retail price will be $20.

VOLCANO: You already have 32 backers on your Kickstarter.

MILLER: We're using Kickstarter to finance the front-end costs - with rewards at various levels of donations. Among the rewards on Kickstarter are three opportunities to write up one's own "feature" - a business, for example. Those rewards are at the $500 level, and are the only paid content.

For more details, to provide support or to pre-order a copy of the book, go to kickstarter.com and enter "South Sound Users Guide" in the search box; or contact Miller at krm@harbornet.com.

ART BASEL MIAMI: AN EXPLOSION OF THE SENSES >>>

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tacoma's own Lynn Di Nino is in Miami, Florida for the annual Art Basel Miami Beach art trade show. She was kind enough to agree to blog about it for the Weekly Volcano.

Next year set yourself on fire by buying a $40 ticket to Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB), the world-class fine art trade show. Whether you're an artist, a student or an art patron - you will be intoxicated with exposure to the high level of quality and variety of work from all over the world. Much of the work this year was inventive, outrageous, clever and thought provoking. The 10th annual mega event drew an additional 21 satellite art fairs - in warehouses, hotels and public spaces all around Miami and South Beach. This year there were more than 50,000 fair attendees, breaking last year's record.

Art Basel Miami Beach scene

If you go to the Vernissage, the invitation-only party preview, you will see a lot of rich-looking clean and very well dressed couples - most definitely the art patrons, the life blood of these heady exhibitions.

Because it's warm, you might see men wearing white leather shoes with no socks.

In addition to flamboyant fashions, and trays of special appetizers with free cocktails, you will experience miles of paintings, fine line drawings, sculpture, and photographs. The sculpture will be cast and fabricated resin, bronze imitating cardboard, Carrera marble imitating a Styrofoam carving of Mona Lisa, and an abundance of highly labor-intensive, expertly crafted wall pieces made with X-Acto knife paper cut-outs, knotted very fine plastic line, and hand-sewn sequins covering surfaces larger than your couch. You will see sexually explicit work, political pieces showing banks burning, and glorifications of everyday objects.

A memorable piece in the labor-intensive category was a full-scale gramophone on a grid of hanging buttons like a 3-D pointillistic sculpture in space. This piece sold. Another work used light blue wire mesh panels that were sewn into the transparent shapes of a bathroom sink, a faucet and an electrical panel. Each was framed in Plexiglas.

Every early December Miami Beach hosts Art Basel Miami Beach (originating in Basel, Switzerland), "the most prestigious art show in the Americas. More than 260 leading galleries from North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa take part, showcasing works by more than 2,000 artists of the 20th and 21st centuries." This is just ABMB - when you multiply the other 21 venues by the number of galleries represented within each, and the number of artworks they present, that totals approximately 5000 artworks. Looking at these quantities of curated work hones the art appreciation skills.

The shows

AQUA, a charming small scale art deco hotel, serving as a satellite venue, held a very pleasant surprise: Tacoma's own Nicholas Nyland was showing his artworks with the well-established Seattle cooperative gallery, SOIL. The spirit here was bustling yet relaxed with live music and free drinks in the courtyard. Except for AQUA's focus on West Coast galleries, there seemed generally to be no venue concentrations of art styles, locales or price ranges.

The galleries exhibiting in the biggest show pay $30,000 for 540 square feet for five days, and at PULSE - a less formal yet popular venue - the price was $20,000 for their 28-hour event. Modigliani, a framed Banksy, Henry Moore, Picasso, Chuck Close, Warhol, Lichtenstein and Keith Haring originals were for sale. A Henry Darger watercolor was for sale at $145,000, and a Diane Arbus photograph for $36,000. A Joseph Cornell piece sold during this show for $580,000, and there were many red dots.

New York gallerist Lucy Mitchell-Innes, director of Mitchell-Innes & Nash, attributed strong results to emerging collectors. "We saw a whole new generation of thirty-something collectors, seriously interested in looking and learning - and now buying as well, with many more women collectors making their own independent collecting decisions,'' Mitchell-Innes said via in a release. Even in a recession the people with money have to find safe places to put it, and right now Wall Street is not considered as safe as investments in high-end art.

