Handforth Virtual Gallery – Hilltop Stories

Intimate reflections reveal the heart of a neighborhood through family and community memories. This online gallery exhibit will feature the visual art by Dionne Bonner and audio documenting the stories of Hilltop residents as recorded by Whitney Brady in a narrative description of an iconic place beloved and uniquely positioned at the heart of a city. Meet the Artist. Register Here.

Dionne's Artist Statement, opens a new window | Hilltop Exhibit Quotes and Additional Information, opens a new window | Go to the Hilltop Listening Project

For full virtual experience, click on an image to enlarge and navigate through all the images.


The Hilltop Listening Project was a concept developed by Whitney Brady and Jordan Pugsley as a way to document the oral history of the Hilltop by the people themselves. They recorded interviews with 20 people with deep connections to the Hilltop, featuring someone born in every decade from the 1920's through 2000's.

All of the recordings were done in the Spring of 2017.

Additional Information, opens a new window

Track 1, opens a new window                            

How has the neighborhood changed?

 Track 7, opens a new window                            

People Center History - Part 1
Track 2, opens a new window                            

What are your earliest memories? - Places

 Track 8, opens a new window                            

Malcolm X Center (Tom Hilyard)
Track 3, opens a new window                            

Fish House origin story, Jone's Glass and Used Materials origin story

 Track 9, opens a new window                            

Favorite Places, streets where people grew up, forgotten history (fruit trees, etc.)
Track 4, opens a new window                            

People Center History - Part 2

 Track 10, opens a new window                            

What businesses do you remember being on Hilltop?
Track 5, opens a new window                            

Names and Ages of all interviewees

 Track 11, opens a new window                            

Credits
Track 6, opens a new window                            

How did you or your family get to Hilltop? - Family History of Hilltop

  

About Dionne Bonner

Dionne is a visual artist and graphic designer and a graduate of the Art Institute of Seattle. Dionne through art and design creates space for open dialog and reflection by connecting community voice to the creative process. She has worked with a variety of organizations including museums, art collectives, nonprofit educational groups and city and state agencies. As a project-based community engagement specialist with Spaceworks Tacoma, Dionne designed a public art installation to encourage public comment with three chalkboards in the Hilltop community in Tacoma. Other examples of her community art include a temporary public installation on the grounds of the Salishan community to touch on the historical significance of indigenous land and a participatory intersection mural called Paint the Street in collaboration with the Lincoln District Revitalization Project. Dionne lives in Tacoma.

To view more information about the contributing artists you can connect with them at the following:
• Dionne Bonner, dionnebonner.com, opens a new window, dionnembonner@gmail.com, 253-219-1162
• Whitney Brady, w.m.brady@hotmail.com

Learn More About the Handforth Gallery

  • The Thomas Handforth Gallery at Tacoma Public Library’s Main Branch provides an opportunity for local regional and national artists and arts organization to exhibit their work. Additional,Tacoma Library often hosts exhibitions of a historical, cultural or scientific nature.

    The Handforth Gallery can be found at the Main Branch (1102 Tacoma Avenue South), on the first floor of the Carnegie building (C1).

  • The gallery has approximately 550 running feet of wall space.  It is quite large. Typically, two or more artists are featured in an exhibition.  There is no expectation that the entire gallery space will be used.

  • The Thomas Handforth Gallery at Tacoma Public Library’s Main Branch provides an opportunity for local regional and national artists and arts organization to exhibit their work. Additional,Tacoma Library often hosts exhibitions of a historical, cultural or scientific nature.

    The gallery offers nine shows each year of work in varied media such as paintings and drawings, mixed media, photography, textiles, and mosaics. Tacoma Library does not typically exhibit jewelry, pottery, or small 3 dimensional pieces. Some of the shows are by individual artists, and others feature the work of groups. Most exhibits run five weeks.

    These are the directions for submitting your work for consideration.

  • Via Email

    Email 7 - 10 digital images of your work, along with a resume, cover letter and any other information you deem relevant to info@tacomalibrary.org, opens a new window.

    Via Mail

    Mail l or deliver 7 - 10 digital images/ photographic prints of your work, along with a resume, cover letter and any other information you deem relevant to:

    Handforth Gallery
    Tacoma Public Library
    1102 Tacoma Avenue South
    Tacoma, WA 98402

View more about Handforth Gallery
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