Bellevue Arts Museum

Bellevue Arts Museum
Bellevue Arts Museum (BAM) in 2007
Bellevue Arts Museum is located in Washington (state)
Bellevue Arts Museum
Location within Washington (state)
Established1975 (1975)
Location510 Bellevue Way NE
Bellevue, Washington
United States
Coordinates47°36′58″N 122°12′04″W / 47.616°N 122.201°W / 47.616; -122.201
TypeArt museum
Executive directorE. Michael Whittington
ArchitectSteven Holl
Websitebellevuearts.org

The Bellevue Arts Museum is a museum of contemporary visual art, craft, and design located in Bellevue, Washington, part of the greater Seattle metropolitan area.[1] A nonprofit organization established in 1975, the Bellevue Arts Museum (BAM) provides rotating arts exhibitions to the public.[2] Since 2001, the museum has been located across from Bellevue Square in a three-story building designed by architect Steven Holl.[3] The Bellevue Arts Museum closed indefinitely on September 4, 2024, amid financial issues.

History

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USGS overhead image of the Bellevue Arts Museum

The museum traces its roots back to street fair art in 1947[4] as the Pacific Northwest Arts and Crafts Association.[5] The group established itself more formally as a nonprofit organization in 1975.[2][5] After several temporary locations, it moved to the third floor of Bellevue Square, a large shopping center in the center of downtown Bellevue, Washington in 1983. In 2001, the museum began providing programming in its own building. The distinctive new building was designed by noted architect Steven Holl. It is seen by many residents of Bellevue as playing a role in the transformation of the downtown from series of suburban strip malls to a sophisticated city with a variety of cultural attractions.

The museum subsequently ran into financial difficulties and was forced to close to the public in September 2003.[4][6] After a successful $3 million fundraising campaign[4] and extensive interior remodeling, the museum re-opened on June 18, 2005, with a revised mission focused on art, craft and design and with an emphasis on Northwest artists.[5]

In contrast to conventional art museums, Bellevue Arts Museum has no permanent collection. Rather, it emphasizes education and hands-on involvement through an extensive selection of classes and workshops.[4] Since the late 2010s BAM has been locally recognized for holding unique and high quality exhibitions by artists from the Pacific Northwest.[7]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bellevue Arts Museum provided over 7,000 arts and crafts kits to children and community members to use at home.[8] Since the onset of the pandemic, the museum has had several funding crises due to its rising debt, small number of contributors, and reliance on revenue from traveling events that were unable to open in 2020 and 2021. In February 2024, the Bellevue Arts Museum began an emergency fundraising campaign that raised $349,000 to maintain its operations.[9] On September 4, the museum announced its indefinite closure due to the funding shortfall; plans for the BAM Arts Fair in 2025 remain unaffected.[10]

Exhibitions

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The Bellevue Arts Museum has offered a broad range of exhibitions across visual design, contemporary craft, and fine art. Exhibitions have included works from architect Louis Kahn (2016),[11] cartoonist Simon Hanselmann (2019),[7] contemporary wood sculptor Humaria Abid (2017), and Tariqa Waters (2020, 2021).[12] Since 2010, the Bellevue Arts Museum has held the BAM Biennial, a survey of artwork in a specific medium such as glass, fiber, wood, or ceramic.[13] The museum has curated solo exhibitions of several contemporary ceramic sculptors including Tip Toland (2008)[14] and Patti Warashina (2013).[15][13]

Management, programs and events

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From 2004 until 2008, Michael Monroe served as the Bellevue Arts Museum's director.[16] Stefano Catalani held the role of director of art, craft, and design at BAM starting in 2010.[13] BAM appointed Benedict Heywood the executive director on September 18, 2017.[17][18] Heywood left the organization in March 2021, and Leigh Ann More was appointed as interim executive director in April 2021.[19][20] In February 2022, E. Michael Whittington was named the museum's executive director.[21]


References

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  1. ^ "Bellevue Art Museum - Organizations - Arts Ecosystem Timeline - Seattle University". www.seattleu.edu. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "The Bellevue Art Museum - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  3. ^ Arcspace (August 8, 2012). "Bellevue Art Museum". ARCspace. Danish Architecture Center. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d Pastier, John (January 8, 2001). "Bellevue Art Museum". History Link. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "Bellevue Art Museum (BAM), Bellevue, WA". Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  6. ^ Lloyd, Ann Wilson (January 25, 2004). "ART/ARCHITECTURE; If the Museum Itself Is an Artwork, What About the Art Inside? (Published 2004)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Cool Art, Hilarious Interruptions, and Live Drag Competitions". The Stranger. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  8. ^ Russell, Angela Poe (August 10, 2020). "Bellevue Arts Museum curates crafts for kids stuck at home". King 5. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  9. ^ Vansynghel, Margo (May 5, 2024). "Why Bellevue Arts Museum is emergency fundraising. Again". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  10. ^ Vansynghel, Margo (September 4, 2024). "Bellevue Arts Museum closes, citing 'significant financial challenges'". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  11. ^ Jacobson, Lynn (February 3, 2016). "Meet Louis Kahn, the modern designer you know the least about at the Bellevue Arts Museum". Seattle Times. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  12. ^ Miller, Brian (September 20, 2017). "New Bellevue Arts Museum Exhibition Shows the Plight of Refugees". Seattle Magazine. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c Upchurch, Michael (October 26, 2014). "Stefano Catalani is putting Bellevue Arts Museum back on the map". Seattle Times. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  14. ^ Hackett, Regina (October 24, 2008). "At BAM, Tip Toland's stoneware figures celebrate the inner spirit". SeattlePI. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  15. ^ Farr, Sheila (July 11, 2013). "The Wit and Wisdom of Artist Patti Warashina". Seattle Met. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  16. ^ "Bellevue Arts Museum begins search for new executive director". Bellevue Reporter. September 11, 2008. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  17. ^ "Bellevue Arts Museum hires Benedict Heywood as executive director". Bellevue Reporter. September 14, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  18. ^ "Bellevue Arts Museum Appoints Benedict Heywood as Executive Director". ArtForum. September 13, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  19. ^ Peterson, Blake (April 26, 2021). "Bellevue Arts Museum Announces Interim Executive Director". 425 Business. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  20. ^ Keimig, Jasmyne (March 19, 2021). "Executive Director of Bellevue Arts Museum Resigns after Artists Allege "Harm and Disrespect"". The Stranger. Archived from the original on March 20, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  21. ^ Pierce, Jerald (March 8, 2022). "How Bellevue Arts Museum's new director plans to transform it". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
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