"Art on the Avenue" Enlivens Downtown's Art Scene

Downtown Bellevue is ushering in a new age of public art with the opening of "Art on the Avenue", a highly welcomed newcomer into the city’s creative landscape.  The unique collection of pop-up galleries feature a variety of local, national, and international artists across future storefronts within Avenue Bellevue. 

This project, under the operation of Silverstein Properties, seeks to empower artists to show their work free from gallery fees in a space that prioritizes creative expression over commercial constraints. 

“There’s no space wasted with art,” said Dara McQuillan, Silverstein Properties’ Chief Marketing Officer. “It’s not just about filling walls; it’s about telling a story of this place.” 

"Art on the Avenue" opened to the public on January 31, 2025, and will remain through March 31, 2025, showcasing 10 creatives local to the PNW. Among the featured talent is Amethyst Monet, who now works out of a studio on the 71st floor of the World Trade Center in New York City. Her work embodies the strength of women, woven together by embroidery thread to symbolize the interconnectedness of the female experience and the weaving of their destinies. 

“It means a lot for me to do something in my former home state,” Monet shared. “My family in Washington is so excited to see the art in real life, not just through photos on Instagram.” 

When you enter the exhibition, you are immediately struck by an eclectic mix of mediums that blend seamlessly to transform the stark, white-walled space. The artists are just as unique as their work – Gregory DeBolt is a local bartender who transforms reclaimed wood into functional furniture pieces, while Grace Braddock is a makeup artist and esthetician whose artistry transitions from face to canvas.

The gallery initiative also responds to a broader cultural gap in Downtown Bellevue, a city in flux as it attempts to appeal to young professionals, families, and now, art lovers, all at once. After the loss of the Bellevue Arts Museum in September of 2024, the question has been looming: is there still an audience for the arts in Downtown? Without a centralized, local museum, "Art on the Avenue" has taken a bold step to show that there is still a need for publicly accessible, story-driven artistic expression. Art is experiential, and can’t only be appreciated from afar or through a screen.

Accompanying the newest opening at Avenue are five others featuring the work of photographers, street artists, and mixed media creators. Some of the work has an "edge" and aims to redefine how the public conceptualizes street art. Step inside the room filled with floor to ceiling work by LA muralists, and you'll be overwhelmed by a sense of awe at what can be accomplished with an aerosol paint canister.

The effort that culminated in filling those spaces truly took a village, a couple of U-Hauls, and an outlandish vision. Trucks were loaded from Los Angeles and New York, carrying pieces on a journey across the country to their current resting place at Avenue. To McQuillan, the effort was worth it in order to "introduce other worlds into [the viewer's] world". 

However, this is far from Silverstein's first foray into the art world. The firm is well known for its role in the rebuilding of the World Trade Center. In the post 9/11 era, a time of national fear and uncertainty, Silverstein took a bold step to fill the vacant, rebuilt space with artists who could create there for free. According to McQuillan, they're simply in the business of "providing space". Now, they’ve brought that same spirit to Bellevue, rooted in what has now become a company tradition of supporting artists free of charge through their non-profit artist residency program, Silver Art Projects. They hope that that these creative displays will draw future businesses into the Avenue family that will accelerate the culture of the surrounding area.

The gallery is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 12pm-8pm, or Monday-Friday by appointment only. All of the art is able to be purchased. For local artists interested in showing and selling their work, they are encouraged to contact Silverstein Properties at art@silvprop.com.

This blog is part of the Heart of Bellevue: our campaign to showcase local businesses while connecting you with stories of activity, creativity and recovery. Find out about our campaign and explore more of what’s happening around Downtown.