Discover an impressive display of music, theater and visual arts in Bellevue
Quick, name the artsiest West Coast city north of Los Angeles.
San Francisco? Vancouver? If those are your guesses, Bellevue gallery owner Jeanne Roberts might take issue with you. In a mild-mannered Pacific Northwest way, of course.
“The Bellevue art scene is inventive yet accessible,” Roberts say. “Most of our work is not that bizarre.” Bellevue is home to a vibrant arts community, likely one of the city’s more undiscovered attractions. The performing arts, music, theater and visual arts scenes here are thriving, as evidenced by weekly performances as well as a plethora of arts festivals. Annual events including the Bellevue Festival of the Arts attract visitors from across the state.
Watercolor painter Mark Garcia prefers the art scene of Bellevue to those of its urban peers. In 2002, he began selling his work directly to consumers at art shows and by referral.
“I like the local support of artists in Bellevue,” Garcia explains. “Many of the talented artists here are committed to creating quality work that people will enjoy and display, and generally do not try to generate creations just for shock value. That said, there is plenty of innovative and thought-provoking work, especially at the Bellevue Arts Museum.”
Among the bold exhibits running at Bellevue Arts Museum is local artist Cathy McClure’s newest and largest installation to date, simply entitled Midway. Displaying through January, the exhibit is reminiscent of brash traveling carnivals. McClure’s imaginative work features music, strobe lights, a gloomy Ferris wheel, futuristic mechanized toys and a frightening, working carousel.
“As a kid, I couldn’t wait for the carnival to come to town; the sheer otherness of it all,” McClure explains. “Now, as an adult, I find that the carnival is a perfect metaphor for our culture. Where once we were a nation defined by technological advancement and progress, we are a now a nation defined by consumption and leisure. There’s a big difference between the future that was imagined and the one that now exists. My Ferris wheel and carousel zoetropes are comments on technology, craftsmanship and drama. There’s a dark side to the spectacle, and I use music to set that tone.”
Accessibly Creative
Take a stroll around That Art Gal gallery, where Jeanne Roberts is owner, and her enthusiasm for the Bellevue art environment is understandable. The gallery, which features multimedia work from local artists, is in the center of Bellevue’s cultural district that includes other galleries, Bellevue Arts Museum and Meydenbauer Center for the Performing Arts.
Roberts, largely a self-taught artist and art aficionado, recently began displaying and selling the work of local Nordic-American artist, Steve Jensen. National art enthusiasts became aware of his work when it displayed at the renowned Foster-White Gallery in Seattle. Jensen’s largely nautical concepts, influenced by his father’s work in shipbuilding, are expressed through a variety of media including sculpture and acrylic paint. Reminiscent of Salvador Dali’s serial themes, a common thread throughout Jensen’s work is a small boat—sometimes prominent, other times obscurely placed—which symbolizes the Nordic concepts of the afterlife.
Other local artists displayed at That Art Gal include acrylic painter Randy Clark. A public transit driver for the disabled during the day, Clark enjoys producing whimsical themes, with eclectic topics ranging from wine appreciation to mischievous dogs. Nearby are close-up photographs of Puget Sound ship hulls by Kathy Hastings. Her images, covered with thin wax layers, provide tactical sensuality and have been popular with local residents seeking a single piece for their homes.
Roberts believes the key to her gallery’s success has been the aesthetically pleasing nature of the art she showcases. Her clients are generally seeking art for their homes that is creatively inspiring without being overly provocative.
“I am happy to work with the 99% of the population that doesn’t collect art,” Roberts says.
Culture Meyden Bellevue
Local year-round visual arts attractions include the Bellevue Arts Museum, the ever-evolving botanical art at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens, Rosalie Whyel Museum of Doll Art, downtown art galleries, and more than 60 public sculptures all within an easy, safe and enjoyable stroll throughout the downtown core. Theater offerings include performances at The Theatre at Meydenbauer Center, which is host to performances by Bellevue Civic Theater and International Ballet Theatre, in addition to artistic events hosted by the city’s growing international communities.
“The arts scene in Bellevue tends much more to represent a diverse cultural clientele, especially East Indian, Chinese and Russian performing arts events,” explains Meydenbauer theatre manager Stephen Elliot. “I would say our most innovative and creative work comes from Chop Shop: Bodies of Work, which is a contemporary dance festival held in February that is co-sponsored by Meydenbauer. For sheer fun and silliness, we do The Rocky Horror Picture Show each Halloween. Because of our location, facility amenities and quality of service have a lot of returning business and lots of new groups looking to be at Meydenbauer.”
Relatively Artistic
Life in Bellevue is a reasonably priced option in comparison to its cultural cousins. This affordability, beneficial for artists, is also an advantage for visitors. Luxury hotels in Bellevue go for a third as much as some of New York’s, and all-day parking on weekends is free. The admission rate at Bellevue Arts Museum is just $10, while the Met in New York expects $25. Among the many upcoming artistic bargains at Meydenbauer Center is a $30 ticket for a performance of The Odd Couple, the timeless classic about incompatible roommates. In comparison, a Broadway ticket may fetch $150 or more.
It all begs the question: What’s in the artistic water in Bellevue? Jeanne Roberts believes the Eastside attitude, serene in comparison to its western sister, is a factor.
“People here don’t want to buy a painting that was inspired by the artist’s bad dream.”
