The 1960s-themed party will feature DJ Greg Vandy, live music by Seattle’s the Nightcaps, and improv theatre by Plaid Men, as well as a cash bar and Vegas-style gambling with paper money.

The event kicks off at 8pm and runs until 11pm on Friday, Jan. 20. Vintage attire is recommended, and prizes will be awarded for the best outfits.

The party is open to ages 21 and up. Tickets cost $5 for BAM members and $10 for non-members.

The biggest thing missing in this city is live entertainment, and I’m not talking people-watching at the mall or karaoke night! We’re missing plays, musicals, ballets, concerts, and the like. With Tateuchi Center in the works, the breadth of music, dance, theater, and arts will be expanded.

On a recent trip to Seattle for a showing of Teatro Zinzanni, it got me to thinking; this sort of thing needs to be in Bellevue. In fact, the show I saw even made reference to the Eastside city. Some of the featured performers in the show were Diva and The Dixies, in which they referred to as the songstresses from Bellevue. Bellevue is ready for more song and dance!

From cabaret, to circus arts, to dinner shows, the Downtown Bellevue crowd is ready for what’s next. There are many aspiring and professional artists that call Bellevue their home. They are singers, dancers, acrobats, actors, and performers. Even though Bellevue has evolved from a suburb to a city, these artists still cross the bridge for gigs in Seattle. After seeing the spectacle that is Teatro Zinzanni, it really brought to light the fact that Bellevue is ready for what’s next.

More than 400 art supporters attended Artful Evening, the Bellevue Arts Museum’s largest fundraiser of the year, on July 27.

The evening included a curator tour of the auction art and a champagne reception where guests bid on more than 130 pieces of art, donated by this year’s arts fair artists. The fundraiser continued at The Westin Bellevue with a dinner and live auction featuring works by celebrated artists, including Dale Chihuly, Preston Singletary, and Julie Speidel.

Over the past 3 years, the Bellevue Arts Museum has raised more than $550,000 through its annual auction gala. Proceeds support exhibitions and community programs and help keep the museum accessible and affordable, according to a press statement.

The Bellevue Arts Museum Artsfair
The Bellevue Arts Museum will host its 65th annual Artsfair on July 29-31 in downtown Bellevue.

The artsfair recently ranked as one of the top 100 fairs in the nation by Art Fair Sourcebook, the “Definitive Guide to the Best Juried Art & Craft Fairs in the United States,” according to a press release. The 3-day festival includes artist demonstrations, performance art, live music, and food.

More than 325 juried artists participate each year. Art enthusiasts can buy unique pieces of art, including paintings, ceramics, and jewelry, directly from the artists during the event.

This family-friendly festival runs at 9:30am to 9:30pm Friday and Saturday, July 29-30, and at 9:30am to 6pm Sunday, July 31, at Bellevue Arts Museum and Bellevue Square. Admission is free, including admission to Bellevue Arts Museum’s galleries. Visit www.bellevuearts.org/fair for more information, and weekend activities.

6th Street Fair
The 6th Street Fair, which is put on by the Bellevue Downtown Association features unique work from over 130 artists and is located next to the Bellevue Galleria. It showcases sculptures, jewelry, home décor, wood and glass work, fabrics and more.

This fair is known for its music stage, which will feature jazz, blues, and rock musicians to entertain visitors. Also available are a great variety of foods. Several food trucks and vendors set up shop within the Barnes and Noble parking lot.

The 6th Street Fair runs Friday, July 29 & Saturday, July 30 10:00 am – 8:00 pm, & Sunday, July 31 10:00 am – 6:00 pm.

http://www.bellevuedowntown.org/events/sixth_street/

Bellevue Festival of the Arts
The Bellevue Festival of the Arts is celebrating their 27th year. The festival, which is located within the World Market parking lot, features 180 of the most talented and popular artisans and craftspeople, many of which originate from the Northwest.

The festival is put on by the Craft Cooperative of the Northwest, which supports several non-profits with proceeds from the event. Festival organizers estimate the attendance to be 150,000 this year.

The Bellevue Festival of the Arts runs Friday, July 29 & Saturday, July 30 10:00 am – 8:00 pm, & Sunday, July 31 10:00 am – 6:00 pm.

http://www.bellevuefest.org/

The museum plans to expand its weekend hours, and will continue to offer free admission to all visitors on the first Friday of each month. The new hours are: 11am-5pm Tuesday through Sunday, and 11am-8pm on Free First Fridays.

The museum will offer a $25 family ticket for 2 adults and up to 4 children under the age of 18. Families signing up as museum members, for $75 per year, will receive unlimited access to the galleries, and complimentary access or discounts to family and children’s programs.

On April 1, BAM’s next Free First Friday, California-based ceramic artist Wanxin Zhang will also give a free lecture at the museum at 6:30pm. Seating is limited; visitors may RSVP at www.bellevuearts.org.

