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 90 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
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.
In 2022, the Bellevue Arts Commission purchased 29 artworks to continue supporting local artists through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The call for artworks garnered over 1,000 available works submitted for purchase. View the purchased artworks here.
Opportunities
There are currently no open opportunities for artists. When open, opportunities will be posted here.
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:
- Bellwether - Bellwether is an annual fall art and cultural festival offering art and experiences in Bellevue.
- 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 2023 cycle will open for applications on August 16th, 2022.
- 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
Mural Program
BelRed Mural Program Pilot
Currently, the BelRed Creative Arts District has very low visibility. Only 26% of respondents to the recent 4Culture Creative Consultancy Report were aware of the Arts District Designation.
There is also a sense of urgency to do something that fosters the BelRed Arts District identity with one community member describing the pace of City implementation as “Glacial.”
The BelRed Mural Program Pilot will build off the positive public reception to the recent Box Wrap initiative in BelRed and continue to use Public Art for creative placemaking. Murals are highly visible, relatively low-cost, and can have a fairly quick turnaround. Murals are an ideal way to show visible progress on the Creative Arts District while other, longer initiatives like Land Use Code Updates work their way through the system.
The call for the program has now closed.
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
Now closed for applications. Phase two of this project will cover up to 10 locations in Downtown Bellevue.
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