The one

Out of some 5000 artworks I personally viewed, many stood out, but one in particular was compelling to me. Investigate for yourself the artists Glaser/Kunz and the gallery that represents them here. These sculptures have video-projected faces that are animated very realistically (also eerily) and they speak a poetry formulated from interviews with homeless people. To learn more about their work, click here.

The piece sells for $121,000.

How do we rate?

Is there good work like this here in the South Sound? You bet there is. Tacoma is a parallel universe to Miami in that their art patrons buy elsewhere - outside their own city (unless Art Basel is in town). World-class museums like the ones we have, and schools of higher learning contribute to the nurturing of a local art patron culture.

We've the quality art, now we need our patrons.

LINK: Lynn Di Nino's Art Basel Miami Beach Slideshow

TACOMA IS PRETTY >>>

This fall The Tacoma Regional Convention + Visitor Bureau, otherwise known as the catchy TRCVB, held a photography contest seeking the most awesome photo of Tacoma and Pierce County.

The judges have made their decision.

Congratulations to Sharon Styler for her shot of Ruston Way (see above).

For more details on the contest, read the TRCVB press release after the jump:

Read more...

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WESTPORT RULES >>>

Thing: Fresh fish

Company: Boat Seafoods, Inc.

Boat: Howard H.

Float: 7

In: Westport, Wash.

Deckhands: Five total

Owned by: Barb and Douglas Fricke

Been fishin': Over 40 years

Nicest couple: I've ever met (for fishermen)

Steph DeRosa defends Westport, Wash., and come sclean on its fresh fish. Read her column here.

POPCORN AT 11 AM >>>

UPDATE: The video is posted below.

This morning I had the pleasure of joining a small theater full of folks at the Grand Cinema to see the debut of the new "Tacoma + Pierce County Destination Video," which will soon be coming to a trade show near you thanks to the Tacoma Regional Convention + Visitor Bureau - with plenty of help from JayRay Ads, Bellingham's Hand Crank Films and others. The short (2-3 minute) commercial for Tacoma and Pierce County is designed to help the Tacoma Regional Convention + Visitor Bureau  sell our region to potential travelers and event planners, created, according to an official press release, to be used, "on social media, in presentations to clients, for media purposes and shared with global audiences."

(I assume studies have shown potential visitors prefer the plus sign to the actual word "and.")

So who and what gets featured in the video? Obviously, Tacoma's many museums come up big. There's the obligatory cupcake shot from hello, cupcake. Terry's Berries makes an appearance, as does the Hotel Murano, Bite Restaurant and superstar bell captain Dale Rush. Crystal Mountain gets some face time. And Chambers Creek makes John Ladenburg proud.

The video ends with one of the prominent actors offering, "See you tomorrow." In all, while not exactly as real as something like this, it's sharp packaging of the marketable amenities and natural wonder Tacoma and Pierce County residents experience every day.

Local singer songwriter Heidi Vladyka opened the event, doling out acoustic versions of Bush's "Glycerine," Dido's "Thank You," and even a surprisingly-great rendition of the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling." The pairing makes sense, as Vladyka's still photography was included in the video.

Because building hype is the name of the game, the video won't officially drop until Aug. 31. When it does it will be available at traveltacoma.com.

HIGHLIGHT FROM OUR SUMMER GUIDE >>>

You might see Poulsbo and think it's time to buy an RV, but you're in luck because there's more to the story. Poulsbo is a quaint seaside town on Liberty Bay just a bit northwest of Bainbridge Island, but, best of all, this is the place to get your inner Viking on.

Calling itself Little Norway, the small downtown area has an old-world feel and many shops, antique stores, restaurants and galleries to explore - you can buy everything from a unique engagement ring to cheesy Got Lutefisk? shirts. Don't miss ducking into one of the bakeries on the main drag of Front Street to grab a traditional Norwegian pastry or some lefse.

Within a few blocks is also the town waterfront where you can sit or stroll whilst watching boats come into and out of the marina. There's even some nightlife in this cute area - Tizley's Europub is worth checking out and is filled with Scandinavian treats to delight your drunken senses. Poulsbo is about an hour drive from Tacoma, making it a great half- or whole-day trip, but there are also plenty of hotels if you want to explore the idea of Weiner Schnitzel for breakfast.

