Courtesy photo

“A PIECE OF ART”: Odessa Christiana and other local fashion designers present a fashion show Sunday on Sixth Avenue.



Art on the Ave

Tacoma neighborhood summer festival adds fashion

BY PAUL SCHRAG



It’s time to take over Sixth Avenue again, Tacoma, as dozens of artists, vendors, musicians, merchants and crazies prepare for another installment of Art on the Ave.

Art on the Ave is an institution at this point, bringing together local artists to celebrate one of Tacoma’s most vibrant little neighborhoods. A volunteer-driven cavalcade of talent, Art on the Ave will feature three music stages, a car show, a chance to dunk politicians in a vat of boiling … sorry, just got word the water will be of normal temperature.



Anyway, this year’s music line up includes some heavy hitters and a whole bunch of up and coming local talent. Get down to the Jazzbones Stage to check out the Revengers, a local hip-hop crew that is currently finishing up work on their debut release with Tom Pfaeffle at The Tank. For those who don’t know, Pfaeffle has worked with some heavy hitters, including Nirvana, The Black Crowes, B.B. King and Iron Maiden. What will he do with a couple of underground rappers from Tacoma? Go down to Jazzbones and fertilize your imagination. Also at Jazzbones will be blues man Randy Oxford and his band; funk/rock/etc. guitar virtuoso Ben Union; teen rock machines Starstruck; and everybody’s favorite, Vicci Martinez. If you haven’t checked out Martinez’s new album, you’re missing something from your life. Seriously.



At the O’Malley’s Stage, you can peep the Weakenders, Tarantula, The Moss Bros. and Another Round. If you’re looking to do a little something outdoors, try the Under the Trees Stage, where you’ll find a series of fashion extravaganzas featuring work by Odessa Christiana, Angelia Sasmita, Chloe White, Emilly Thompson, Eunice Poon, Luya’s Boutique and a whole lot more. Brought to you by The Shoe Show, The Fashion Co-Op of Tacoma, and Nani’s on The Ave Hair Studio, A Peace of Fashion will hold a raffle to raise money for Dress for Success, which provides clothing and professional support for women seeking jobs. Also Under the Trees, you can catch a Shakespeare in the Parking Lot presentation of First Night; actor, juggler and comic Mario Lorenz; and the dynamic duo of Don Izenman and Michelle Regan.



Always a crowd pleaser, this year’s Art on the Ave will feature an opportunity to dunk public officials in a tank. Whether you love them, know them, despise them or just want a chance to blow off a little steam over all the damn potholes, this is really your only chance. So show up for an opportunity to sink such public officials as Cary Nilson, past Art on the Ave Coordinator, Pierce County Council member Tim Farrell, Pierce County Sherriff Department spokesman Ed Troyer, Tacoma City Council Member Jake Fey, and plenty more. This frenzy of mild aggression begins at 1 p.m.



Finally, get ready for a veritable orgy of vintage cars, hot, rods, muscle cars, trucks and, just in case you live in the 21st century, a few alternatively-powered vehicles.



[Sixth Avenue from Cedar to Trafton, Sunday, July 12, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., free, Tacoma, artontheave.org]