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2006 Bellevue Sculpture Exhibition Showcases 40 Original Selections in Bellevue’s Downtown Park and New City Hall


WEBWIRE

BELLEVUE, Wash. — June 14, 2006 — The Bellevue Arts Commission today announced the sculpture selection for the seventh biennial Bellevue Sculpture Exhibition. A record number of more than 200 artists submitted selections to a panel of jurors in this popular indoor/outdoor event, and 40 sculptures from the U.S., Canada and Europe were selected.

The 2006 Bellevue Sculpture Exhibition will kick off Saturday, June 17, at the new Bellevue City Hall from 6–8 p.m. with Bellevue Mayor Grant Degginger, Bellevue Arts Commission Chair Roxanne Shepherd and Bellevue Sculpture Exhibition Committee Chair Valentina Kiselev. The exhibition will run through Oct. 9 at the 17-acre Bellevue Downtown Park and Bellevue City Hall.

This year’s sculptures were selected by a panel including sculptors, a curator, an arts administrator, and a collector. The five-person jury included Eloise Damrosch of the Regional Arts & Culture Council in Portland, Ore.; Mary Shirley of Medina, Wash.; Jesús Moroles of Texas; Nancy Mee of Seattle; and Laura Matzer from Microsoft Corp.

“I was very pleased with the amount of applicants and the sculptures the jury selected. I congratulate the city of Bellevue for its dedication to this important show,” Damrosch said. “The process was exceedingly well-organized and made the jurors’ work efficient and enjoyable.”

Among the 34 artists selected for the exhibition, 21 are from Washington state: Brian Berman, Micajah Bienvenu, Randy Bolander, Mary Coss, Gregory Glenn, Julia Haack, Jan Hoy, Steve Jensen, Mary Kuebelbeck, Kirk McLean, Chris McMullen, Merrilee Moore, Michael Oppenheimer, Ken Orvidas, Troy Pillow, Amy Roberts, Barry Scharf, Verena Schwippert, Pasha Stinson, Deloss Webber and Debbie Young.

Other artists in the exhibition include Jennifer Cecere, Florencio Gelabert, Michelle Jaffe, Byron Johnston, Barry Ledoux, Geert Maas, Caroline Mak, Thomas Matsuda, Lucia Warck Meister, Barbara Staib, Anne Thulin, Bill Vielehr and Bruce West.

“My artwork is influenced by the experience of living in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains of Washington state. I am integrating my interest in sculpture and painting through focusing on the unique surface qualities of distressed paper,” said Debbie Young, a local artist in the exhibition. “I am fascinated with the process of forming paper into free-standing sculptural works with interior lighting reminiscent of elemental forms, textures and colors found in nature. I desire to represent the natural forces and forms of creation in such a way that they are seen anew by the viewer.”

The Bellevue Sculpture Exhibition first opened in 1992 with 13 sculptures selected by Bellevue Arts Commissioners. Today the Bellevue Sculpture Exhibition is the city’s premier sculpture exhibit displaying the work of internationally renowned artists selected by prominent jurors from around the U.S.

“One of the enjoyable aspects of the exhibition is that the display is temporary, so you can enjoy a range of reactions invoked by the art, knowing there is no more at stake than a little of your time,” said Roxanne Shepherd, chair of the Bellevue Arts Commission. “We hope people will discuss what they see, defend the pieces they love, question those they find perplexing and, yes, sometimes even laugh. This program is the perfect fulfillment of the Arts Commission’s charge to expand the public experience with visual arts. We hope our fellow citizens will take advantage of this opportunity to grab friends and relatives, visit the Downtown Park and the new City Hall, and enjoy original works of art.”



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