The Ten 253

The Ten 253 The Ten | A multi-media, people-gathering, wave-making project featuring the people and happenings within the 2+5+3=TEN

02/25/2026

the ten 2025 | cypher, now in full. 🎤 (Class of 2025)

We’ve been reflecting on everything that went into the 2025 Flowers For My City film. And this scene, this moment...still hits different.

We set out to capture a cypher that made a statement.

The goals?
A live, unfiltered moment inside
A celebration of the presence and pride of Tacoma hip-hop and streetwear
A reminder that this city’s got stories and something to say
A moment to give our flowers to the artists shaping this 253’s sound

We asked you to tag emcees, and you did not disappoint. We had the privilege of working with some of Tacoma’s finest. We gotta give our flowers to the ones who made this moment:

🌸 .gjoints
🌺
🌼
🌷 .chhun.lol
🌻
🌹 With beats by &

A huge thank you to for the beautiful blooms and team for partnering with us on this one. We also want to take a moment to thank for styling the emcees and for being an integral piece to this puzzle. Their cultural contribution and how they show up in this city continue to inspire us and the work we do. All of these partners helped make the moment real and supported our vision with intention.

The cypher was filmed in one continuous shot as part of the ten. year-end film, Flowers For My City.

In 2025 and beyond, we hope you remember hip-hop is alive and well in the City of Destiny.
Tap in and run it back, follow the talented folks featured here. Then head to the link in bio to watch the film in its entirety.

We hope the film inspires you and encourages you to give your flowers and watch what blooms.

Check out the full article at https://www.theten253.com/.../2025-cypher-live-at-the-dome

02/17/2026

Destiny Reflects ❄️
The winter installation of our seasonal Destiny Blooms series.

Winter asks us to pause. To slow down. To gather ourselves and reflect on the year behind us and what might come next.

An invitation to imagine what could be — from blank pages not yet filled, to clay shaped into something warm, useful, and alive. It’s a season of tending. Through quiet rituals, warm meals, and small acts of imagination that restore us.

For this chapter of Destiny in Motion, we invited two Tacoma artists who embody that spirit:
✍️ Kellie Richardson a poet, cultural strategist, and voice of healing.
🏺 Sarah D. Woodson of Downing Pottery a ceramicist whose pieces are rooted in everyday ritual and creative resilience.

Together, they remind us that reflection is its own kind of nourishment.
That imagining what could be is a powerful act of care. For ourselves and our communities.

The poem featured here, Imagine: An Incantation to Practice Hope, and Heal Battle Fatigue by Kellie Richardson, is a call to gather the scattered pieces of ourselves and envision new possibilities.

Let this be your call to pause.
To reflect.
To imagine something beautiful.

Full poem and reflections at: https://www.theten253.com/articles-feed/destiny-reflects

01/27/2026

“Flowers for My City” the film is out!🌹

Throughout 2025, the ten set out to curate small experiences - short bursts of moments that remind us to share space. 🌸

Musicians on a street corner.
Pickup basketball at forgotten parks.

An emcee cypher in the middle of the Tacoma Dome.

Restaurants serving food that makes you want to stay a little longer.

As we helped put these experiences together throughout the year, we documented them - through video, photo, design, and words; and published them on our website in hopes that more people would learn about more people in our community doing really meaningful work.

Our hope has always been simple:

To help amplify people, places, and moments across the 253 that make this what it is.

Along the way, we collaborated with more than 50 people in our community. What began as documentation grew into something bigger. We put it all together. In 1 film.

The culmination of this work now lives as a full-length documentary celebrating the year we had the privilege of participating in, alongside a commemorative yearbook that gives us something to hold.

Visit our website to watch the full film. (link in bio)

Give those involved their flowers.🌺

The people who found their way into 2025’s shenanigans deserve it. They worked hard. They continue to work hard.

While you’re on the site, read some articles, learn more.
And if you’ve been encouraged, inspired, or moved by anything the ten has done over the past few years - and you have the means - feel free to contribute resources so this project can continue for years to come.

Buy a hat.
Buy a book.
Help us keep the momentum going.

We appreciate you, Tacoma.
We appreciate how you show up.
We’ll keep doing our best to do the same.

