art from artists

Black Artists Exhibition

Our incredible exhibition features the work of Black artists.

About

Curated by a panel of art jurists, the exhibition features work by more than 20 South Sound artists. With media including painting, drawing, photography and glass art, some of the exhibition’s works provide windows into personal history and collective culture. Other pieces are non-representational.

Taken as a whole, the exhibition challenges us to take an expansive view of Black art as an abundance of unique expressions drawn from the deep well of vibrant community.

Pictured works (featured image) left to right: The Genes by Lorra Jackson, Black girl fly by Jonarra Swanson, Mama Kulutu by Edimbo Lekea, Conviction by Charles Conner, I love you I love you too by Sandra Bocas. Pictured works (mobile featured image) left to right: SUAVE by TyResha Jones-Smith, 4 Hundred Years by Sariyah Ward, Notes of a Native Son by Rene Westbrook.

Visit the Exhibition

The exhibition will run from Feb. 11 - March 13, 2026. Admission is free to the public.

LOCATION:

The Gallery is located in Bldg. 4 at Tacoma Community College, near the corner of 12th and Mildred streets. Visitor Parking is available in Lot G.

HOURS:

Monday: Closed
Tuesday - Thursday: 10am-4pm
Third Thursday of each month: 10am-8pm
Friday: 10am-3pm
Saturday - Sunday: Closed

TCC GALLERY CAMPUS MAP

Meet the Artists

Find out more about our selection of featured artists and their mediums.

charles conner

Charles Conner aka The Original Spur has been an artist since the age of four. He first learned to draw Ninja Turtles from his siblings and was hooked ever since. Joining the military at the age of 17 to help provide funds in a small town that offered little in the way of employment, he would eventually be called into active duty forcing him to drop out of college for a tour in Iraq. When his time in the army ended, he spent years battling with bouts of PTSD. He now uses his creativity and imagination to create one of a kind abstract pieces filled with vibrant colors and a semi realistic interpretation from a black man's perspective. Creativity, Positivity, and Individuality. Welcome to the journey of The Original Spur!
Colleen BLACK

As a Black sculptor‑painter, I channel soul‑driven realism to reveal spiritual inner strength and the unseen complexity of the human form. Self‑taught in sculpture, my work invites emotional breakthroughs through meticulous form and light. My art has been represented in galleries across the United States and internationally, and carried aboard global cruise lines. I studied painting in Florence, Italy at The Florence School of Art and credit my mentor Jack Richard, a distinguished portrait and landscape artist in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. I have exhibited in Belgium, Germany and Japan. Commissions include a limited‑edition bronze sculpture and oil painting created for General Colin Powell and seven Congressional Medal of Honor recipients. As the author of Behind the Black, my book serves as an artistic memoir spanning darkness and light. I continue creating and writing under the guiding influence of my Black identity, determined to uplift communities through spiritual illumination and power.
Dino Murphy

Dino Murphy AKA DinoByDesign. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, grew up in Kansas City. Out of School I worked in the Art Industry in several positions ranging from Production Artist to Art Director. Between '99 and 2012 took a break away from the creative world. Upon returning back to the Art scene in 2013, I've been carving my niche drawing & painting a variety of subjects. My passions center around Pop culture including sports figures, entertainers, musicians, and vibrant original abstract paintings. I’ve recently developed a strong interest in seascapes and sunsets.
Emily Martin

Emily Martin is a multicultural glass artist. Emily was born and raised in the Hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma, Washington. Serendipitously, living in the Hilltop afforded Emily the privilege of exposure to glass at the young age of eleven. Emily spent her youth learning how to create glass art with the Hilltop Artist Program. Hilltop Artist is a local organization. Co-founded by Dale Chihuly, dedicated to enriching the lives of the youth through glass art. Since then, Emily has worked in varying capacities at the Museum of Glass with the education department, Hot shop Heroes, and Science of Art program. Emily finds joy in impacting others' lives through glass art.
James Butler

James Butler is a visionary abstract artist whose work transcends aesthetics—it’s a therapeutic journey. Rooted in Afrocentric symbolism and emotional depth, his art serves as both personal healing and communal medicine. Each stroke, shape, and hue is a reflection of lived experience, ancestral memory, and the transformative power of creativity. Through vibrant compositions and layered textures, Butler invites viewers into a space where vulnerability meets strength, and chaos finds rhythm. His pieces are not just seen—they’re felt. They speak to those navigating trauma, seeking clarity, or simply yearning for connection. From Tacoma Native via Philadelphia.
JW Harrington

JW Harrington is a painter, social-science professor, and trained baritone, living, painting, and singing in Tacoma, Washington. Using acrylic and oil paints on canvases or panels, he paints abstract works: geometric abstractions, colorful biomorphic abstractions, and a series of abstract paintings that eschew color for monochrome shades. He also paints animated landscapes motivated by the vibrant beauty of the Puget Sound region, and portraits that emphasize the subject’s insights, psychological state, or sense of connection. Harrington was raised in South Carolina, educated at Harvard University and the University of Washington, and has worked on east and west coasts of the U.S. After a 37-year career of teaching, research and administration, he is now Professor Emeritus of Urban Studies at the University of Washington Tacoma. His works hang in corporate and institutional collections in Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia.
Sabreehna Essien

Native to Tacoma Washington, I am a Creative and Clinician. I thrive in service unto others, like nature, gazing at water, and the activities of growing up in the Pacific Northwest. I am a mother of two boys 6&7 and honored to coach for Al Davies BGC. My work has been shown throughout the Puget Sound with the City of Tacoma as a first buyer of a piece from my Noire Femme Series Part II called Yes. This piece is on view at the Tacoma People Center on the Hilltop. My current Artist series explores textures and expands on my favorite style mixed media. Since I no longer have a work studio the challenge is real and limits my creative work flow. To adapt, I write and sketch my ideas until such times comes when an Art studio space can be secured for my small business.
Sandra Bocas

I live and work in Olympia and my color palette is strongly influenced by the Caribbean. My particular statement is to include all colors of peoples in my expression of beauty. The portraits I paint is always in respect of the soul.
Sharvoski Gunn

My name is Kiid_Gunn; I was born in Albany, GA, in 1989. My first experience as an artist was as a child. Although I didn't think much of it, my influence was life. Childhood trauma froze my talent within an iceberg of depression, which began to melt in 2018. I chose to produce color. I believe that being an artist is something that one can be born to do and not always learned at school. Hence, my skills flourished through practical experience, trial and error, & self-correction. I immersed myself in the works of Cinnamon Cooney, Martel Chapman, and Paul Tag; they became my teachers. Through their works I expanded my knowledge of African Mask art, cartoon replication, and abstracts. From my home studio in Tacoma, WA, my work is crafted and created primarily in acrylics and oils.
Tyresha Jones-Smith

Raised in the Seattle area, some would say I was born into this world with a paintbrush in my hand as creativity is my heart passion. Over the years, my niche and style as an established artist is always evolving as I love exploring vast ideas, mediums, and techniques in blending two of my creative interests together. Which is art and interior design. In putting them together, I made my signature brand TY DESIGN is my creative brand as specializes in designing and creating luxury abstract Black / African art that gives elegance and aesthetics. Ranging from original paintings, prints to collection series, there is everything and between to choose from to bring your wall and space to life. Enjoy.

Featured Events

All events will be held in The Gallery (Building 4 at Tacoma Community College) and are free and open to the public.

Community Reception

FEB. 13, 5-7PM

Meet the artists, enjoy refreshments, and experience the incredible art emerging from our community.