Bellevue Arts Museum Hosting PNW Glass Biennial

From BAM: 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 biennial.

Fumi Amano
Jimmy Anderegg
Karen Buhler
David Chatt
Bri Chesler
Benjamin Cobb
Julie Conway
Emily Counts
Erin Dengerink
Mark Ditzler
Emily Endo
Gabe Feenan
David Francis
Dan Friday
Terri Grant
KT Hancock
Keiko Hara
Carolyn Hopkins
David Huchthausen
Etsuko Ichikawa
Carrie Iverson
John Kiley
Steve Klein
Morgan Madison
Amanda Manitach
Dante Marioni
Katie Miller
Carol Milne
Janis Miltenberger
Melissa Misoda
Anna Mlasowsky
Shelley Muzylowski-Allen
Karsten Oaks
Jenny Pohlman
& Sabrina Knowles
Kait Rhoads
Joseph Rossano
& Martin Blank
Nathan Sandberg
Heidi Schwegler
Ethan Stern
April Surgent
Lino Tagliapietra
Kathryn Thibault
Cappy Thompson
Michael Tyka
Dick Weiss
Erich Woll
Mark Zirpel

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 exhibition Preview Party on Thursday, November 8. The Samuel and Patricia Smith Peoples' Choice Award invites the public to choose their favorite work by Sunday, 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.

Image via Shuttershock