Bellevue Business Journal » Arts

6th Street Fair set to welcome 130 artists, thousands of visitors to Downtown Bellevue’s signature arts fair weekend: July 23-25

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:06:51 +0000

More than 130 jury-selected artists will showcase their original artwork, jewelry, home décor, paintings, woodworking and sculpture in an open-air setting at the 2010 6th Street Fair. The 6th Street Fair, produced by the Bellevue Downtown Association, has a 40-year tradition in Downtown Bellevue. Over 300,000 fair-goers are expected to visit the city for one of the nation’s largest and most distinguished art fair weekends, including the Bellevue Arts Museum artsfair and the Bellevue Festival of the Arts.

Official name:	6^th Street Fair
Location:	NE 6^th Street and 106^th Avenue NE, Downtown Bellevue, Wash. 98004
Fair hours:	Friday, July 23: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 24: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, July 25: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Admission:	Free
Live entertainment:	More than a dozen regional bands and musicians will entertain crowds throughout the weekend. A full schedule is available at bellevuedowntown.com.
Food and refreshments:	Delicious fair food will be available for purchase throughout the weekend: Berry Kabob, Cousins Gourmet (NW Seafood & Desserts), Crepe Tyme, Delicious Asia, Donut Patrol, Euro Gyros, Irishman Enterprises (Hamburgers & Philly Cheesesteak), Maui Wowi (Fresh fruit non-fat smoothies), Old Fashioned Country Kettle Corn and Ziegler’s Bratwurst Haus.
Getting there:	Fair-goers are encouraged to ride public transit. Complete transportation information, including recommended bus routes, is available at bellevuedowntown.com.

The Bellevue Downtown Association is a nonprofit membership organization charged with leading the evolution of Downtown Bellevue as the economic and cultural heart of the Eastside. The BDA also produces the annual Bellevue Jazz Festival, the Live at Lunch Concert Series, the Ice Arena at the Bellevue Magic Season, Walk Downtown Bellevue, and co-produces the Bellevue Family 4th with the City of Bellevue.

Vendor and Entertainment Opportunities for Eastside Heritage Center’s Strawberry Festival

Joe Kennedy — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:00:54 +0000

Applications are now being accepted for vendors and entertainers to participate in a much-loved community tradition: the Eastside Heritage Center’s Strawberry Festival in Bellevue, to be held at Crossroads International Park Saturday, June 26, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, June 27, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Strawberry Festival is a family-oriented, historic community event, featuring fresh strawberry shortcake, historical and agricultural exhibits, food and vendor booths, entertainment, a Classic Auto Show and a Family Fun Area with games, inflatable bouncers, strawberry shortcake eating contests and much more. In 2009, more than 40,000 people attended the two-day event, consuming 6,000 lbs of strawberries!

Through the Strawberry Festival, the Eastside Heritage Center endeavors to create public awareness for the organization and to promote community involvement in and appreciation of Eastside history.

Booth Spaces range from $60 to $310:

Non-profit information only

Non-profit merchandise sales

Profit hand-crafted Merchandise

Profit Import and Manufactured Merchandise.

Main Stage Entertainers:

Saturday and Sunday
30-50 Minute Sets

Ethnic, Dance and Community Entertainers Encouraged

The Festival is a revival of the original Lake Washington Strawberry Festival begun in 1925 to attract business and residents to Bellevue. Cancelled in 1942 due to WWII, the Festival was revived in 1987 by the Bellevue Historical Society (now the Eastside Heritage Center) as a single-evening celebration in June, honoring Bellevue’s agricultural heritage. Since that time, it has grown to a large two-day event, attracting not only visitors from the greater Eastside, but the entire Puget Sound area.

Eastside Heritage Center is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization committed to preserving the past as it builds community and connects people with their heritage. In addition to maintaining and preserving the largest collection of artifacts, photos and archival material related to East King County, Washington, the EHC focuses on sharing this collection with the community through exhibits, books, presentations and a wide variety of educational programming. For more information on the Eastside Heritage Center, visit www.eastsideheritagecenter.org.

To become a Strawberry Festival Vendor or Entertainer, contact the Eastside Heritage Center at (425) 450-1049 or email Jennifer@bellevuestrawberryfestival.org. For complete Festival details, applications and forms, visit www.bellevuestrawberryfestival.org.

Gunnar Nordstrom Gallery to Host Dan Larsen in Meet the Artist Series

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:37:42 +0000

Dan Larsen is a Northwest native descended from a long line of fine artists and craftsmen and his family’s local roots trace back to the time when tall ships explored the far reaches of Puget Sound. Larsen has been expressing his artistic gifts in all types of art media since he was a small child.

A graduate of Washington State University, he earned degrees in Construction Management and Business Administration with a minor in Industrial Design.

While he has been involved in construction for the last 30 years, Larsen’s passion for the art process has been a continuing exploration into any new potential industrial medium. In recent years, he has increasingly focused on developing his own unique art form using a variety of industrial materials. The current paintings are created utilizing an industrial resin formulated to include microscopic heat treated glass flakes, which give the paintings extra depth and durability.

The artist’s current paintings have an emotional power and raw primal organic appeal. Larsen’s work jolts the senses with an intensely detailed explosion of infinite shapes and riotous color. Each work emanates its own unique upbeat mood and personality, imparting the sensation of playful emotion being conveyed directly and not merely being seen with the eyes.

One art enthusiast was heard to exclaim, “These paintings make Jackson Pollock look tired.” However, when seeing one of his paintings for the first time, most viewers are compelled to simply blurt out “Wow!”

Opening reception is the Second Wednesday, March 10, 2010 6:00pm-8:00pm.