Come join Tacoma Weekly staff writer Dawn Quinn as she sits on tonight’s panel discussion examining Tacoma’s role in the Pacific Northwest art scene. Sponsored by Tacoma Shunpike Arts Leadership Lab and City Club of Tacoma, panelists will discuss the question: “Is Tacoma’s Art Scene in Seattle’s Shadow?” The panel will also discuss the identity of Tacoma as a place to live and work as an artist, and what should be changed to make the city a more desirable place to live and work.

Panelists also include David Fischer, executive director of the Broadway Center; Jessica Spring, artist and owner of Springtide Press; Aaron Jacobs, owner of Reel Extras Casting; and Elise Richman, artist and assistant professor of art at University of Puget Sound.

Shunpike as an organization seeks to partner with small- to mid-sized arts groups to provide them with the business tools they need to succeed. Successful events in the past have included arts business clinics focusing on how to build a board of directors, best practices for fundraising, and how to determine whether a group should be for-profit or non-profit.

Tonight’s event, moderated by Erik Hanberg, executive director of City Club of Tacoma, will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Robert Daniel Gallery, located at 2501 S. Fawcett Ave. Admission is free and guests are invited to stay for Tacoma Art Walk immediately following.