OK, so technically, Frida Kahlo’s birthday is later in the summer.

Since the whole premise of the Tacoma Art Museum party Friday was “Shhh…It’s a surprise!” the technicalities can safely be thrown out the window.

Which is the best place for them, since the evening wasn’t about technicalities, but about celebration in the name of Kahlo.

What I love about celebrations at the Tacoma Art Museum, is that they’re invariably well-planned, well-executed, well-attended, and fun.  And then, throw in the educational and cultural benefits, throw in the inclusion clause (all are welcome) and you have the kind of trifecta of good that makes me tingle all over and want more.

Friday’s event brought fun to the forefront, with the bed-racing shenanigans (think loosely of the term “bed”â€"I saw a shopping cart, catering trolley, and bicycle cleverly masqueraded as beds, to great effect!) starting the night off, and the music, art, cupcakes, and fun folks keeping the good vibes flowing.

I loved, most of all, creating a Frida pin with the wee one.  I wielded a brush and glue stick, she wielded a brush and glue stick, and the people all around us committed â€"and were committed to committingâ€"art that honored what we felt to be the essence of the images and knowledge we had taken in.

We all focused on small-scale enhancements to pop the images of the woman who’d suffered so much, who would have been 100 soon.

If I said it was super duper cool, I’d be understating the mojo.

Bravo, TAM! â€" Jessica corey-Butler