As the museum reopens more fully this spring, and we again sense the pleasure of being a gathering place with art as the centering experience, we are also called to reflect.
We continue to be profoundly grateful for the generosity of our extended community. Through gifts of time, talent and resources, efforts large and small, deep commitment and hard work, and a thousand strokes of luck, BIMA has been able to reopen when many other arts organizations remain shuttered. We are grateful to be here, conscious of our good fortune, and are working to help other organizations back to their feet—reminded every day that we can pay forward this gratitude by fostering connection, healing, challenge, and inspiration through art.
This moment is also one of profound change, marked by unfathomable and continued examples of racial and social injustice, inequity, and violence across the US. BIMA’s response to this inflection point begins with self-inquiry and a commitment to make visible the values that we hold close. With that, we’re working to do and be better, to cultivate and support safe spaces, and to ensure that all voices are heard, valued, and welcomed.
As we lean into this learning, we turn first to the artists who can lead the way for us all. As a museum, we are both privileged and responsible to be the best spotlight, platform, and petri dish that we can, particularly for contemporary artists of the Puget Sound region. In BIMA’s front Beacon window right now hangs “Song for Generations” a particularly relevant piece of work by artist Michelle Kumata, a comment on the legacy of harm related to the Japanese American incarceration. This work captures the complexities of a shameful and wrenching historical trauma within this community and the country while serving as a poignant reminder that racially motivated violence still exists. At BIMA, we are proud to champion and support voices like hers, voices that help keep these issues present in our minds and hearts as a foundation to mitigating harm.
Thank you for joining us at the museum, for immersing yourself in the pleasures and perspectives of the artists we showcase, for sharing the values we hold, for lending a hand as we put our cultural community back together, and for working together to lean into the work that we have in front of us.
BIMA Participating in Refract, The Seattle Glass Experience
Refract celebrates the region’s luminaries of glass art with epic exhibitions, festive art parties, fascinating talks, tours & demos, scores of open studios and exclusive collector events over four days. Glass artists, collectors, enthusiasts and more will converge on the Puget Sound region to give credit where credit is due in the Pacific Northwest’s role in advancing the art form.
To participate, BIMA is opening its first-ever exhibition exclusively dedicated to the many glass pieces in the Museum’s Permanent Art Collection. The exhibition opens October 12, 2019 and will remain up through February 23, 2010. It is also holding over its popular solo exhibition Carol Milne: Knit Wit which features kiln-cast glass techniques. Her sculptures defy the meticulous processes employed to complete the work. Milne’s ‘knitted’ sculptures go beyond realism and re-creation — they also weave personal memories and stories.
Chihuly Garden and Glass and Visit Seattle set out to answer the question of why the PNW has become such a center for glass art by creating Refract: The Seattle Glass Experience, which is the nation’s newest festival highlighting creative uses of glass. Refract brings together more than 50 art organizations and artists to host events throughout the region. Tour local studios, get up-close to the art of glassblowing at live demonstrations, explore exhibitions and museums, attend evening parties, and more.
See where glass art is created with obsessive passion, beauty, and who-knows-what’s-next creativity. Explore the magic and depths of this fascinating material. Celebrate alongside the artists who put this region on the map. We hope to see you there.
Our dedicated Install Crew which is made up of staff and our handiest of volunteers is hard at work hanging our Summer Exhibitions which open this Saturday, June 29. Come see their hard work and hundreds of beautiful works of art at the public reception from 2-5pm or any day between June 29 and September 29 from 10am-6pm.
Boxes full of art! Our favorite!A flurry of activity in the Feferman Gallery.Work by Port Townsend artist Stephen Yates goes up on the walls for our Departures & Arrivals: Artists in Abstraction exhibition.
Get your mojo workin’ (with this playlist)
In honor of our upcoming Mojo Rhythm & Blues Festival (July 11-14), BIMA Cultural Programs Manager Jesse Ziebart put together this awesome YouTube playlist with music by featured artists:
Turn up your speakers (or headphones) and get your mojo workin’!
Community-building through partnerships
All of us at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art are still recuperating from an amazing BIMA Bash! auction weekend in support of the Museum’s exhibitions, programs and operations. While we take a minute to gather our thoughts and photos, we thought we’d share out the video that played during the Saturday night event. We feel fortunate to work with so many wonderful organizations and individuals to help us realize our mission “to inspire curiosity, wonder and understanding by connecting people with the contemporary art and craft of the Puget Sound region.”
