Reclamation: A Community Festival

RECLAMATION is a community gathering that kicks off the new life of the historic Tacoma Armory and marks its transformation from a fortress to a central hub for arts and culture. RECLAMATION honors the legacy of the Hilltop and embraces its future with live performances of music and dance (Step, R&B, Hip Hop, Jazz, Drumline), visual arts, fashion shows, a marketplace featuring local makers, hands-on workshops, local eats, and community resources. Produced by Tacoma Arts Live in collaboration with neighborhood partners, with support from EPIC's Brendan Nelson, RECLAMATION asserts the centrality of community in the future of the Armory.

Featured performers at the festival reflect the past, present, and future of the Hilltop and Tacoma’s historic Black community: The Kareem Kandi World Orchestra nods to the storied tradition of Tacoma’s jazz era. Cole’lition presents the R&B and smooth jazz credentials that took neighborhood-born brothers Michael and Anthony Cole on the road internationally - and fostered the Hip Hop and Gospel talents of second-generation bandmate, Michael Cole, Jr. of 2fifty3. Hilltop boutique, Extraordinary You will present a fashion show. Meanwhile, the present and future will be in the capable hands (and feet) of featured youth musicians and dancers, including Vision Step Team, the Lincoln High School Drumline, and Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center’s West African drum and dance company, under the guidance of Ghanaian master, Awal Alhassan.

In addition to performances, festival attendees can join in all-ages dance workshops with Tacoma Arts Live Teaching Artists, including a Hip Hop session with Ariel Advincula (aka Boonie) and their crew, Mexican Ballet Folklórico with Bailadores de Bronce’s Jessica Grossman and Mindful Movement with Barefoot Collective’s Katie Lappier. The younger set will enjoy an interactive story time with the Tacoma Reads featured book, Thank You, Omu with Dr. John Gaines, and Tacoma-born Oakland Ballet alumna and dance educator Erika Turner Davis, who will help children bring the story’s characters to life through movement.

Visual art will be front and center, starting with a newly commissioned work from celebrated artist Tiffanny Hammonds. Honing her talents in Fab5’s neighborhood youth program, Hammonds has completed major works, including large-scale murals that help define the Hilltop’s visual aesthetic.

There will be interactive arts activities for all ages, food from local eateries, and a vendor marketplace: featuring local artists, makers, and merchants, where attendees can support micro-enterprises while getting a head start on the holidays.