[https://mcusercontent.com/dab5c8dcabb4a48a61875c4b8/images/9f90a33f-54a0-ab87-eee4-988f4c03ff7f.jpg] One Lens, Many Angles A kaleidoscope takes scattered light and arranges it into a wonderful pattern of light and color - it is playful and full of joy. On October 3, Kaleidoscope, the Tacoma Arts Month Opening Celebration, will turn the Tacoma Public Library's Main Branch into that magical instrument. This event reflects the broad spectrum of Tacoma’s arts and culture in our communities and arranges it for your senses! Kaleidoscope Saturday, October 3 12 - 4 PM Tacoma Public Library Main Branch (1102 Tacoma Avenue S.) Free! There are so many facets to experience in your own way at this year's Kaleidoscope. You could begin by attending the Butoh performance down the Northwest Room stairs before the gallery fills with DJ Kenya's vinyl sets and A.G Joints' Grit City Rotating Cypher. Down the hall, FabLab Education will run hands-on circuits and music in the Olympic Room, Hello, Mr. Joe will play the Living Room and upstairs throughout the day, and Mi Centro will close it out with cumbia. Upstairs, Remakery will host a crochet bar and community quilt, 1443 Films invites you to build a maquette, and Write253 and Tacoma Tree Foundation will be hosting a printing activity to take home. And this is just a sampling of what is available! Your turn could be totally different, and you’re welcome to choose your own adventure. Read on for some highlights of what to expect at Kaleidoscope! [Explore Kaleidoscope] [https://mcusercontent.com/dab5c8dcabb4a48a61875c4b8/images/f7f73e36-76c8-04b3-1fb0-20166eed0484.png] The 253 Gallery Show A group show of Tacoma artists At the center of Kaleidoscope this year is The 253, a group exhibition of 28 (that’s 25+3) Tacoma artists and artist collaborations in the Handforth Gallery. Each artist was invited to exhibit one piece, something that speaks to this city. What came back includes a poem about the sound of Tacoma, a heart floating over Union Station, students learning glass techniques passed down since 1994, a bridge over the Narrows, a painting born from a stranger's work found online at just the right moment, and a dozen other pieces that each start from a different memory of living here. Some artists worked from a single image that had been sitting with them for years. Others built something new for this show alone. The result is a room where no two pieces arrived by the same route, but all of them land on the same question: what does it feel like to be from this place? The 253 stays up through late December. Enjoy the opening and the extended social hour hosted by Artist Trust, from 4 - 5:30 PM on Saturday, October 3. [https://mcusercontent.com/dab5c8dcabb4a48a61875c4b8/images/03c666c8-8762-adf4-df67-f42fe89bbc7e.png] The Hair Story Project An exhibition by Cennady Coleman<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.instagram.com/cennadycoleman/__;!!CRCbkf1f!Vvg-mp4myWSu_VqNwGQ_kqAUG9aS7dFNZacVPriMc5fAgRi6-_3RBiJZgSQ9pJf9kfZQW1LU9z8FcXZf5-3i0KtU3A$> Cennady Coleman's solo exhibit inside the Handforth Gallery is two years in the making and funded by a Tacoma Artists Initiative Program (TAIP) grant. The work centers on a single question: what is your hair story? Eight photographs, paired with stories drawn from conversations with the people pictured, sit alongside blown glass from Emily Martin, ceramics from Calista Coleman, and an additional photograph from Stephanie Cortes. The people featured in the photographs gave Coleman the conversations the project is built on. Coleman calls the work a starting point, one they believe can open into larger conversations about race, texturism, class, gender, queer identity, disability, and creative expression. The exhibition starts October 3 and runs through late December. Add your event to the Events Calendar [https://mcusercontent.com/dab5c8dcabb4a48a61875c4b8/images/eddc1429-4a8e-9c16-75ca-91a8f68350f3.png] Did you know you can add your own event to the Tacoma Arts Month Events Calendar? All year long? It’s easy to do and is free to use and list arts and cultural events in Tacoma. [Add your Event] See you on the Tacoma Studio Tour Tacoma Studio Tour October 17 & 18, 11 AM - 5 PM Artist studios and creative spaces across Tacoma Step inside the working spaces of over 100 Tacoma-based artists. Watch demonstrations, see works in progress, and support local artists directly from the source. The Tacoma Studio Tour is your chance to meet Tacoma’s makers, ask questions, and experience art where it happens. This is a free and self-guided tour. [https://mcusercontent.com/dab5c8dcabb4a48a61875c4b8/images/ca9d9cfb-1968-04fe-aa1f-ea2125f2b0a5.jpg] [Plan your tour!] [Facebook icon]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.facebook.com/TacomaArtsCommission/__;!!CRCbkf1f!Vvg-mp4myWSu_VqNwGQ_kqAUG9aS7dFNZacVPriMc5fAgRi6-_3RBiJZgSQ9pJf9kfZQW1LU9z8FcXZf5-3ktZVjlw$> [Instagram icon]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.instagram.com/tacomaarts/__;!!CRCbkf1f!Vvg-mp4myWSu_VqNwGQ_kqAUG9aS7dFNZacVPriMc5fAgRi6-_3RBiJZgSQ9pJf9kfZQW1LU9z8FcXZf5-1QwW95ig$> Copyright (C) 2026 City of Tacoma Arts & Cultural Vitality Division. All rights reserved. Thank you for signing up for the City of Tacoma Arts & Cultural Vitality Division newsletter! Our mailing address is: Arts & Cultural Vitality Division 747 Market St Rm 900 Tacoma, WA 98402-3701