BIMA puts Artist’s Books at center stage this spring with new DogEar Festival and Open Sesame Exhibition
BIMA is proud to announce a new arts festival, DogEar—a celebration of Artist’s Books, print works and paper arts that invites the audience to participate in the fun. This event happens in conjunction with the opening of BIMA’s Spring Artist’s Book exhibition, Open Sesame! The Magic of Artist’s Books Revealed. On March 2 and 3, the Open Sesame! exhibition and DogEar festival will take over the entire museum, including the galleries, Bistro, and auditorium.
Open Sesame! The Magic of Artist’s Books Revealed is a major look into the special world of Artist’s Books, and celebrates one of the most extensive and diverse collections of this art form in the United States—from collector Cynthia Sears. The exhibition includes collection and loaned works by Diane Jacobs, Daniel Smith, and Carletta Carrington Wilson among many others, and is co-curated by Cynthia Sears, Amy Goldthwaite (BIMA Curatorial Associate), and Catherine Alice Michaelis (Artist). Artist’s Books combine many art forms and media, including drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, gluing and binding, sculpture, photography, textiles, creative writing, and storytelling. BIMA’s commitment is to make this unique art form more visible and accessible to the broader public.
Kicking off the exhibition is a weekend festival that showcases the many facets of book, printing and paper arts. Imbued with the spirit of discovery that characterizes Artist’s Books, DogEar has been designed as a playful, immersive and interactive weekend festival, including a heavy dose of spectacle, irreverence and creativity. Most events include a participatory element, whether it is hands-on art creation, fun competitions to all skill-levels, custom art creation through on-demand poetry and improv, or just perusing the works for sale by regional vendors in the exhibitor area.
DogEar is free and open to the public March 2 and 3, from 10am – 6pm with these exceptions:
Cultivating, Curating, & Encouraging A Book Arts Collection – requires a $5 ticket [https://bpt.me/4056095]
DogEar is a Community Impact Fund Project of BIMA, a program that brings a wide variety of arts, cultural and humanities performances to Kitsap County throughout the year, and strengthens our service to other non-profit and cultural partners. DogEar is made possible with support from City of Bainbridge Island Cultural Funding, Kitsap County and City of Bainbridge Island Lodging Tax, as well as in partnership with Path with Art, PBS, and Craft in America.
DogEar – Book Arts Festival
March 2 & 3, 10am-6pm
A weekend celebration of Artist’s Books, print works and paper arts, featuring a wide range of vendors, exhibitions, programs, performances, and spectacles.
Amos Kennedy Poster Pop-Up Exhibition
An explosion of poster art by American printer, book artist and papermaker Amos Kennedy, best known for social and political commentary.
BIMA Book Bind Off! – March 2 & 3, 12-1pm
Competitive bookbinding at its finest! You didn’t know that was a thing? Competitors battle it out in a live bookbinding competition featuring unpredictable materials, audience participation, and unique, on-the-fly craftsmanship. A spectator sport for the art-geek in you.
Erasure Poetry Drop-In Art-Making with Path with Art – March 2 & 3, 11am-3pm
Create poems by erasing words from an existing text in prose or verse. Using secondhand books, facilitators will guide guests through the creative process of selecting a page of text, then redacting words and phrases through pen, ink, scissors, or block print images to morph the existing page into a new-found poem.
Paper Marbling Drop-In Art-Making with Sophie Loubere – March 2 & 3, 11am-3pm
Come watch and learn about the ancient art of painting on water and creating one of a kind, mesmerizing prints. Artist Sophie Loubere leads a demonstration and answers questions about both Japanese and Turkish traditions of paper marbling.
Poetry Listening Station with Path with Art
Drop in and listen to deeply individualistic recordings of Path with Art student artist poetry, written and recorded for the upcoming tour of Hear & Now: Community Perceptions of Homelessness. Get an audio taste of this sound sculpture, constructed by the kinetic sound artist Trimpin in collaboration with Path with Art poetry, visual art, and musical student artists, debuting in full at SAM in April 2019.
Path with Art Pop-Up Exhibition
Path with Art presents a showcase of artworks created through their program, designed to use creative arts to transform the lives of people recovering from homelessness, addiction and trauma by harnessing the power of creative engagement as a bridge to community and stability. The exhibition includes a wide variety of works, including a selection of Artist’s Books created during a workshop led by Michelle de la Vega.