12/23/2025

Just in the Saint Nick of time…Flicker: A Tacoma Christmas Story is now available to stream online for free! 🎁🎄

Don’t be a grinch - head to the ten YouTube channel (link in our bio) to watch with all your favorite elves. Happy holidays, Tacoma! 💝

Produced by

Starring

Narrated by

Special appearances by of .studio, Joel from , and Marshall from

Also featuring Tacoma Self Storage, Tinkertopia () and

With music by

12/22/2025

Last minute gift shopping?

the ten. yearbook is packed with Tacoma stories, photos, and community love, and it’s available for pick up now at select local shops. 🧡

Perfect for...
✔️ your Tacoma-lovin’ cousin
✔️ the neighbor who always supports small biz
✔️ the coworker you drew for Secret Santa
✔️ and yes, yourself too

Shop small and grab your copy at local retailers Stocklist Goods, King's Books, or Grit City Books.

Also available online at https://www.theten253.com/shop/p/flowers-for-my-city-book

12/20/2025

We couldn’t have pulled off Flowers For My City without this crew. 💐✨

We gotta give some extra flowers to these partners who made the event what it was...

🍻 Mike and the entire 7 Seas Brewing team for hosting us in their beautiful space and collaborating on the ten. beer

🎤 Our featured performers who brought the energy of the film to the afterparty: Billy Stoops, Sharp Skills, Sarah Chavez, Vealinium, and John Lane

☕️ Naomi Joe Coffee for keeping us warm and caffeinated

🥂 Ron Swarner of Peaks and Pints for leading a community toast that had us all feeling it

🌸 Washington Floral for the blooms

🌼 Ebony of Nue Blume for the floral installations that brought the space to life

🎛️ Walker Sherman for holding it down on AV

Y’all helped us turn a Tacoma warehouse into something unforgettable. Thank you for showing up, and showing out, for the 253. 🧡

12/18/2025

The event may be over, but the story lives on in the ten. 2025 Yearbook. 📙

Perfect for holiday gifting... or keeping for yourself as a piece of Tacoma history.

Available now online (link in bio) and at select local retailers Stocklist Goods, King's Books, or Grit City Books.

12/12/2025

Flowers For My City 🌸

This year started off with a simple hope: to make space for Tacoma to be seen, heard, and celebrated.
To tell stories that live beyond the feed.
To give our city (and the people who shape it) their flowers.

Over the months, so many of you showed up.
Artists, collaborators, organizers, dreamers, neighbors.
You opened doors, shared your time and talents, trusted the process, and helped this project grow into something bigger than we imagined.

And on 12/5, it all came together.

A room full of people.
A film on the screen.
A yearbook in hand.
A beer brewed just for the moment.
Merch that sold out.
Stories that landed.

What we felt that night was gratitude...
For the community that continues to carry this city forward, and for the chance to build something rooted in creativity and connection.

💐 Thank you to everyone who helped Flowers For My City bloom.
💐 Thank you to for giving us the perfect home for the night.
💐 Thank you to the evening’s performers
💐 Thank you to Ebony of for making the space bloom with color and texture.
💐 Thank you to for keeping us cozy and caffeinated.
💐 Thank you to from for the inspiring toast.
💐 Thank you to for the hand-sprayed signage.
💐 Thank you to our sponsors for believing in this place we call home.

Tacoma, this was for you.
And we’re just getting started. 🌸

12/10/2025

Thank you, Tacoma, for showing up to ’s premiere of Flicker: A Tacoma Christmas Story. ❤️💚

We made this project to bring a little light (and laughter) to the hustle of the holiday season, and sharing that moment with you at The Grand Cinema was pure magic.

Thank you to every actor, collaborator, crew member, musician, and partner who helped bring this story to life. Our sincerest gratitude to the locations that welcomed us, the collaborators who believed in the vision, and everyone who shared their time and talent along the way.

Your support made this film possible, and your presence made it unforgettable.

We’re so thankful for the community that continues to make the ten. what it is.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas, Tacoma. Thanks for making this season and city shine.

Produced by
Starring
Narrated by
Special appearances by of .studio, Joel from , and Marshall from
Also featuring Tacoma Self Storage, Tinkertopia () and
With music by

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Tacoma, WA
98402

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