When local artist Lynn Di Nino walked into a hotel gift shop in downtown Tacoma, she was appalled at what she saw.

Two postcard racks were fully stocked with Seattle-inspired cardstock.

“I found that so insulting,” she recalled. Tacoma has been touted as an art town and for it not to have any art postcards is pretty nutty,” Di Nino said.

She immediately began calling all of her fellow artist friends and the Picture Tacoma Postcard project was born.

Four months later, a group of 20 artists have created 28 original postcard designs highlighting Tacoma locales and ideals. Some have quirky slogans, some simply feature the stunning scenery and architecture of the city, but all are completely Tacoma.

“Our main objective is promoting Tacoma,” Di Nino affirmed.

From “Greetings from Tacoma’s Underground,” which features images of deteriorating storybook characters from Point Defiance Park’s Never Never Land, to the sharp cartoon on Mark Monlux’s “Tacoma, City of Destiny” card, the postcards cover a wide range of styles, artists and views of the city, apt to appeal to local residents as well as tourists.

So far the artists have sold hundreds of the Tacoma postcards, and because of the relatively low-profit returns on $1 postcard sales, project partners have opted to donate the vast majority of proceeds to the Emergency Food Network.

So far, $600 has been donated to the local charity, which provides food and other essentials at no cost to more than 70 food banks, hot meal sites and shelters in Pierce County.

Picture Tacoma postcards sell for $1 apiece and are available at Tacoma Art Museum, Washington State History Museum, Museum of Glass, The Pacific Northwest Shop, Art Stop, BKB Gallery, Fulcrum Gallery, Tacoma Art Supply, Embellish Hair Salon, Watermark Gifts, Urban X-change and a few other Tacoma sites.

On Sept. 10 all of the 28 designs will be featured at Tacoma Art Place’s Inspired Elegance Design Collection.  A collaboration between Tacoma Art Place and Tacoma Goodwill’s Workforce Development Program, designers will wear dresses design teams created in Tacoma Art Place’s recent 24-hour competition.

Guests will be able to peruse the entire collection of the Picture Tacoma project in one location, with 50 percent of the proceeds going to benefit Tacoma Art Place. The remainder of the event’s proceeds will be donated to Emergency Food Network.

The Inspired Elegance Design collection and Picture Tacoma Postcard event is at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 10 at Robert Daniel Gallery, 2501 Fawcett Ave. Refreshments will be served. A $10 donation is suggestion. Call (253) 756-5544 for more info.

Postcards can also be viewed at http://art-collecting.com/tacoma-postcards.htm.