We seek to be a vital platform for cultural exchange and creative inspiration. Since 1979, acclaimed artists such as Jaehyo Lee, James Fitzgerald, Albert Paley, John Grade and Judy Onofrio have filled the city with creativity and innovation.
City Art Collection
Over 70 permanent and portable artworks document the dynamic moments and complexities of Bellevue’s cultural life, and these pieces serve as an important resource for future generations. A segment of the collection is devoted to artworks that raise the discourse on the defining aspects of Bellevue’s civic life, exploring the diverse identities of our residents, converging cultures, international connections, technological currents, and the interplay between nature and the urban experience that make Bellevue’s environment unique.
Portable Art
NOW OPEN - CALL FOR ARTWORKS
The Arts Commission is looking to purchase additional works for the City of Bellevue Portable Art Collection. Artists can find more information here and apply here. The deadline to apply is March 11, 2022.
In 2020, the Arts Commission purchased 20 new works for the city's portable art collection, diversifying it with a range of visual art mediums and artistic voices. Portable art also increases the number of artworks accessible in city buildings in Bellevue neighborhoods.
Prior to this call, the city only had a handful of portable artworks, with one or two being added every few years. Information about the portable art purchased in 2020 and the artists who created the pieces are available in Portable Art Collection 2021.
Current and Upcoming Projects
Artist Opportunities
Artist Opportunities
We will list current opportunities for Artists here as they become available. Please visit the below pages to find out more about ongoing and past opportunities:
- Portable Art Collection Call - The Arts Commission is looking to purchase additional works for the City of Bellevue Portable Art Collection. Artists can apply here. Deadline to apply is March 11, 2022.
- Bellwether - Bellwether is an annual fall art and cultural festival offering art and experiences in Bellevue. There are currently no opportunities for 2021, but check back in future years.
- Arts Grants Program - The City of Bellevue offers annual grants to artists and nonprofits. Applicants can expect to apply every late summer/early fall for the following year's grant cycle. The 2022 cycle is now closed to new applications.
- Utility Box Wraps Program - The Arts Program has launched a multi-year project to cover utility and signal boxes around Bellevue. Check the Utility Box Wraps Program tab below to find out more about future calls for artists.
- Eastside Artist Roster - This roster is open to artists and organizations on the Eastside. Any qualifying artist is eligible and there is no approval process once an application is submitted. See the below tab for more information on the roster and how to apply.
Staff Contact: Manette Stamm, mstamm@bellevuewa.gov or (425) 452-4064
Utility Box Wraps
Utility Box Wraps Program
The City of Bellevue is wrapping utility boxes around Bellevue in artworks printed on vinyl. The Arts Program will release calls for art for each phase of the project, so stay tuned throughout the coming years as this project unfolds.
Phase One
The first phase of this project covered 15 utility boxes in BelRed. Below is additional information about each box from the artists that created works specifically for this project.
Box 1: Larine Chung
NE 10th Street and 116th Avenue NE, southwest corner
Box 2, 3: Juliana Kang Robinson
NE Spring Boulevard and 120th Avenue NE, northwest corner; NE Spring Boulevard and 121st Avenue NE, northeast corner
Box 4, 5: Marsha Rollinger
NE Spring Boulevard and 123rd Avenue NE, southeast corner; NE Spring Boulevard and 124th Avenue NE, southwest corner
- Details about the box design here.
- Download free Coloring Pages here designed by Marsha Rollinger.
Box 6: Molly Keen
NE Spring Boulevard and 132nd Avenue NE, southwest corner
Box 7: Raili Jänese
NE Spring Boulevard and 136th Avenue NE, southeast corner
Box 8: Vikram Madan
Bel-Red Road and 150th Place NE, south corner
Staff Contact: Manette Stamm, mstamm@bellevuewa.gov or (425) 452-4064
Phase two
Closed for applications.
Phase two of this project will cover up to 10 locations in Downtown Bellevue.
CALL FOR ARTISTS
CITY OF BELLEVUE ARTS PROGRAM
Due: December 8, 2021, midnight
OPPORTUNITY
The City of Bellevue seeks artists to design artworks for utility boxes in Downtown Bellevue. This opportunity is open to all visual artists living in This opportunity is open to all visual artists living in East King County, WA, and working in any medium that can be digitally reproduced on a 2D vinyl wrap. Selected artists or artist teams will need to present their final artworks in a digital format available for licensing to the City of Bellevue. The City of Bellevue will manage production and installation.
ABOUT THE CALL
The goal of this call is to provide opportunities to local artists that will help bring character, intrigue, and beauty to the public realm. This call will wrap up to thirteen utility boxes located in Downtown Bellevue. There are a variety of types of utility and signal boxes, some of which are stand-alone and others sit side-by-side; for the purpose of this call, the latter are called box duos. Artists will receive an $800 stipend for single, stand-alone boxes and $1,100 for box duos. There is an additional opportunity to cover boxes located in City parks that do not have the standard dimensions of traffic signal boxes. In the event that one of these is selected for wrapping, City staff will work with artists on a more site-specific budget and design.
After the selection process and selection notification, City staff will work with artists to develop artwork designs for the boxes. There is no specific theme to this call, allowing for open interpretation and creativity. Selected artists will be provided with more detailed guidelines before drafting designs.
