THE BEST ARTS COVERAGE IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

With the publication of the Volcano's annual Best of Tacoma issue a mere two weeks away, much of my time lately has been spent wading through the best of the best in art of the last year. It never ceases to amaze me just how much amazing stuff happens right here in our neck of the woods.

This week is no different, out on the street, and in the pages of the Weekly Volcano.

Here's a look at the arts coverage waiting for you in print and online.

VISUAL EDGE: TACOMA PHOTOGRAPHY LEGEND VIRNA HAFFER 

("Franz Brasz, the Artist." A Virna Haffer photo from 1937. Collection of the Washington State Historical Society/Gift of the Virna Haffer Estate)

The exhibition of photos by Virna Haffer at Tacoma Art Museum is a marvel. I had no idea what to expect heading into the gallery to see these works by an artist I had never heard of, and it was like wandering into a studio shared by the greatest photographers of the early modern period, including Alfred Stieglitz, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Diane Arbus and Man Ray. Haffer, a self-taught artist from Tacoma whose career began in the 1920s, gained international prominence and then was lost to history. The TAM curatorial team of Margaret Bullock, Christina Henderson and David Martin searched through more than 30,000 of Haffer's negatives, prints and woodblocks to put together this astonishing exhibition. - Alec Clayton

FEATURE: OLY LOVES PLANNED PARENTHOOD

(Photo by Ruby Re-Usable)

When I think of political protest, I don't usually think cute or sweet or quirky. I also don't usually think of art. But Oly Loves Planned Parenthood, a loosely organized network with a high percentage of working artists and art lovers, has made its protests all of those things. Since February, they've carried letter-pressed and hand-painted signs, often decorated with hearts. They've held bake sales. Organizer Sarah Adams, a filmmaker and performance artist, did a comedy piece about the protests as part of Michelle Tea's "Sister Spit" show in Olympia in March. And Friday, July 15, the group is holding an art show and party with music by the Olympia Free Choir, a DJ, pizza and cupcakes (probably the cutest and possibly sweetest of baked goods).  - Molly Gilmore

THEATER REVIEW: CATS

Tacoma Musical Playhouse saved its most visually stunning production to close out the season. Cats opened to a packed house and earned a standing ovation from the majority of the patrons, despite some sound difficulties. - Joann Varnell

THEATER REVIEW: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

(Photo by Seraphim Fire Photography)

This production is adorable. Not every joke's a corker, mind you, but remember that the definition of "comedy" in the early 1600s was that someone gets married at the end. A Shakespearean romp doesn't have to be joke-setup-joke like an episode of How I Met Your Mother. The plot, about mortals and Amazons besotted by magical flowers, is both dorky and disarming, and you can't beat the scenery. Having established due care and dedication, Animal Fire attracts professional-grade actors to its ranks. Jeff Painter, a memorable Lucentio in Harlequin's Taming of the Shrew, is likable here as Demetrius. Brian Hatcher, a fellow Harlequin alumnus, is charming, literally, as Puck (though his delivery of iambic pentameter is often singsong). Jay Minton, a veteran of Animal Fire's Idaho origin, won me over as a stage-struck Nick Bottom. Steven Wells stretches neatly into the role of Lysander, and local comic Morgan Picton is terrific in two roles. ... -- Christian Carvajal

FILM: TACOMA FILM FESTIVAL SNEAK PEEK

In a way the Tacoma Film Festival party never stops at The Grand Cinema. As TFF's founder and continuing planner, the theater's staff and volunteers work throughout the year on each new festival. And in 2011 they've figured out a way to share even more of the festival with us. TFF doesn't officially commence until Oct. 6, but who says we can't have fun now? Not the Grand; its first-ever Tacoma Film Festival Sneak Peek happens at the theater this Friday, July 15. Let's pre-party! - Christopher Wood

PLUS: The South Sound Arts, Entertainment & Events Calendar to end all South Sound Arts, Entertainment & Events Calendars

PLUS: Tap Dancing Hamsters