TACOMA PHOTO CENTER
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Mission Statement
We strive to provide our community with arts education /community building and a safe space to create. We do so by breaking down as many barriers to participating in the arts as possible, whether economic, resource, or facility barriers. Tacoma Photo Center, by design, is a community hub of the arts. We are reconnecting people with their inner artists or creatives. We provide a low to no-cost place, materials, instruction, and collaboration with industry professionals so our patrons can access the arts easily and within their community. Anyone who walks through our doors can find resources and facilities to help themselves learn and further their skills in an artistic medium of their choosing. We emphasize instruction and resources in film (analog), digital photography, and movie-making or film production. We are open to any art practiced and learned in our space. Many local artists can teach workshops or practice their craft in our area. Classes and space utilization all come with a recommended donation to cover our costs. No one will be turned away from learning or practicing art due to financial reasons. We want our patrons to know how to create art that reflects themselves and their community. Our outreach is for students of any age who have been the furthest from educational equity, specifically related to the arts. Having a creative outlet is integral to people of any age, and many children and high school-aged people are missing that component in their education. People older than high school may have had some experience with the arts when they were younger but have drifted away from being creative due to monetary or resource issues. Lastly, some people may need that community space to talk and collaborate with other artists and feel supported. Tacoma Photo Center provides these types of things to its community. We also are a place of safety for people to express themselves. Our space fosters a welcoming environment and creates community while learning about the arts.
About This Cause
Tacoma Photo Center began by recognizing the need for a community that centered around the arts. Our space is also available for artists to display their works to the public, and artists can utilize any area of our room to work on their craft. If we can accommodate helping an artist in any capacity, we will. We also minimize or eliminate the economic barrier to using our facility and supplies. All services we offer come with a recommended donation amount, but we never bar someone from access to our space and expertise due to financial reasons. If a community member has needs (related to taking a class or getting materials for a project), we facilitate that at no cost. Our students learn about art, art history, design concepts, darkroom technique, camera operation for both film and digital cameras, composition rules, and various other skills. Students also learn collaboration and communication skills in our classes and workshops through critiques and our group activities. We always have at least one expert mentor in our space. This individual is there to help students achieve their highest artistic goals through teaching and mentorship. Even outside of our formalized classes, we have someone available for instruction and to assist with our patron's projects. We also work with other nonprofits and community members so our patrons can display their works to the community, including work being displayed and available to the public in our space. We serve anyone who wants to learn more about art and be creative. We pride ourselves on being a community/communal art space. Our background is in photography and film production, and 60% of Tacoma Photo Center's space is dedicated to those crafts, but the remaining space can be used for any number of arts. The main goal is to reduce the barrier to entry for learning new creative skills. Our space will always be a welcoming and safe place for artists and creators to work and connect with their communities. Through this, we also will emphasize creating classes to work with people, but there will be no age limit to take a class or utilize the space. On the educational side, we currently can offer instruction in film photography (both black and white and Color), film development, darkroom usage and technique, black and white printmaking, digital photography, digital photo editing, lighting and portrait photography, and film production. On the services side, we have public access to all of our facilities, including our film development area, black and white darkroom, digital lab (albeit, currently, a small lab), portrait studio, and scanning services. We also provide local drop-off or mail-in film development services. We will consistently update our profile on this site for upcoming classes, programs, and organizations we are working or partnering with.