SUZY STUMP: ART SLAM >>>

First it was Denny’s Slams, then poetry slams, and now, once again, Tacoma’s Art at Work-sponsored Art Slam hits the Rialto Theater in downtown Tacoma Friday night. What the heck is a “slam” anyway?

The truth is that the term “slam” is a derivative of “poetry slam,” a competitive evening of poet against poet (think 8-Mile only without the hip-hop) whose name was derived from baseball and bridge terminology. This event is not that at all. This is Art Slam â€" two hours of local art slammed into your consciousness like a shot of adrenaline. This is not your Grandma’s slide show. It’s an entertainment View-Master, with fast action and cheering.

Local artists will have 10 works projected on the big screen at the Rialto Theater as slides and digital images. Each picture will appear for just a few seconds along with information about the art and the artist. No one is going to “slam” anyone’s work â€" at least not out loud â€" although five spoken-word artists will add to the excitement.

If you thought art operated on its own isolated, lonely schedule: get depressed, self-mutilate, see self in mirror, paint feverishly in loft, check this night out.

[Rialto Theater, 7-9 p.m., free, 301 S. Ninth St., downtown Tacoma, 253.591.5191]

UPDATE: Here is a video of the event.

LINK: ViVA South Sound arts and entertainment guide

LINK: Art at Work Month events