Bellevue Arts Museum

overhead image of the Bellevue Arts Museum The museum traces its roots back to street fair art in 1947 After a successful $3 million fundraising campaign Since the onset of the pandemic, the museum has had several funding crises due to its rising debt, small number of contributors, and reliance on revenue from traveling events that were unable to open in 2020 and 2021. In February 2024, the Bellevue Arts Museum began an emergency fundraising campaign that raised $349,000 to maintain its operations. On September 4, the museum announced its indefinite closure due to the funding shortfall; plans for the BAM Arts Fair in 2025 remained unaffected. In October 2025, the museum announced that it would sell the building and land to the KidsQuest Children's Museum, a Bellevue-based children's museum that focuses on STEM education. The Bellevue Arts Museum plans to move their collections into a new physical location and primarily focus on hosting the annual BAM Arts Fair. == Exhibitions ==

The Bellevue Arts Museum has offered a broad range of exhibitions across visual design, contemporary craft, and fine art. Exhibitions have included works from architect Louis Kahn (2016), cartoonist Simon Hanselmann (2019), Since 2010, the Bellevue Arts Museum has held the BAM Biennial, a survey of artwork in a specific medium such as glass, fiber, wood, or ceramic. and Patti Warashina (2013). == Management, programs and events ==

From 2004 until 2008, Michael Monroe served as the Bellevue Arts Museum's director. Stefano Catalani held the role of director of art, craft, and design at BAM starting in 2010. Heywood left the organization in March 2021, and Leigh Ann More was appointed as interim executive director in April 2021. In February 2022, E. Michael Whittington was named the museum's executive director. ==References==