At the Best of the Northwest Free Community Festival Sunday, July 13, visitors to the Tacoma Art Museum will get to see up close and personal just what it takes to make a bronze sculpture and take part in a hands-on sculpture project making your own three-dimensional art.

At noon the bronze World War II Marine memorial sculpture "Soul of the Forward and Faithful" by Mardie Rees will debut in an unveiling. It will be on view at TAM until July 27 when it will travel to its new permanent home at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Va.

The festival will feature artists, fabricators and curators talking about the process of creating bronze sculpture. "Rarely do you witness sculptures taking shape," said museum director Stephanie A. Stebich. "We're giving visitors a close-up look into the sculpture process that most people don't get to see."

Among the speakers at the festival will be Dave Anderson from Walla Walla Foundry, explaining the process of fabricating bronze sculptures from making the mold to the pour and finishing; curator Rock Hushka, talking about new outdoor sculptures by Marie Watt, Julie Speidel and Scott Fife; and finally, Laura Fry, Haub Curator of Western American Art at TAM, sharing stories of Western bronzes in the Haub Family Collection - the new western art wing that will open Nov. 16.

Watt is in the process of creating a massive sculpture called "Blanket Stories: Transportation Object, Generous Ones, and Trek" which will be crafted from 400 blankets donated by the community. The sculpture is being cast by Walla Walla Foundry and will be installed along Pacific Avenue in front of the Haub Family Galleries.

Admission to the museum will be free all day. Best of the Northwest is supported by the Dan & Pat Nelson Family Foundation, Bill Driscoll and Lisa Hoffman.

BEST OF THE NORTHWEST FREE COMMUNITY FESTIVAL, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, July 13, Tacoma Art Museum, 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, free admission, 253.272.4258