History
William Traver has always made it a priority to support artists early in their careers, and many of the artists he worked with early on--Martin Blank, Sonja Blomdahl, Gregory Grenon, Doug Jeck, Dante Marioni, Preston Singletary, Therman Statom, Lino Tagliapietra, Bertil Vallien, and Jamie Walker--have subsequently achieved international reputations. The same willingness to take on young artists applied to a young art form. Throughout the years, the popularity of glass has grown immensely--nurtured by Traver and several dedicated collectors--and the gallery has become an international destination for contemporary glass enthusiasts. Always looking for new ways to support emerging artists, William Traver opened the retail shop Vetri International Glass at First Avenue and Union Street in 1995. In 2003, he opened a second location of the Traver Gallery and Vetri International Glass in the renovated Albers Mill Building in Tacoma, Washington.
Specialties
For more than 30 years, the Traver Gallery has served as a theater for the visual arts, providing space for artists to explore their ideas and share their discoveries with the world. Artists are at the cutting edge of society. They speak about what is going on in our world in a way that most of us are not able to, and they go places that are sometimes difficult to go. At the Traver Gallery, we strive to go there with them--to allow them to lead us to new and interesting territories. This same spirit of openness is at the heart of everything we do. Our staff is approachable, knowledgeable, and friendly, with a common goal of making our clients, artists, and community feel like they are part of the Traver Gallery family.