Bellevue artsfair one of the top in nation
Published 3:44 pm Thursday, July 23, 2009
Hundreds of artists scurried around the west parking garage of Bellevue Square early Thursday morning, setting up for this weekend’s arts fair. The Bellevue Arts Museum artsfair began Friday and runs through Sunday, July 26.
Painter Taman Vanscoy arrived in Bellevue from his home in Long Beach, Calif. During the year, he drives around the country showing his work. Vanscoy specializes in watercolor, depicting landscapes with subtle color and texture. He draws his inspiration from the places he’s been and the places he would like to visit someday.
“I show my work at many different art shows around the country, but this one is definitely one of the better ones,” Vanscoy said. “I’d say it’s one of the top 10 in the country.
Vanscoy noted that as an artist his work has to translate to the audience “and I think Bellevue is the ideal setting.”
Sponsored by Microsoft Corporation, the BAM artsfair is the largest juried arts festival in the Northwest and features more than 325 artists during the three day event.
For artist Jill Hurant, this will be her first appearance in the BAM artsfair. The Carol Duke Award of Excellence winner traveled from New Jersey to show her handmade jewelry. Hurant creates one-of-a-kind, 22-carat gold pieces in a process called granulation.
“I try to combine the old with the new to create a stunning piece of jewelry that any woman would be proud to wear,” she said. “One of the best parts of showing your work at an arts fair like this is meeting your customers face to face and connecting with them on a personal level. They get to see the heart behind the artwork and as an artist, I get to receive their feedback.”
The BAM artsfair is a free family event featuring artwork, live performances, artist demonstrations and a kidsfair.
The kidsfair will take place inside the museum and will feature over 8,000 square feet of hands-on art activities for children ages 4 to 12, including all-time favorites Bubbles the Clown and Zany Worms. An outdoor chalk activity called, Chalk It Up!, will take place in front of the museum on Sixth Street.
Celebrated chalk artist Brian Major will once again recreate a famous masterpiece in chalk on the pavement in front of the museum. The chalk drawing will take Major all three days to complete.
During the artsfair, an Arts in Action Demonstrations Stage, sponsored by Mulvanny G2 Architecture, will feature woodturning, stone carving, glassblowing and other art demonstrations.
The BAM artsfair is located on the west side of Bellevue Square, off Northeast Eighth Street and Northeast Fourth Street. The Bellevue Arts Museum is located at 510 Bellevue Way NE. For more information, visit www.bellevuearts.org.