For more details, go to visitkitsap.com

HIGHLIGHT FROM OUR SUMMER GUIDE >>>

If you aren't scared of the dark, or the possibility of running into Sasquatch (as this is his rumored stomping grounds, and this is not a beef jerky commercial nor is John Lithgow your dad), grab your hiking gear and flashlights and visit the Ape Caves, located at Mount St. Helens.

Boasting the longest lava tube in the United States, with over two miles of underground hiking made possible by scorching hot magma that traveled through thousands of years ago, the Ape Caves are less scenic and more adventurous.

The first part of the cave hike is a cinch - a bit chilly but pretty much a nice, dark walk through the lava-created cave, complete with slimy walls. It's a neat, roughly hour-long experience. The second cave, however, is not for the faint of heart. Think: boulder piles, an eight-foot lava fall and two and a half hours of pitch black, athletic activity. There's a reason three light sources are recommended along with extra batteries, lest you intend on trapping yourself in a horror flick starring creatures of the deep.

After your adventure you can take in some sunshine and the local scenery that involves trees. 

LINK: Summer guide 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYNN >>>

Some people send out Evites, Facebook messages or launch a phone tree to orchestrate their own big birthday bash. Others, such as Tacoma artist Lynn Di Nino, simply hang out at a neighbor's house in socks. Ironic, since Di Nino has been responsible for some of the biggest bashes in this town.

To Di Nino's surprise, her friends would have other plans for her. Last night, the Tacoma arts community barged in on Di Nino at Sue Pivetta's house with food, gifts and hugs - especially the hugs as Di Nino just returned from Uganda where she and other Puget Sound artists taught members of the Batwa pygmy tribe to explore their creative minds in the midst of their terrible nomadic living conditions.

Sure enough, the partying included an impromptu geo-economic lecture by Di Nino on her experiences in Uganda.

"They (Batwa pygmy tribe) live in the current tense," she told her friends. "They have no tense for the future, and there is no way of even saying how to save for a rainy day."

Di Nino and the other artists taught the villages to express their culture in the art they create rather than simply make trinket baskets that are void of personality. The crew came up with necklace designs made from bottle caps, woven mats and paper mache puppets.

Di Nino is editing photos and organizing a show of the work the group created as a way to promote the cause. Stay tuned. Until then, happy birthday Lynn.

STAY-CATION = LOTS OF TIME TO FOOL AROUND >>>

If you're in a LTR - you know, a Long Term Relationship such as marriage - a stay-cation during Valentine's weekend is a fun way to stir and reignite the proverbial embers of love into a roaring fire. Or it just might be the fireplace suite at The INN at Gig Harbor making it hot.

Either way, it's hard to go wrong at this ultra-romantic spot. Sweet in-room bonuses of red roses and bubbly or vino await your arrival; it's a sure win for scoring effortless points with your amore. So is choosing a Jacuzzi suite.

On the dining front, stay-cation packages at the INN at Gig Harbor include a Heritage Restaurant prix-fixe dinner for two including delightful sounding selections like Firecracker Chicken, Caribbean slaw, lemon and caper pan-seared Alaskan halibut, jerk-style pork chop with mango apple chutney, smoked white truffle mashed potatoes, orange curry glazed scallops and jumbo shrimp, pecan-espresso encrusted sirloin and amaretto-sauced bread pudding.

If that doesn't blow the mind, next day breakfast from Heritage Restaurant is included, too. A menu of Pacific Northwest-influenced American cuisine includes omelets with ingredients like Dungeness crab, sun-dried tomatoes, avocado, meats and artichoke hearts. Grilled King salmon or broiled rib steak can take the place of typical sausage patties or bacon with eggs. Enjoy homemade biscuits, buttermilk pancakes, fruit platters and breakfast breads. 

Hot damn. They thought of everything.
[The INN at Gig Harbor, 3211 56th St. N.W., Gig Harbor, 253.858.1111, innatgigharbor.com]

WE'RE NUMBER EIGHT! >>>

The Hotel Murano made the Top 10 List on the Conde Nast Traveler's 2010 Readers' Choice Awards with a 93.5 oversall score. In fact, the downtown Tacoma hotel hit the number eight spot for hotels in the United States. Click here to see how the magazine scored the Murano.