We are pleased to announce the committee for the Puget Sound Book Artists 2027 Annual Members’ Exhibition. Returning to the committee is Lucia Harrison, joined by LeeAnne Campos, Becky Freshe, Angela Howard, and Paige Pettibon.

The committee has selected the exhibition theme and, while additional details will be shared this fall, we wanted to announce it now to give members ample time to explore and develop ideas.

Trains of Thought

A train of thought suggests reflection, connection, and progression—a sequence of ideas, a chain of events, or the process of learning and discovery. A train may be the flowing elegance of a wedding dress, the discipline of training and skill-building, or the unfolding of thoughts over time. To go off the rails can imply a deliberate or unexpected departure from the familiar, the predictable, or the planned.

The word trains also carries a wealth of literal meanings and associations. It may evoke the rhythmic cadence of wheels on steel tracks, memories of cross-country journeys, daily commutes, childhood train sets, or a fascination with movement, engineering, and machinery.

Trains have profoundly shaped history and culture. In the Pacific Northwest, Tacoma’s identity is closely linked to the railroad—most notably its selection in 1873 as the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad, earning it the nickname "City of Destiny." The expansion of railroads transformed landscapes and communities, creating new opportunities while also leaving complex legacies of environmental change, labor struggles, and the displacement of Indigenous peoples and other communities.

Trains are symbols of departure and arrival, connection and separation, transition and passage. Much like the linked cars of a train, book structures connect pages, ideas, images, and narratives into a unified whole.

This theme invites broad interpretation—conceptual, personal, historical, political, mechanical, metaphorical, or playful. Whether your work follows a carefully laid track or ventures somewhere entirely unexpected, we encourage you to explore the many meanings and possibilities contained within Trains of Thought.

What are your trains of thought?

For additional information regarding the exhibition, send inquiries to: psba.exhibition@pugetsoundbookartists.org