The Midsummer Soiree came to the Warehouse, transforming a downtown Tacoma dirty alley into a clean narrow street with festive canopies, and transforming a boxy warehouse live/work space into an opulent party pad with bar and many lovelies wandering about.

The party planners themselves were transformed, resplendent in their finery with their art on display.

Desiree Flerchinger had a new nude on display (chained to a keyboard) that I especially loved, while Lia Craven’s impressive use of duct tape and subject matter intrigued me.

Also whimsical and fun, Suzanne Skaar’s works (was that a bunny on a Vespa?) and Linda De Santis Lapping’s fun little ceramic faces and fabulous skeletons. Impressive, as well, Elizabeth Cardany’s sensual work with the brush, and Mandi Webster-Martin’s eye with the lens.

Unlike December’s Eyefull event, the Midsummer Soiree had a good-sized crowd that appreciated, rather than consumed, the art, which included the performance variety.  I especially loved seeing Kate Monthy and Mary Mabry performing a piece they’d preciously performed at "Ten Tiny Dances" â€" yep, on a tiny stage.  Unlike Ten Tiny Dances, which performed on a low stage, this dance was set high for the crowd to enjoy, as were the aerialists.

And yet another really cool element of the Soiree, the moments of free-form, improvisational fun that brought the crowd to the forefront, and where members of  the crowd was almost as much fun as the art.

I can’t wait ‘til the next one! â€" Jessica Corey Butler