About tacomaupac.org
Our Mission
TUPAC’s mission is to provide Tacoma’s youth—especially those from underrepresented communities in the Historic Hilltop—with opportunities to achieve artistic excellence. We do this through culturally relevant pre-professional dance and theatre training, engaging community events, and other arts experiences.
We are committed to supporting our students through mentorship from local, national, and international artists, fostering their personal growth, and encouraging them to give back to the community.
Land & Community Acknowledgment
ʔi čəd ʔal tiił dxʷləšucid ʔaciɫtalbixʷ.
We stand on the ancestral lands of the Coast Salish peoples.
Our Performing Arts Center occupies the traditional homelands of the Puyallup Tribe. We state this plainly: this land was not freely ceded. It was taken through colonization, displacement, and policies designed to dismantle Indigenous sovereignty, culture, and lifeways. Yet the Puyallup people and other Coast Salish nations endure. Their governance, culture, language, and stewardship of these lands and waters continue.
To acknowledge the land is not symbolic. It is a commitment to confront the history of occupation, to reject erasure, and to support Indigenous self-determination today.
We also acknowledge that this neighborhood, Hilltop was shaped by Black American families who built community, business, and cultural life here during an era of redlining, segregation, and exclusion. This area was subjected to racist labeling by white residents, yet Black leaders and families transformed it into a center of strength, creativity, and advocacy. Their legacy is foundational to this community.
We recognize that the histories of Indigenous dispossession and anti-Black racism are not past tense. They continue to shape systems, opportunity, and access.
As an organization, we commit not only to acknowledgment, but to action, to equity in practice, to representation in leadership, and to ensuring that our space reflects accountability to the peoples whose histories make our presence possible.
We are a 501 C 3 non-profit organization
Ein: 82-0972418
Hello
coming soon
There will be so much to see here. So, check back in a few days, then take your time, look around, and learn about us. We hope you enjoy our site and take a moment to drop us a line.