ELIGIBILITY
This call is open to all visual artists living in East King County (Bellevue, Bothell, Duvall, Issaquah, Kirkland, Mercer Island, Newcastle, North Bend, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, Snoqualmie and Woodinville). Applying artists are required to be registered on the City of Bellevue’s Eastside Artist Roster. This roster is free and will be used by the City of Bellevue to promote opportunities like this call to local artists. Both the call and roster use the same platform, SurveyMonkey Apply, to collect applications. Minors may apply.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
- ARTIST STATEMENT up to 150 words
- ARTIST BIO up to 150 words
- ARTIST RESUME (optional)
- FIVE Images of EXAMPLE artworkS Artists must provide up to five images of existing artworks. Please do not submit proposals. Images must be in JPG, JPG 2000, PNG, or PDF format and no larger than 1GB each
- Image descriptions Please include descriptions of your artwork that correspond to the title of your uploaded files. This includes title, year made, medium, and dimensions
- Roster Artists must be registered on the City of Bellevue’s Eastside Artist Roster
2021-22 TIMELINE
December 8, midnight PST Deadline for application submissions
December-January Panel review of submissions and selection of artists
February 8 Arts Commission approval of selected artists
February 9 Notification of artist selection via email
February Artist agreements including design guidelines issued to artists
March 23 Draft design due, first half of stipend mailed to artists
April 13 Final design due
May 3 Arts Commission approval of final design
May-June Final layout confirmation with artists before production, remaining stipend mailed after final layout confirmation
June-August Wrap printing and installation
Please note that dates are tentative and subject to change.
HOW TO APPLY
Complete the online application by midnight on December 8, 2021.
Link to Eastside Artist Roster: https://bellevuearts.smapply.io/prog/eastside_artist_roster
Link to Call submission: https://bellevuearts.smapply.io/prog/utility_box_wraps_DT
All applications will be collected on SurveyMonkey Apply via the Utility Wraps Program application. All questions should be directed to Manette Stamm, (425) 452 4064, mstamm@bellevuewa.gov.
SELECTION CRITERIA AND PROCESS
Artists must meet eligibility requirements and submit complete applications. Artists will be selected based on the following criteria: artistic merit, craftsmanship, and originality. The City is looking for a diverse range of styles, skills and ways of engaging with the public. Artists are encouraged to submit a range of work examples. Diverse artists are encouraged to apply.
A panel of two Arts Commissioners and three community members and/or arts professionals will select artists based on the selection criteria. The Bellevue Arts Commission will approve recommended artists and final designs.
GENERAL DESIGN GUIDELINES
- The artist must supply an original artwork that can be digitally reproduced on a vinyl wrap. The artwork is not required to be brand new and can be an earlier work from the applicant.
- The artist must own all rights to images and content used in the artwork
- The artwork must integrate the front, back, sides, and top (fully covering all sides) of the box
- The artwork must be appropriate for display in public spaces and viewing by a general audience, containing no text (including words, quotes, or letters), advertising or branding, or graphic depictions of violence and sexually explicit material (including nudity)
- The average lifespan of a vinyl wrap is typically 5-10 years. This time frame should be considered the general lifespan of the artwork
Eastside Artist Roster
Eastside Artist Roster
This roster is open to artists living and working in East King County (Bellevue, Bothell, Duvall, Issaquah, Kirkland, Mercer Island, Newcastle, North Bend, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, Snoqualmie and Woodinville) to use for craft, public art, music and performance opportunities. The roster will be used by the City of Bellevue as a resource for selected small public art projects (up to $30,000) geared towards emerging artists seeking to enter or establish themselves in the field of public art, curators working on future Bellwethers (Bellevue’s annual contemporary art event), and an outreach resource about other upcoming opportunities and events, including larger public art projects.
- The full Eastside Artist Roster call can be accessed here.
- The Roster application can be accessed here.
- The roster will open for online applications starting on August 1, 2020. There is no deadline to apply and the application will remain open indefinitely.
- Artists can elect to have their information available for use by other Eastside Cities.
- Information on the Roster application can be updated by contacting publicart@bellevuewa.gov
Staff Contact: Manette Stamm, mstamm@bellevuewa.gov or (425) 452-4064
Eastside Live - Arts and Culture Calendar
Eastside Live - Arts and Culture Calendar
More information coming soon!
The City of Bellevue, in partnership with arts non-profit EastHUB, is developing a convenient and comprehensive way to share Eastside arts and culture happenings with the community through a new website, EastsideLive.org. Artists and cultural organizations will soon be able to submit events and activities to be listed on the site, designed to be a central resource to find events, happenings, features and information about the vibrant arts community in Bellevue and the Eastside.
Bellwether
Bellwether is Bellevue's semi-annual arts festival. The exhibition typically features over 50 different artists bringing new kinds of art, activation, and expression to Bellevue.
In 2021, Bellwether was on view at the Bellevue Arts Museum and the Bellevue Botanical Garden during September, with additional workshops, panels, performances and live music downtown. Bellwetherart.org offers more information about the festival and planned events.
Staff Contact: Manette Stamm, mstamm@bellevuewa.gov or 425-452-4064