Artist’s Book Improv featuring The Edge Comedy Improv Group – March 2, 11-12pm and 3-4pm
Your favorite island Improv artists tackle the unlikely subject of Artist’s Books, responding, riffing, and ranting their way through a series of Artist’s Books. Prepare to be surprised or confused, stimulated or stumped – but always entertained in these two performances.
Craft in America: Spotlight on book, print, and paper artists – March 2, 10am-12pm, 2:30-6pm
Enjoy a specially curated selection of PBS’s outstanding Craft in America Series, focusing on everything from letterpress to papermaking, on the large screen.
Seven Bremner, The Poetry Store – March 2, 11am-1pm, 2:30-4:30pm
Poet Seven Bremner comes armed with her vintage typewriter and wordsmithing capabilities and creates on-the-spot personal poetry for guests. Leave with a little masterpiece.
Cultivating, Curating, & Encouraging A Book Arts Collection – March 2, 7pm
In the field of book arts, collectors have a tremendous influence on content, forms, and the artists who create them. What do they or can they do with this important role? How does it impact the development of a broader community and/or support education and diversity of all kinds? Audience members are encouraged to join a thoughtful conversation with the preeminent collectors featured on this panel including Sondra Kroupa, Charles Hobson, and Mary Austin, with moderation by Bonnie Thompson Norman.
Edible Books Competition – March 3, 3-5pm
Bookworms grab your oven mitts! Bakers get reading! The Edible Books Competition asks the public to build their tastiest food-based creations inspired by a book–anything from a literal interpretation to a whimsical punny take. Creations are presented, documented, and scored by a panel of local judges and the public for a variety of awards before the creations are consumed in celebration of this mouthwatering literary competition.
More presentations, workshops and drop-in activities related to Artist’s Books and Open Sesame!: The Magic of Artist’s Books Revealed will be announced in early March.
“MOMENTUM” returns to BIMA this spring
A rich tapestry of arts, culture & humanities programs
Described as “refreshingly edgy” and a “fresh interdisciplinary concept” when it debuted in 2018 Momentum Festival returns in March & April 2019 to light up Kitsap County with an immersive program designed to stimulate your senses. Spotlighting the talents of artists, poets, musicians, composers, filmmakers, thespians, historians, social activists, and more, Momentum breaks the winter hibernation with this curated selection of more than two dozen events spanning concert, workshops, lecture, film and immersive arts experiences.
“We wanted to produce a festival of the unexpected, a lively program that mentally shakes off the winter and breathes in spring – with its inherent sense of discovery and emergence,” shared Sheila Hughes, Executive Director of BIMA. “This year’s Momentum features a wide array of formats, disciplines, perspectives, media and message, but they all share the ability to get audiences thinking – that’s our common thread.”
Momentum is a Community Impact Fund Project of BIMA, a new program that brings a wide variety of arts, cultural and humanities presentations to Kitsap County throughout the year, and strengthens the Museum’s deep commitment to our non-profit and cultural partners. Momentum is made possible by support from the City of Bainbridge Island Cultural Funding, Kitsap County and City of Bainbridge Island Lodging Tax and through partnership with Path with Art, PBS’s Craft in America, BARN, Bainbridge Island Observatory, Port Townsend Film Festival, Spacecraft, Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community, Robert Chinn Foundation, Bainbridge Island Historical Museum, Bloedel Reserve Creative Residency Program, Humanities WA, and inD Theatre, as well as countless individual artists and authors.
smARTfilms: Best of The Port Townsend Film Festival (Film) In collaboration with the Port Townsend Film Festival March 19 – WELCOME directed by Philippe Lioret March 26 – BELLE AND SEBASTIAN directed by Nicolas Vanier April 2 – PADDLE TO SEATTLE directed by JJ Kelly & Josh Thomas April 9 – YELLOW IS FORBIDDEN directed by Pietra Brettkelly April 16 – BALLETS RUSSES directed by Daniel Geller & Dayna Goldfine
March 22 Art After Dark (Teen-only Event) In collaboration with Kitsap Regional Library
April 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27 and 28 A Walk in the Woods by Lee Blessing (Performances) Presented by inD Theatre
Extended! Alfredo Arreguín: Life Patterns on view through Feb. 17
Been meaning to get to BIMA to see Alfredo Arreguín’s solo exhibition Life Patterns? Already seen it and can’t get enough? Originally scheduled to close on Sunday, February 3, BIMA is please to announce that Afredo’s show will be open an extra two weeks through Sunday, February 17.
