Retooled with a Focus on Craft and Design and Community Support,
Museum Plans an October 28, 2004 Opening
BELLEVUE, Wash., April 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Bellevue Art Museum Board Chair
Rick Collette today announced the significant progress the organization has
made toward opening its doors on October 28, 2004. Highlighting the list of
important steps are:
-- A new mission focusing on craft and design has been adopted
-- A new business plan has been developed
-- Important, unique partnerships have been created with Pilchuck Glass
School and The Burke Museum
-- Building modifications are scheduled to begin in July
-- Dramatic opening exhibitions have been selected
-- Five new Board members have been named
-- The 58th Annual Bellevue Arts and Crafts Fair will be held July 23-25
These accomplishments are positive steps toward establishing the Museum as
a cultural center point, offering the community a unique, compelling and
sustainable institution that builds on its cultural legacy.
Following the close of the Museum at the end of September 2003, the Board
and remaining staff have worked with a wide array of constituencies to test a
vision and mission that reaches back to the Museum's roots of craft and
design. It will return to its rightful position of being one of the country's
few institutions and the region's only museum to focus on the display of works
of craft and design. The new craft and design focus fits well into the
cultural arts fabric for the region and will add to a national conversation on
craft and design.
A business plan, to be used as a road map for a sustainable operation, has
been developed with the help of regional business leaders. The effort has been
led by Board member Frank Statkus of the Boeing Company. The plan calls for a
lean annual operating budget of $2.2 million. An exhibition justification
process has been designed to insure that exhibitions relate appropriately to
the mission, all costs are identified and that an integrated planning process
is in place. The business plan has identified $1.4 million in costs necessary
to open the facility.
Key to the success of the plan is financial support from the community.
Significant progress has been made toward that end by setting the table for
broad-based support.
Bellevue Art Museum and The Pilchuck Glass School have created a
partnership that includes a permanent gallery in the Museum honoring this
important school and the glass movement. The Museum is in a unique position to
provide visibility to Pilchuck and to the dynamic and exciting art that is
nurtured by the school's presence here in the Northwest. This partnership will
provide both institutions with access to those who love the medium of glass.
A second partnership has been established with another important local
institution, The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. The Bellevue
Art Museum's ability to display the objects from The Burke's vast collections
allows the Museum to bring depth, context, insight and inspiration to its
exhibitions. The partnerships involving these three institutions will create
one of the most dynamic and enjoyable craft and design experiences available
under one roof in the region.
The landmark building that was designed to showcase contemporary art and
house an art school will be modified to meet the needs of the Museum's new
mission. Former classrooms will make way for new gallery spaces. The first
floor will be redesigned to create a comfortable gathering space that
highlights craft and design, welcomes visitors and encourages them to extend
their stay. An expanded retail space will present the works of local and
national artisans working in a variety of media. Cafe 510 will be reconfigured
to create a more inviting place for visitors to linger in comfortable
surroundings. The Museum's goal is to firmly establish the Cafe as the
preferred "third place" in downtown Bellevue.
Four dramatic exhibitions will fill the Museum when the doors open on
October 28th, showcasing the new craft and design mission:
-- The Artful Teapot
20th-Century Expressions from the Kamm Collection
The Artful Teapot explores the teapot as a vehicle for artistic
expression in the twentieth century. Drawn from the Kamm collection of
over 6,000 objects, the 250 teapots and tea sets in this exhibition
represent the work of over 100 artists including some of the twentieth-
century's best-known painters (Roy Lichtenstein, David Hockney),
sculptors (Arman, Michael Lucero) and ceramists (Betty Woodman, Adrian
Saxe, Beatrice Wood).
The exhibition is curated by Garth Clark and is organized and
circulated by Exhibitions International, New York.
Augmenting and enriching this show will be many pieces relating to tea
ceremonies and traditions curated from The Burke Museum's collection
and several local collectors.
-- Looking Forward, Glancing Back: Northwest Designer Craftsmen at Fifty
This 115-object exhibit showcases contemporary and historical works by
NWDC artist members from the five-state region represented by the
organization. Jewelry, furniture, fiber arts, ceramics, and baskets
will be among the wide range of media presented by participating
artists. Guest-curated by Lloyd Herman, distinguished authority on the
contemporary craft movement in the United States and Director-Emeritus
of the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery.
-- Silver in Service
"Silver in Service" is a 100-object exhibit that displays the private
collection of Seymour Rabinovitch, a regional patron who has
commissioned precious metal works of art from world-famous artists in
North America and the United Kingdom.
-- Pilchuck Glass School Gallery
The gallery will feature Pilchuck artists who have helped create the
central role Pilchuck has played in the worldwide studio glass
movement.
The Board Development Committee is pleased to announce five new members of
the Board of Trustees who bring their unique talents and energy to support the
Museum's effort:
-- June Bartell
Civic volunteer, a special interest in art education for youth and
families. Generous regional civic participant.
-- Ronald E. Bayley
President and CEO of Mercer Island-based Bayley Construction, Inc., a
regional construction company. He is a Mercer Island resident.
-- Kathy Bennett
Artist interested in art education. She is a Bellevue resident. She and
her husband Jim were donors to the Museum's capital campaign.
-- Bill Monkman
CEO, Kirkland based Precision Aerospace Corporation. Member of the
Young President's Organization and active in community affairs.
-- Susan Thurston
Second generation of prominent Bellevue family, real estate and
investment management, Museum donor, art collector and civic volunteer.
Education has long been a strength for the Museum. Credit goes to a
committed core of docent volunteers who have devised exceptional educational
programs for students and general Museum visitors alike. Their commitment to
quality program design and presentation skills has earned them national
recognition. A teen docent program, literacy in world languages and outreach
through school district partnerships are but a few of the valuable
contributions that they provide.
Planning for the 58th Annual Bellevue Arts and Crafts Fair, the Museum's
largest program and fundraiser, is well underway. The juried event will be
held July 23 - 25 in its usual location along Bellevue Square's West Drive and
on the ground level of the Square's parking structure. Three hundred twenty
four artists will offer high quality art for sale along with entertainment,
food concessions and artists' demonstrations. Across the street, inside the
Museum, parents and children will find Kidsfair, a free hands-on art
experience for the whole family.
In the discussion with press and guests at today's event, Board Chairman
Collette emphasized the importance of community support in the future success
of Bellevue Art Museum. "We have met with over 500 people since last
September," said Collette, "and they have sent us a very clear message that
this institution is valued by the region and they expressed their overwhelming
support for a craft and design-focused museum. We intend to honor the
commitment we made to them by opening Bellevue Art Museum in October with an
exciting new artistic direction and sustain it with consistent, high-quality
exhibitions and outreach to the community."
The Museum is actively soliciting financial contributions, which can be
made on-line by going to the Museum's web site at http://www.bellevueart.org and
clicking on the donations button or by sending a check to Bellevue Art Museum
P.O. Box 1705 Bellevue, WA 98009.
Contact:
Rick Collette, President Bellevue Art Museum Board of Trustees
425.453.5301 ext. 120
Barbara Jirsa, Director Public and Community Affairs
425.519.0754 or barbaraj@bellevueart.org
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