Bobble Tiki has heard it from multiple sources, and he knows it to be true. In Tacoma, anyone can be an artist, or at least claim to be an artist without fearing Tacomans will call bull. This isn’t a new revelation. It’s understood to be true. Just this week Bobble Tiki read a similar sentiment on one of Tacoma’s eight million blogs.

But this isn’t a bad thing — quite the contrary. Would you rather live somewhere where art was judged and harshly ridiculed, or somewhere where creativity was encouraged and widely accepted?

Bobble Tiki will take free-spirited creativity and acceptance any day of the week. Bobble Tiki says screw elite art; it’s time to take self expression back to the people. It’s time for the world to embrace creativity the same way Tacoma has.

(It must be noted that Bobble Tiki’s a tad biased. If it wasn’t for Tacoma’s tendency for acceptance and suspension of judgment, there’d be no way Bobble Tiki could claim to be a journalist without being laughed out of town.)

One of the great perks of living in such an artistically vibrant and prolific city is an event like the Urban Art Festival, which brings together artists of all shapes and sizes in June and invites Tacoma to get dirty right alongside. This year will mark the fourth annual Urban Art Festival, and the fun will go down at Fireman’s Park.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. While it’s a magnificent event, the Urban Art Festival doesn’t happen until June. That’s a long time from now, as the snowflakes outside Bobble Tiki’s window seem to prove.

In preparation for the Urban Art Festival, those in charge of orchestrating the event are busy planning and pulling off fund-raisers, building hype and stashing money to power the Urban Art Festival come June. Just such a fund-raiser will happen this Saturday, April 5 at Sanford and Son, when live bands, DJs, synergy painting, and an all-ages crowd will mix for explosively enjoyable results. The Vamanos, Trip the Light Fantastic, Battersea, Abstrack Synergy with Voronoff the Human Sculpture, and DJ Jimmy Sparkles will provide sonic vibrations, and an art raffle and beer garden will make the evening right.  

Bobble Tiki caught up with his favorite artsy  couple this week, Laura and Matt Eklund — who have been instrumental in making the Urban Art Festival reality — to find out how this year’s planning is going and what people who show up to Sanford and Son on Saturday will be supporting.

BOBBLE TIKI: How goes the planning for the Urban Art Festival?

EKLUNDS: Things are falling into place nicely for us this year. After four years we have really got things running super smoothly. We are all feeling very positive about the new location (Fireman’s Park) for the second year. The park has a great layout and the surrounding streets offer lots of space for our merchants.

TIKI: What can people expect come June?

EKLUNDS: Art utopia … musicians filling the air with infectious grooves from two stages. DJs spinning heart-thumping rhythms, painters filling canvas before your eyes, live glass blowing, and a unique variety of local merchants selling hand crafted goods and art. Expect the unexpected.

TIKI: The show at Sanford and Son is a benefit for the festival. What will people be helping to support if they show up? Where will the money go?

EKLUNDS: The money is used to pay the performing artists, stage, sound, lighting, permits, promotion, beer for the beer garden, and any other costs related to the festival. This is so that we can keep the Urban Art Festival free to the community.

TIKI: Why is the Urban Art Festival something that Tacoma needs?

EKLUNDS: It’s special and is something that Tacoma needs because it’s created by local artists. A thriving art community is important to any city that wants to evolve. The Urban Art Festival is (a) creative community outlet, and as Tacoma evolves so will it. We love showcasing unknown artists and bringing community together. You can always count on the Urban Art Festival to have something fresh and eye catching.

TIKI: How do people come together for that cause? Why do you think the festival has such a wide appeal?

EKLUNDS: Because we are young emerging artists and we have a way of knowing what’s new and exciting in this town. I think that after four years, we are developing a reputation and people want to be a part of what we are doing.

As usual, Bobble Tiki doesn’t care what you do this week because he doesn’t even know you. In fact, Bobble Tiki doesn’t even know himself, so before he starts meeting new people he should probably look a little closer to home. Why does watching TV alone make Bobble Tiki feel sad, and why does he secretly have a crush on Katie Couric? These are questions that deserve answers. Join Bobble Tiki for breakfast every Monday through Saturday at www.weeklyvolcanospew.com and consider yourself close enough.

[Sanford & Son Library, Urban Art Festival Benefit Show, Saturday, April 5, 7 p.m., all ages, $5, 743 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.272.0334]