Bellevue’s Arts and Culture program manages and commissions new artworks for the city’s public art collection - currently consisting of more than 140 fixed and portable artworks - and commissions a number of temporary artworks, including murals and utility box wraps, that add color, vibrancy and creative inspiration for artists and the community.
Public Art Collection Mission and Vision
Mission: To be a vital platform for living artists and a source of creative inspiration for our community, excelling in representing Bellevue’s unique story through art.
Vision: The Bellevue Public Art Collection seeks to be a leading platform and community resource for cultural exchange and creative inspiration through art. The collection enhances the experience of Bellevue’s public places, fosters community pride and belonging, raises the discourse on the defining aspects of Bellevue’s civic life, and explores the diverse identities and converging cultures of our residents, creative sectors, and the interplay between nature and the urban experience.
Artist Opportunities
Current opportunities for artists will be listed here, as they become available. Visit the pages below to learn more about ongoing and past opportunities.
- Arts Grants Program - The city offers annual grants to artists and nonprofits. Applicants can expect to apply in late summer/early fall for the following year's grant cycle.
- Eastside Artist Roster (EAR) - 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 art and cultural opportunities. The City of Bellevue uses this list as an outreach resource for upcoming opportunities and events, including public art projects. There is no deadline to apply, as the application will remain open indefinitely. If artists meet the criteria for the roster, applicants will be considered "admitted" to the roster; there is no panel review. Information on the roster application can be updated by contacting publicart@bellevuewa.gov. Apply here to join the roster.
Upcoming and Recent Public Art Projects
BelRed Arts District Spring Boulevard Mural
- Artwork: Rent Free by Rabi Towing and Christopher Derek Bruno
- Location: NE Spring Boulevard/136th Place NE
- Installation Schedule: Complete
- Artists Rabi and Derek will install a nearly 10,000-square-foot mural in the BelRed Arts District in the spring of 2026. Current designs are inspired by the continuous relationship between land, labor and life and weave together the regional history of farming, fishing and making.
Rooted
- Artwork: Rooted by Jill Anholt
- Location: NE 12th St and NE Spring Boulevard
- Installation Schedule: By the end of 2027
- Rooted is an inhabitable, interactive sculpture located at the junction of the Eastrail connector. The artwork is inspired by the organic natural forms of tree roots, recalling very specific natural and cultural histories of displacement for communities in Bellevue due to colonization and industrial development. The artwork, like tree roots themselves, also speaks to ideas of connection and resiliency within nature and people, as well as their capacity to endure and sometimes even prosper despite extremely challenging conditions. This work is planned to be installed by the end of 2027.
Creative Crosswalks
- Artwork: Untitled by Nikita Ares and Untitled by Kenji Stoll
- Location: 164th Ave NE & NE 24th St, south crosswalk; 124th Ave NE & NE 8th St, east crosswalk; 132nd Ave NE & Bel-Red Rd, south crosswalk; 106th Ave NE & NE 10th St, north crosswalk
- Installation Schedule: July/August 2026
- Artists Nikita Ares and Kenji Stoll have each designed two crossings at the four crosswalk locations. The crosswalks will be studied before and after the artwork is installed to determine their safety impacts.
Portable Art
The city typically purchases small portable artworks every two years. The last series of artworks was purchased in 2024. Catalogs of each year's acquisitions are available here: 21 artworks in 2020, 29 artworks in 2022, and 15 artworks in 2024.
Utility Box Wraps Program
The City of Bellevue wraps utility boxes throughout the city in artworks printed on vinyl. This program is launched in phases, the first two covering boxes in BelRed and Downtown Bellevue. The third phase will wrap boxes in 2026 along Coal Creek Parkway, at the South Bellevue and East Main light rail stations, and in a few more locations throughout the city.
Complete summary of the first two phases of the program
Downloadable companion coloring pages