Five seats on Tacoma's two arts advisory boards are open, with applications due by noon Monday, Oct. 12. The volunteer positions give residents a direct role in shaping how millions of dollars in arts and culture funding are spent.

The Tacoma City Council is recruiting for four positions on the Tacoma Arts Commission (TAC) and one position on the Tacoma Creates Advisory Board (TCAB), according to a city announcement.

Three of the commission seats are at-large. The fourth is an emerging-leader position reserved for a resident between the ages of 16 and 24. All applicants must live within Tacoma city limits.

The single TCAB opening is a Council District No. 3 seat, filling an unexpired term. The applicant must live in that district.

What the boards do

The Arts Commission is a 15-member volunteer body appointed by the Economic Development Committee and confirmed by the City Council. Members serve three-year terms. The commission funds artists and organizations, administers Tacoma Arts Month each October and oversees public art through the Municipal Art Program.

Commissioners meet the second Monday of each month from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market St., Room 248, and on Zoom. They must also serve on at least one subcommittee and one selection panel per year. Commissioners and their immediate family members are barred from receiving commission-managed funding under Tacoma Municipal Code 1.28A.

The TCAB advises on Tacoma Creates funding programs and ensures compliance with program guidelines. The board meets the first Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at the Municipal Building and on Zoom, with meetings lasting about two hours.

The money at stake

Tacoma Creates is the first voter-approved Cultural Access Program in Washington state. Tacoma voters passed it in November 2018 with 67.2% support. The City Council voted unanimously on Oct. 7, 2025, to extend the program for seven more years.

Funded by a local sales tax of one-tenth of 1%, Tacoma Creates has distributed more than $30 million to over 100 cultural organizations across its first six years, according to the program's website. In the 2024–2025 cycle alone, the program sent $6 million to 69 nonprofits working in arts, culture, heritage and science.

Arts and Cultural Vitality Division Manager Rebecca Solverson told the Economic Development Committee on Aug. 25 that the TAC will review a new five-year strategic plan before anticipated City Council action in the fourth quarter of 2026.

"This is not a budget cycle where there's money falling out of the sky," Solverson said at the Aug. 25 meeting, as reported by the Tacoma Weekly. "So we need to look at what we have."

How to apply

Applications are available at tacoma.gov/cbcapplication. All appointed members must complete Open Public Meetings Act and Public Records Act trainings from the Washington State Office of the Attorney General within 90 days of appointment.

Questions can be directed to Elizabeth Wing in the City Clerk's Office at [email protected] or (253) 591-5178.