BAM Biennial 2018: BAM! Glasstastic at Bellevue Arts Museum November 9, 2018 – April 14, 2019

Bellevue, WA—The fifth edition of the Bellevue Arts Museum Biennial, BAM Biennial 2018: BAM! Glasstastic, opens at BAM this Friday, November 9. For each edition of the Biennial, the Museum designates a new focus of exploration, be it a medium, technique, process, or theme in art, craft, and design. This year’s biennial focuses on the medium of glass.

The work in this year’s biennial challenges preconceptions about the possibilities of the medium. From the technically ambitious—such as Carol Milne’s Viper, made from over 80 knitted-glass tiles that stretch up to the Museum’s ceiling—to the unexpected—including Anna Mlasowsky’s wearable sound object, Chorus of One, made from a specialty glass product developed for the military and worn in an accompanying video by a professional dancer—the exhibition showcases a wide array of approaches and concepts from both established and up-and-coming artists, as well as from artists who work predominantly in other media.

BAM Biennial, established in 2010, is a juried exhibition occurring every two years which focuses on the work of Northwest artists, craftspeople, and designers living and working in the Pacific Northwest. To date, the BAM Biennial has celebrated clay, fiber, wood, and metal. From a pool of ambitious proposals, 49 artists were selected to participate in this year’s glass biennial.

Applications were reviewed by a panel of five esteemed jurors comprising Tina Aufiero, Artistic Director, Pilchuck Glass School, WA; Andrew Page, Chief Editor, Glass Quarterly, NY; Susan Warner, Independent Curator, WA; Benedict Heywood, Executive Director & Chief Curator, Bellevue Arts Museum, WA; and Lucile Chich, Assistant Curator, Bellevue Arts Museum, WA.

During the run of the biennial, two cash prizes of $5,000 will be awarded. The John & Joyce Price Award of Excellence will be selected by BAM’s curatorial team, and includes the opportunity for the winning artist to hold a solo exhibition at the Museum. This prestigious award will be presented during the BAM Biennial Preview Party on November 8. The Samuel and Patricia Smith Peoples’ Choice Award invites the public to choose their favorite work by March 31, 2019. Ballot boxes in the gallery will encourage visitors to cast their vote. The Museum will announce the winner at a special ceremony held on Free First Friday, April 5, 2019. Four artists, Dante Marioni, John Kiley, Erich Woll, and Lino Tagliapietra, have elected to remove themselves from the running for these prizes.

BAM Biennial 2018: BAM! Glasstastic artists:

BAM Biennial 2018: BAM! Glasstastic is organized by Bellevue Arts Museum and curated by Lucile Chich. The exhibition is made possible with support from Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass.

ABOUT BELLEVUE ARTS MUSEUM
Bellevue Arts Museum provides a public forum for the community to contemplate, appreciate, and discuss visual culture. We work with audiences, artists, makers, and designers to understand our shared experience of the world. bellevuearts.org.