The Bainbridge Island Museum of Art is a Coates Design firm creation. It’s thoughtfully built out with attractive curves and a warm wood facade to both invite the visitor in and to pay homage to the local population. Large glass sections allow the interior to be viewed from the sidewalk, and the building emerges differently in changing light and time of day.
Inside, this LEED Gold building allows circular freedom of movement in either direction. Upon entry, cheerful staff greets you with a map and an introduction, offering for you to visit the BIMA Bistro for a coffee, snack, or light meal before or after your visit. There is a garden patio for relaxing outside with your treat or you can stay in the bistro and enjoy the gallery of prints in the cafe.
The main curved window space hosts an art exhibit itself. Currently, it’s a piece from Bella Kim called Transformations. Recycled plastics, food lids, and other materials are sewn together to make blankets and other hanging fabric-like sculptures. The one in the front window reminds me of snow. The circles are white and clear and luminous. They hang in random patterns from the ceiling and cascade down to the floor. It’s both a reminder about plastics and waste and a charming recycling method for sustainable products.
I was really impressed with the multitude of beautiful exhibits at the museum. Currently, eight shows are in session.
The most colorful was Charles Emerson: Color & Abstraction. His radiant colors are his primary language for communicating ideas of worlds beyond. These abstract paintings have lines and scratches that interrupt thoughts and force new conversations in your mind.
I was fascinated by Nikki McClure: Something About the Sky & Other Wonderings. These mostly black and white artworks are, upon close inspection, collages of cut paper. Punctuated by only the most necessary color, these skies and landscapes present illustrations of weather systems, people on shore, birds of the sky, clouds, and breath. For an artist with so much to say, Nikki will have you transfixed in a moment of time, just listening to the works tell their story.
In the cafe, you’ll find Irene Clark: Streamliner Diner Sketches. Favorably placed in the eating area, these line drawings evoke restaurant scenes of days past. They are cute and whimsical. They add pure joy to your coffee break.
The Northwest School Now exhibit is a group exhibition that includes works of “The Mystic Painters of the Northwest.” These works are different mediums and raise feelings of being one with the earth and the land and the peoples that came before us. There are eyes watching you, streamers from the heavens, copper woven baskets, picturesque mountains, human silhouettes, and nature scapes. It’s a large collection and perfectly in place for a museum so rooted in the Northwest people’s culture.
The northern part of the Americas, along the Pacific Ocean, is a beautiful territory of trees and mountains, densely forested and spiritually important for the native people. It’s been loved by pioneers and travelers alike. There are myths and legends of this Pacific Northwest territory. Today, many struggle to tell the real history and share authentic narratives of the area. These things are now best expressed in art and community.
The museum strives to honor the local people of Puget Sound. This area of Washington State, USA, is a beautiful green place in a water estuary in the Pacific Northwest. The towns have great respect for the Native People’s heritage, and the museum is no exception. They clearly state their Land Acknowledgement:
“Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove, has been hallowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished.” – Chief Seattle, 1854
We would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is within the ancestral territory of the suqʼʷábš “People of Clear Salt Water” (Suquamish People). Expert fisherman, canoe builders and basket weavers, the suqʼʷábš live in harmony with the lands and waterways along Washington’s Central Salish Sea as they have for thousands of years. Here, the suqʼʷábš live and protect the land and waters of their ancestors for future generations as promised by the Point Elliot Treaty of 1855.
This statement endeavors to honor the people and the land of Puget Sound. The art is aptly curated to respect the region.
From Seattle, take the Bainbridge Island Ferry for the 35 minute ride across Elliott Bay. Tickets cost around $10 for the round trip. Walk up the main road 10 minutes to the museum.
Museum entrance is free. Many prominent donors and museum members have made this possible. They are open 10am - 5pm daily. Parking is free.
The museum store is full of interesting souvenirs, jewelry, porcelain, and other wonderful gifts. The BIMA Bistro is open daily 10am - 4pm. The museum itself should take about 1-2 hours to fully enjoy.
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Bethany Miller is a writer, art advisor, and global traveler. She works on projects relating to storytelling and demystifying the art world. She writes a newsletter called Art Advisor and runs an arts education platform called Boundaryless Art. Bethany has a PhD with focus on business psychology and a Masters of Art and Culture Management. Born in the United States, she currently travels internationally full time with her husband.