I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the Tacoma Art Museum throws a great party.

Last night’s Glitter, Glisten, and Gleam event didn’t disappoint, with a plethora of activities and things to see (my favorite was seeing the bling-ed out participants and visitors) as well as a firm emphasis on fun. 

The Iron Artist competition was a crowd pleaser, with the watching crowd so dense it freaked the wee one out.

She preferred the upstairs fun and games (mom liked the champagne there, too).  I especially liked that we could get creative while while waiting to get creativity applied to out persons by the beauty artists from Chemel Salon.  The kid’s butterfly was a thing of beauty though she was not amused with me when I told her we’d have to wash it off later. Cotton candy helped to mollify her, though. And then walking outside to the Tollefson Plaza and seeing people actually sitting on the steps, enjoying the square (triangle?)  and seeing the Showcase crowd enjoying the city, warmed my heart.

What really strikes me about the free community events that the museum has put on â€" like the Frida Birthday Party, and Dia de los Muertos, as well as last night’s Glittery fun â€" is that they really do open up a diverse cultural experience to a diverse crowd of people who might ordinarily consider museums a stuffy place. 

The timing of this event might have opened up more people to the museum, due to the amount of people milling about Showcase, and that’s the kind of community-building thing that just gets me excited. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler