ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Friday, March 21, 2014 • tacomaweekly.com • Section B • Page 3
LIFE AFTER IVAN Local photographer documents today’s B & I
CULTURE CORNER
A GUIDE TO THE MUSEUMS OF TACOMA
Muesum of the Week: LeMay – America’s Car Museum 2702 E. D St., Tacoma, WA 98421 Mon.-Sun., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Info: http://www.lemaymuseum.org/
This week’s events: MARCH
2014
March 22, 2014, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Family Workshop – Balloon Racer Build, tinker and learn together as you explore the world of cars. Every fourth Saturday, you and your child, grandchild or family will spend quality time together designing, creating or exploring cool car concepts.
PHOTO COURTESY OF FULCRUM GALLERY
LOADED. “Big Haul’s Payload� is a photo of one of the vintage coin
machines in the arcade of B & I. Gary Lappier’s photos of today’s B & I store are on display at Fulcrum Gallery through April 5. By Dave R. Davison dave@tacomaweekly.com
A
s a blue-collar town, Tacoma has had its share of kitschy icons. Some have fared better than others. The Java Jive, though it has its issues, has been granted the status of Historic Landmark. The Tacoma totem pole, though plagued with rot, is due to be repaired so that it will have a new lease on life. The once fabulously funky B & I Circus Store – located on the 8000 block of South Tacoma Way – has by degrees become less and less fabulous (but possibly more and more funky) as the years have passed. Tacomans with a memory of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s no doubt have many a memory of the B & I, which first opened as a surplus store in 1946. Its level of fabulousness and funkiness was amped up by the presence of Ivan the gorilla. It can be argued that Ivan was the source of the B &I’s vitality. In 1994 Ivan was carted off to live out his remaining years in the Atlanta zoo. Yet, there is still some semblance of life after Ivan. In 2010 Tacoma photographer Gary Lappier spent several months shooting
photos in B & I. He used 35mm film that was developed in black and white using old school, darkroom techniques. The fruits of his labor are currently on display in the Hilltop’s Fulcrum Gallery. The show is called “Sent from Somewhere Else.� Lappier’s B & I has a tired, worn-out feel. Things are gritty and grubby. There are hand-made signs with dog-eared corners. The old merry-go-round is still there, as is the arcade – equipped with vintage games and old coin machines. The photos capture interiors devoid of people, giving the inside environs an air of loneliness akin to the paintings of Edward Hopper. The ubiquitous presence of florescent lights on the low ceilings and the use of wire mesh as dividers give the place a surreal, claustrophobic atmosphere. Viewing the show is a fascinating exercise. One’s memories are juxtaposed upon the photos just as one’s reflection is on the glass of the frame. One has a keen awareness of the passage of time and the winding down of things. Lappier reveals that the B & I, once inhabited by wild creatures, is still untamed. “Sent from Somewhere Else� runs through April 5. For further information visit www.fulcrumtacoma.com.
Current exhibits: VeeDub – Bohemian Beauties
America’s Car Museum celebrates the impact of an unlikely German car brand – Volkswagen – on a restless postwar America ripe for change. The “people’s car� captured the imagination with its simple and elegant designs, while the innovative technology provided a platform for personal expression. The result was a culture of customization that had a lasting impact on America and embodied the free spirit of an entire era.
Legends of Motorsports: The NASCAR Story
From farmers and moonshiners racing “strictly stock� family sedans on treacherous dirt tracks, to a high-tech, high-stakes sport with 70 million fans, the story of NASCAR is a uniquely American tale of ambition, vision, and fast, fast cars.
Master Collector
The Grand Gallery features 45 cars originally from Harold and Nancy LeMay’s vast car collection. The exhibit helps to show the diversity of the 3,000+ cars that Harold collected during his lifetime.
Meet the Master Collectors: those dedicated enthusiasts whose passion for cars knows no bounds. Thanks to them, important milestones of automotive ingenuity, engineering, and beauty survive to be viewed and enjoyed today. See how they will go to any length to find, restore, and share the cars of their dreams – only at America’s Car Museum.
Ferrari In America
Classics and Custom Coachwork
Harold E. LeMay
This exhibit highlights the 60 plus years of the Ferrari brand in America, and the influence Luigi Chinetti had during the formative years. The exhibit features Ferrari automobiles from each decade – from the earliest cars, all the way to modern road and race cars.
British Invasion
The British Invasion exhibit covers both the cars and the culture that invaded America after WWII and through the 1960s.
Opulence and luxury abound in this exhibit highlighting amazing cars from the 1930s. During an era when high end cars were built as a “rolling chassis�, and then sent out to a custom coachbuilder for the body and interior, this exhibit highlights some of the best in the world. The exhibit features custom coachwork by Darrin, Erdman & Rossi, Dietrich, and Derham on various Duesenberg, Packard, Lincoln and Mercedes-Benz automobiles.
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