Questions For Phillip Hill

Phillip Hill, architect and capital projects manager at Tacoma Community College, is chair of the Tacoma Arts Commission.

Photo by Chris Tumbusch for City Arts

What is the Tacoma Arts Commission? The Arts Commission advises Tacoma City Council on matters relating to arts and arts policy. With the financial support of the City Council and the City Manager’s office, we provide funding to a variety of artists, art groups and nonprofit organizations.

What are you excited about in the arts now? It is always exciting to see work that we help fund come to fruition. But this year I am particularly excited about the performing arts, specifically theatre and dance. There are some intrepid souls out there who are creating new performances and new performance spaces. The creativity and energy in this town and region is transformational. The changes may be incremental, but you can actually witness the movement that’s occurring. I am always in awe of our need to creatively express ourselves.

What do you hope to accomplish in the future? Three things. First: Increase funding to artists and organizations. Next: Continue to develop an open dialogue and collaboration with local colleges and the community. Finally: Tacoma is entering into a very exciting phase of development and change. There are incentives we can provide to developers and businesses to incorporate artwork into their projects, enhancing the quality of our architecture and the urban experience.