VOLCANO ARTS: Peter Serko, Ron Lagman, John Miller and more ...

By Volcano Staff on November 17, 2011

ARTS COVERAGE TO END ALL ARTS COVERAGE >>>

At this point it goes without saying. If you're looking for coverage of local arts in Tacoma, Olympia, and all points in between, the Weekly Volcano is THE place to find it. Our goal is to consistently provide the best local arts coverage possible to our fantastic readers -- always be on the lookout for ways to shine a light on all the awesome creativity we see around us.

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

FEATURE: Peter Serko and How Art Helped Build Tacoma

Peter Serko's photography exhibition at the Museum of Glass artistically documents the brief history of the museum since 2006. It also shows different aspects of the building, and of the adjacent Chihuly Bridge of Glass, taken during different times of day throughout the seasons. Plus there's a video montage featuring pictures by other local photographers.

While putting the exhibition together, Serko discovered some interesting facts about the museum.

"Former Tacoma mayor Karen Vialle told me how controversial the purchase of the land where MOG sits was and how it subsequently led to her reelection defeat," Serko says. "I discovered that at various stages many different groups and individuals came forward to put all the pieces together, often with great difficulty and considerable controversy." ... -- Alec Clayton

VISUAL EDGE: Gathering: John Miller and Friends at MOG

This exhibition of collaborative work by John Miller and a dozen or so friends is cute and well crafted. Some of the pieces - all giant goblets - are beautiful, most are inventive, and a lot of them are funny. The exhibit, Gathering: John Miller and Friends, combines traditional glass art with a wide variety of art genres such as Pop Art and Color Field painting and Surrealism.

The sheer size is impressive. I'm told most of the pieces are around four to five feet tall, which is an astounding feat for glass blowing. ... -- Alec Clayton

MOVIE BIZ BUZZ: Ron Lagman's Tapat Sa Pangako (Committed)

Tacoma's Ron Lagman nears completion of his film Tapat Sa Pangako (Committed), and though it doesn't fit as a Hitchcockian mystery, I still feel like a detective as I watch. The writer-director provides no dialogue, none of that exposition to spell (spill) out the story. Composer Kevin Rolstad's subtly expressive piano score is the only thing doing any talking in this silent movie. ... -- Christopher Wood

PLUS: More local theater than you can shake a stick at

PLUS: Complete Arts & Entertainment Calendar

PLUS: Warm Fuzzies