The latest exhibition at Tacoma Art Museum, "Drawing Line into Form: Works on Paper by Sculptors from the BNY Mellon Collection,"explores the importance of drawing as a creative tool for sculptors.

The drawings in this show go far beyond studies for sculptures. In fact, there are few actually studies in the show. Most are two-dimensional works that stand alone regardless of their relationships to sculpture. They are, as a whole, damn fine drawings - strong, inventive and confident, and as good as anything by artists who work exclusively or wholly in two dimensions. There are drawings by up-ad-coming artists and drawings by famous artists including Mark di Suvero, Richard Artschwager, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Tony Smith, John Chamberlain, Jim Dine, Barbara Hepworth, Sol LeWitt, Bruce Nauman and Henry Moore, which you may never get another opportunity to see (museums are not given to collecting drawings by sculptors, but the BNY Mellon collection specializes in it).

Even though the works in this show are called drawings, many are paintings in full color and in a wide variety of media.

Read Alec Clayton's full review of "Drawing Line Into Form" in the Weekly Volcano's Arts section.

TACOMA ART MUSEUM, "LINE INTO FORM,"THROUGH MAY 26, 10 A.M. TO 5 P.M. WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY, ADULT $10, STUDENT/MILITARY/SENIOR (65+) $8, FAMILY $25, 5 AND YOUNGER FREE, THIRD THURSDAYS FREE FROM 5-8 PM., 1701 PACIFC AVE., TACOMA, 253.272.4258, WWW.TACOMAARTMUSEUM.ORG