If you haven’t seen this exhibition, don’t miss your chance to get lost in his intricately patterned paintings!
“While taking in one of Arreguín’s paintings, it’s easy to get lost in the details. His work is best viewed as if you’re on a stroll outdoors, when you have time to ponder and pause.” — Lisa Edge, Real Change
Mary Randlett: The Northwest art scene loses a legend
We are sad to learn of the passing of a Northwest Legend, photographer Mary Randlett. For decades, Randlett captured some of the most iconic landscape and portrait photography from the region. Born and raised in Seattle, Randlett graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla followed by an apprenticeship with Hans Jorgensen.
As a documentarian of the Northwest School of artists, Randlett captured portraits of notable artists including Mark Tobey, Morris Graves, Guy Anderson, and Jacob Lawrence, as well as writers and poets Theodore Roethke and Tom Robbins among others.
Randlett’s mysterious nature photography focused on the unique landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. Her expansive photographs of water and land formations are rich in energy, contrast and reverence for the region’s beauty. Of particular note to local audiences, Randlett documented many areas of Bainbridge Island, including the early years of the gardens at Bloedel Reserve.
Her photographs are held in more than forty permanent collections nationally including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, Seattle Art Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington and numerous others including Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA). Her work is included in BIMA’s Permanent Art Collection — four nature photographs are currently on view in BIMA’s 1st Floor Exhibition. Randlett’s work was also included in BIMA’s inaugural exhibition First Light in summer 2013, and in Women in Photography in summer 2017.
Her work has appeared in more than 175 books and catalogs and she received numerous awards including the Washington State Governor’s Art Award and Anne Gould Hauberg Artist Images Award.
The Northwest art scene has lost a legend.
“My life is my work; my work is my life.” — M. Randlett
BIMA receives a prestigious Murdock Trust grant in support of Cultural Programs
BIMA is proud to announce that it is the recipient of a grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust of Vancouver, Washington, to support the further development of the Museum’s cultural programming. The Murdock Charitable Trust is a highly competitive grant offered to nonprofits in a five-state region of the Pacific Northwest: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. The Trust has been a true game-changer in the region since its establishment in 1975; more than $900 million has been distributed through more than 6,000 grants.
“Wow! We couldn’t be happier,” said Sheila Hughes, the Executive Director for BIMA. “The timing of this grant — right at the end of our fifth anniversary — goes such a long way to validate everything we have worked so hard to accomplish.”
BIMA received the Murdock Trust grant to support its burgeoning cultural program, specifically to provide over $150,000 over three years in seed-funding for a new Cultural Impact Initiative, including the creation of a new position—Cultural Programs Manager. This new position will oversee the thoughtful and continued development and expansion of the organization’s diverse and lively showcase of arts, cultural and humanities programs.
BIMA’s robust year-round calendar of events is designed to complement and enrich the museum’s top-notch exhibitions and education programs. Along with BIMA’s free admission and welcoming ambiance, its combination of offerings has become a key component to the museum’s recent success in establishing itself as the “cultural living room” of the West Sound and a top regional cultural destination.
The Murdock Trust Grant award, in concert with the encouragement and support of other donors and supporters, is the first step in the creation of a larger Cultural Impact Initiative.
“The stars have aligned for BIMA to be a huge resource to the greater Kitsap community and beyond—and we’re completely committed to making that happen,” said Hughes. “Considering that we’re located at the crossroads of King and Kitsap County, our excellent exhibitions have already made BIMA an established destination for cultural tourism by visitors from around the globe—over 100,000 in 2018. And because of the generosity of its early supporters, BIMA has a world-class facility with gallery, classroom, meeting, workshop and Auditorium space. Our goal is to be in further service to the region—by lighting up this space with the most interesting, exciting and culturally adventurous program of arts, humanities and cultural events that we can create.”
Jesse Ziebart, Cultural Programs Manager
Jesse Ziebart has joined BIMA’s team as the new Cultural Programs Manager. Jesse’s experience includes arts programming, event coordination, hospitality, television production and sponsorship. After fifteen years in various aspects of programming and producing, Jesse is excited to return to her hometown of Bainbridge Island.
