Aloha Club Collection

The Aloha Club is a Tacoma institution, organized as a women's study group in 1892. The Club aims to promote the cultural life of the community and to foster the development of Northwest artists. The partnership between the Aloha Club and Tacoma Art Museum stretches back to 1971, inspired by a shared commitment to this region.

The Aloha Club originally supported art education by purchasing color reproductions of works by Old Master and Impressionist artists for use in schools. In 1948, Club members made the intrepid decision to begin purchasing original works by Northwest artists. These artworks were lent for display at various community organizations.

In 1971, the Aloha Club gifted their art collection to Tacoma Art Museum so that the works would be more accessible to the public and broaden the museum’s holdings of Northwest art. In close partnership with the museum’s curators and in alignment with the museum’s acquisition guidelines, the Club continues to add to this collection.

The Aloha Club supports a variety of Northwest artists, from traditional to avant-garde and historical to contemporary. They have often selected works by emerging artists, in new media, or by historically important Northwest artists—smart choices that encourage an inclusive history of Northwest art.