“Echoes of the Floating World,” Comes to TAM 

By: Katherine Ellison, Communication Major 

Growing up in a Japanese American household in Tacoma, Kenji Stoll was always inspired by creativity and art, from traditional and cultural Japanese artwork that surrounded him from a young age to more modern movements from the graffiti and skateboarding communities. 

Now a local tattoo artist, muralist, and community artist, Stoll took on a new challenge, curating his first exhibit at the Tacoma Art Museum.  

The new exhibit, “Echoes of the Floating World” opens on Saturday, Feb.22. Stoll’s curation displays historic Japanese woodblock prints from TAM’s archive next to current local artists’ work that pays homage, take inspiration from, and bring this style of work forward in a new way. Stoll also offers to public view a handful of his own pieces in the show, including a new mural he created alongside the show, taking inspiration from the museum’s Japanese woodblock prints and his own culture and experiences.  

“The exhibit is all about woodblock prints dating back to the Edo period in the 1800s. The exhibit is about discovering the long legacy of these prints and how they continue to influence things today,” Stoll said. 

The exhibit will display Japanese woodblock prints from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries retrieved from TAM and other local museum collections. These prints will appear alongside contemporary art from the Northwest that honors the legacy and influence of these original prints. 

When selecting artists for the exhibit, Stoll looked for creatives with clear connections to and influences from the museum’s traditional woodblock prints. Some of the artists displayed still practice traditional woodblock printmaking, while others include tattoo artists and creatives in the manga and anime space. 

“I’ve been a tattooer for the past 4-5 years. For me, it came from a cultural place. I mean, tattooing has been a part of Japanese culture forever,” Stoll said.  

Stoll’s expansion into tattooing has allowed him to further explore his culture, ancestry, and personal interests. His clear consideration and true inspiration from the past are evident in his work. 

Stoll’s goal for the exhibit is to increase viewers’ awareness of the artwork and artists surrounding Tacoma and the Pacific Northwest.

“This art is amazing. I want people to know how much awesome stuff is right here in the city and how accessible it is,” Stoll said.  

“Echoes of the Floating World” is an example of TAM’s ongoing efforts to break down barriers for local artists and create an environment where everyone can access the museum and its resources. 

“Really, it starts with your community. The Tacoma Art Museum isn’t just a museum in Tacoma. It’s a museum for Tacoma and Tacoman’s, and we want people to come and see their own experiences reflected back to them,” said Director of Marketing and Communications at TAM Rachel Ervin. 

Including local artists in the curation process and exhibitions is central to the museum’s vision of advancing community voices and expanding avenues of engagement and learning. TAM provides various programs, activities, events, and sponsorships to support community engagement with the museum. 

“We want people to feel like everybody belongs here. And we try to be thoughtful and mindful of those decisions that maybe would be barriers for some people,” Ervin said. 

There will be an event party celebrating the exhibit’s opening on Feb 21 at 7 p.m. and a guided tour through the exhibit by Stoll on the day of the opening on Feb 22. The museum also has several plans for upcoming events and engagement activities for the exhibit, including guest talks from different featured artists and the unique opportunity of experiencing Stoll tattoo in the museum. TAM plans to support Stoll in taking appointments and tattooing alongside the exhibit in May.