The class includes painting supplies, a 16-inch by 20-inch canvas, an apron, and a glass of sparking, red, or white wine. Purple’s chef will also prepare complimentary snacks. Students can learn from Purple’s artists, and each student will take home a piece of art. No experience is necessary.

The class runs at 2-4 pm, at Purple, located at 430 106th Ave. NE. The cost is $40 per person, and space is limited. To sign up, call (206) 838-3853 or e-mail groupdining@heavyrestaurantgroup.com.

On October 29th from 6pm – 9pm the Bellevue Arts Museum will be featuring Finally Friday with a Halloween-themed party offering treats, music, art, dance, cocktails, a magician, and a psychic.  Tickets are $10 for non-members, and entry is free for members of the Bellevue Arts Museum.

The first guests that are greeted will receive a free ‘spooky’ BAM temporary tattoo.

Live Performances
5:30 pm - Performing Arts Festival/Eastside Outstanding 2010 String Ensemble
6:30 pm - Gallery talk with on-the-rise Seattle glass artist, April Surgent
7:30 pm - Dance In The City by Ballet Bellevue

While at Finally Friday, guests can enjoy the following art exhibits:

• Ginny Ruffner: Aesthetic Engineering, The Imagination Cycle
• April Surgent: Into the Surface
• BAM Biennial 2010: Clay Throwdown!

The fundraising event will include tap dancing witches, acrobats on trapezes, and Dracula as the emcee. The masquerade ball, which is just in time for Halloween will take place at 6pm-midnight on Oct. 30 at El Gaucho in Bellevue’s City Center Plaza, 450 108th Avenue NE.

Guests will be served wine, champagne, and El Gaucho cuisine. Live entertainment includes the Cabiri aerialists, illusionist Vaclav Havlik, music by Martin Ross, and various dance performances.

Masks to accompany black-tie attire may be purchased in advance online. Tickets cost $250 per person at IBTMasqueradeBall.org/ticketing. Proceeds benefit the International Ballet Theatre, which is now in its 10th season.

Finally Friday will feature complimentary appetizers, with a cash bar for cocktails and wine, live music by Hurricane Lanterns, and DJ’s Dr. Lehl and Port-a-party. The event is free for members and $10 for non-members.

For 1 weekend out of the year, Downtown Bellevue becomes a city fully immersed in the celebration of art and creative expression. From July 23rd – 25th, 3 different art fairs filled the streets with artist booths, music, and live performance. The weather proved a perfect match for the annual outdoor festivities, which are all free, and a reminder of how lucky one is to live in the area.

The 6th Street Fair, produced by the Bellevue Downtown Association, took over the thoroughfare of NE 6th Street as and 106th Ave NE, lining the street with vendor tents showcasing over 130 artists. The mediums included glass, jewelry, printmaking, photography, pottery and sculpture, textiles, and woodwork. Crowds could wander freely through the open-air galleries and talk directly with the artists about their pieces. Dozens of specialty food and concession stands were available for people to discover new products and enjoy the fine art of enjoying a meal under a sunny afternoon sky. Set against the picturesque backdrop of the permanent sculpture display at the Bellevue Galleria was a stage area where live entertainment played on for all 3 days of the 6th Street Fair. Over a dozen performers with genres ranging from bluegrass, to folk, to flamenco, and soul came to entertain the crowds.

Wandering 1 block over, crowds gathered at the Bellevue Festival of the Arts, produced by the Craft Cooperative of the Northwest. This juried arts and crafts fair is organized from a grass roots movement to raise funds to support local and global charities, while giving artists a venue to present their work. Held in the parking lot of Cost Plus World Market off NE 8th Street, the Bellevue Festival of the Arts composed a vibrant outdoor gallery of original art, from sculpture and paintings to wearable pieces like jewelry and clothing, weaving its way through the outdoor shopping area.

At the center of the art celebration is Bellevue Arts Museum’s annual BAM artsfair. Now in its 64th year, it’s 1 of the largest art fairs in the Pacific Northwest, attracting hundreds of artists from the region as well as from across the country. Walking through the winding rows of booths that take over the lower covered parking level of the Bellevue Square Mall, one can see where each artist traveled from, whether it’s just across Lake Washington from a studio in Seattle or all the way from New York. It also provided visitors with the opportunity to meet and talk with the winners of this year’s Carol Duke Artist Awards of Excellence, celebrating unique vision and creativity.

Along with the artist booths, there were several interactive and performance areas meant for all ages. Chalk artist Brian Major gathered crowds as he recreated beloved pieces by Botticelli and Degas on the cobbled pavement surface in front of BAM. The museum opened its doors for free admission on all 3 days and converted its entrance and back area into a creative adventure for children where they could create masks, sock puppets, and art cards. Attracting crowds of all ages was the glassblowing demonstration outside of the artist booths, displaying the power of intense heat combined with skilled hands, which can form such delicate, colorful creations. Inside the mall, a stage hosted dozens of performances, many from local schools, showing that art and creativity is an enriching experience.

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