I landed in Seattle yesterday morning at about 10 a.m. Guess what? It was raining! But I found my way to the Bellevue Arts Museum and really enjoyed it. Like the new Libeskind wing at the Denver Art Museum, the BAM was designed by a renowned architect (Steven Holl). Some nice aspects, some strange. But the installations were beautifully done–kudos to the staff.
I recall that shortly after the BAM opened, they closed down for reorganization, which seemed like a death sentence for a brand new museum. Well, they’re back and are focusing on fine crafts (undoubtedly a lesson in branding). I was treated to these wonderful exhibitions:
American Tapestry Alliance Biennial 6
Mohamed Zakariya, Islamic Calligrapher
Garry Knox Bennett: Call Me Chairmaker
Dim Sum at the On-On Tea Room: The Jewelry of Ron Ho
I was taken with Bennett’s multiple artist statements. He apparently hired a writer-friend to develop eleven statements for him. They’re all funny, which reveal his personality, and seem to contradict each other. Five or six of them were on display and I’d love to get my hands on copies of them. They’re not how I would approach an artist statement, but they give you a sense of the artist and what he’s about. Most importantly, they didn’t put me to sleep!
Image: Bellevue Arts Museum
2 thoughts on “Art in Bellevue, Washington”
Hey! Welcome to my neck of the woods! I hope you stayed through today at least. It’s lovely and sunny outside. I keep meaning to get over to BAM, just haven’t done it yet. I did get to see their arts fair earlier this year, and it was awesome. If you’re interested, you can visit my blog entry about it.
Can’t wait until you’re in our neck of the woods, Central Florida. I attended a Bruce Baker workshop in Clearwater last winter and he spoke very highly of you!