“I am honored to join the BIMA family and to have the opportunity to give back to the artistic community that has shaped so many of us who grew up here,” Ziebart said. “Everyone wins with a Cultural Impact Initiative like this—residents receive more access to world-class arts and humanities programs, artists are supported and spotlighted, even our local economy gets a boost when visitors come attend things like music, theater and film. I am so thankful the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust has chosen to fund programs like these. It will be exciting to see cultural programs at the museum continue to grow!”
In its short five years of service, BIMA has already developed a reputation for lively community events like the Museum’s annual Dia de los Muertos celebration and Black History Month festivities, which draw large regional crowds, while on-going programs like the Tuesday night smARTfilm series, summer Inspired Chef dinner series and quarterly Pop-Up Art & Craft Fair draws a regular local following of engaged arts-lovers. Newer programs like the Within/Earshot Jazz Festival, Momentum Festival, Frank Buxton Silent Film Festival, and DogEar are drawing sell-out crowds and establishing the museum as a go-to destination for first-class cultural activities.
For more information on BIMA’s programs, visit BIMA’s calendar.
About M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust:
M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust was created by the will of the late Melvin J. (Jack) Murdock, who was a co-founder of Tektronix, Inc. in Beaverton, Oregon, and a resident of Vancouver, Washington. Since its establishment on June 30, 1975, with a bequest of about $90 million, the Trust has focused its grantmaking efforts primarily in five states of the Pacific Northwest: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. The Trust’s current assets are valued at about $1 billion, and over the life of the Trust, more than $900 million has been distributed through more than 6,000 grants.
The Trust’s mission is to enrich the quality of life in the Pacific Northwest by providing grants to organizations that seek to strengthen the region’s educational, social, cultural, and spiritual base in creative and sustainable ways. Grants are awarded to a wide variety of organizations, including those that serve the arts, public affairs, education, scientific research, health and medicine, human services, and people with disabilities.
The Trust’s staff brings a wide range of experiences in the subject areas and activities necessary for thoughtful grantmaking and the investment of Trust assets. In addition to grantmaking activities, it is common Trust practice to convene groups of people to discuss issues of mutual interest. This practice is of great assistance to the Trust in exploring ways of responding to new grantmaking opportunities consistent with its mission, promoting a sharing of ideas and networking among participants, and understanding new developments and best practices in the various sectors in which the Trust works.
Steve Davis named BIMA Bash! Honorary Chair
BIMA is delighted to announce that community activist and philanthropist—and founding Board Member—Steve Davis has accepted the role of Honorary Chair for BIMA Bash! 2019. The June event, comprised of two nights of parties and auctions, is the Museum’s largest fundraiser of the year—accountable for more than a third of the organization’s annual operating budget. Tickets go on sale in April at www.bimabash.com.
Steve is near and dear to BIMA. He is one of a handful of individuals who joined the founding Board of Directors at the request of Museum Founder, Cynthia Sears. Recently retired from the board after serving the maximum of three terms (9 years), Steve was instrumental in the Museum’s original capital campaign, construction, launch, and has served weekly shifts as a docent since the Museum’s opening in June 2013. While on the board, Steve acted as Treasurer and served on the Building & Grounds, Finance and Fundraising Committees.
A Bainbridge Island resident since 1942, Steve is a graduate of Bainbridge High School. Throughout his career in Trust Management and on into retirement, Mr. Davis has been a dedicated patron of the arts and supporter of his community. He has served on the boards of Bainbridge Community Foundation (Founder and 1st President), One Call For All, Bainbridge Diversion Board, Helpline House Endowment Fund Committee, Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial, Health, Housing, and Human Services Council of Bainbridge Island, Bloedel Reserve, Island Volunteer Caregivers, and Seattle Aquarium as well as a number of other organizations in the region. One of his most visible contributions to Bainbridge Island is The Waypoint—directly across from BIMA—that reclaimed a former gas station site and replaced it with a pocket park that greets everyone who arrives to Bainbridge Island by ferry.
Planning for BIMA Bash! 2019 is well underway. The lively Friday, June 14 party and silent auction features more than 100 one-of-a-kind art pieces including paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, photography, jewelry, plus travel and culinary expenses at all price ranges. The Saturday, June 15 event includes a short silent auction and social hour followed by a seated dinner and live auction. Both events support Bainbridge Island Museum of Art’s mission and ongoing programs, including free admission to the galleries and subsidized field trips for regional students.
More information on the event, including highlights from the 2018 fundraiser, can be found at www.bimabash.com. Information for the 2019 event will be available in March.
