ON AND OFF THE WALL >>>

Free stuff is good stuff in my book, especially if you would normally have to shell out a kidney to buy a ticket. Tacoma's Third Thursday ArtWalk takes to the streets tonight, as it does on the third Thursday of every month, with galleries, museums and businesses swinging open their doors to the commoners.

Here are a few Third Thursday ArtWalk highlights:

If the sadness hasn't reached you, let it be known that the wonderful Two Vaults Gallery will shut its doors at the end of the month. Tonight, will be its last ArtWalk party. Weekly Volcano art critic Alec Clayton has the details. Guitarist Andrew Sherbrooke will try to keep the emotions cheerful.

A kinetic sculpture is a human-powered vehicle that also has an artistic theme.  Thanks to the City of Tacoma and the Tacoma Art Museum, kinetic sculptures are on the move at the annual Zeit-Bike event, "Movable Feats," which runs through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Museum. This year artists - Eric Holdener and Bill Fleming of Olympia and Tacoma artist Scott McGee - have designed bicycle-inspired functional sculptures in honor of National Bike Month. During tonight's Third Thursday ArtWalk from 5:30-7:30 p.m., the three artists will hop on their art and peddle them around Tollefson Plaza.

That's right, Tacoma. You no longer have to go to Paris to rent a goofy-looking bike and cruise from gallery to gallery. The Tacoma Art Ride pushes off tonight - at arts critic mass if you will - where riders do the Tacoma Third Thursday ArtWalk on bikes. The kickstand springs up at 6 p.m. in front of Tacoma Bike at 309 Puyallup Ave. by the Tacoma Dome. Then, for two hours, riders will visit venues along the Art Walk route including the Zeit-Bike exhibition at the Tacoma Art Museum.

Viceroy Art Gallery is Tacoma's newest gallery housed inside the Office GO Architects at 711 Court A. The new gallery will focus on emerging artists, such as Scott Olson who will show his whimsical paintings tonight from 5-9 p.m. Also, you can make your mark on the first "Art Wall" installation - an interactive temporary installation made by you.

Fulcrum Gallery opens a new show tonight, which will be accompanied by DJ Bilori's ambient and chill spins. Artist Jeremy Mangan will show his new paintings - two-dimensional structures that serve to draw attention to the hubris, precariousness, and ridiculousness, of human ambition - under the titled Build to Suit. The reception for Mangan will run from 6-9 p.m.

As part of this month's Art Walk, Tacoma Art Supply is hosting a book signing of The Comic Critic Presents Seldom Seen Films by Mark Monlux from 5:30-8 p.m. For this evening only book will be discounted down to $10. Tyrone Patkoski's artwork still hangs inside, too.

And, of course, you can enjoy most of the highlights above on the ART BUS. It's a fun, dry way to see tonight's art.

LINK: Third Thursday ArtWalk Web site