Tacoma Art Museum needs blankets. NW artist Marie Watt is creating a sculpture using 400 blankets, to be cast and bronzed and installed along Pacific Avenue in November 2014. Watt's work explores the humble significance of blankets in our culture and Native American cultures. Blankets provide comfort; blankets accompany or are given for significant life moments. Who hasn't sat on a blanket and shared meaningful moments with friends or family? We use them for play as kids, we take them to college or our first apartments, we give them as gifts at births and unions and housewarmings. We wrap up in them for big games. As Watt says, "Blankets are storied objects."
Anyone can give a blanket to be included in the sculpture and share the story that goes with the blanket by bringing it to the admissions desk at Tacoma Art Museum. In return they will receive a Watt screen print.
Extending Watt's exploration of humble comfort, TAM is also collecting blankets on behalf of The Rescue Mission. Rescue Mission operates six shelters in Tacoma for children, women and men who are homeless or in transition.
With Father's Day this Sunday, consider giving a blanket in your dad's name to honor him in the sculpture. He'll become a lasting signature on Tacoma's streetscape!
Katherine Fawcett Dumont of Gig Harbor contributed a blanket for the sculpture in honor of her father, who was a Tacoma Hall of Fame ballplayer for the team that became the Rainiers. She also donated a blanket to Rescue Mission. Her great-great-grandfather, Angelo Fawcett, was a mayor of Tacoma and commissioned Union Station; he also earned the nickname "Turkey Fawcett" because he fed 2,000 homeless people on Thanksgiving during his time in office. That is a nice tie-in with efforts on behalf of Rescue Mission.
Deadline to bring blankets is 5 pm Saturday, June 14. For further information visit http://www.tacomaartmuseum.org/Page.aspx?cid=9539.