BelRed Creative Space Survey

Welcome Artists, Performers, Innovators, Creatives and Members of our Cultural Community!

The survey is now closed. Thank you for your interest in this initiative to bring new, affordable creative space to Bellevue's BelRed Arts District.

To learn more about this initiative, the partners and the BelRed Arts District, see the sections below.

 

Photo Credit: Alexandra Knight Photography // Courtesy of Visit Bellevue

In 2017, the City of Bellevue invited national nonprofit Artspace to assess the potential for an affordable mixed-use, artist live/work facility. A series of focus groups and community conversations took place revealing support, need and opportunity for new space to be built. In 2020 the City conducted a BelRed Arts District planning survey and local input prioritized BelRed as a place for “inclusive, affordable and accessible space” where creative people and other communities can come together. Perfect alignment between the vision for the district and a new affordable arts facility.

Fast forward to today. New developments are emerging in BelRed, Sound Transit’s light rail extension is rapidly moving forward, and the City has its 5-year, BelRed Arts District Implementation Plan ready to go.  Now is the time to act on planning for and creating new space that will preserve long-term affordability for the creative sector in a neighborhood known for its artists, creative businesses, and arts organizations.

This survey is the next step. By receiving broad input from a diversity of artists, creatives, and makers, the team will learn whether there is sufficient demand to create space and if so what types and how much, what amenities to include, and what “affordable” really means to the area’s artists, creatives, and makers.

Anonymous survey data will be analyzed in aggregate to identify what types of spaces, amenities, and features are most needed and preferred by respondents, and what is affordable to the interested members of the creative sector. Ideas offered by respondents for a new project will be delivered to project leaders for consideration as new space plans are developed.

A report will be delivered to the City of Bellevue that summarizes the key findings and offers recommendations for how many and the types of spaces to pursue and will be a key tool when seeking developers to create the needed space in the BelRed Arts District. While the data is designed to help advance a specific, affordable artist live/work facility, the report will be delivered to developers and property owns to encourage a variety of new space options in the BelRed Arts District and across Bellevue.

The City of Bellevue and its Cultural and Economic Development division are leading this effort to ensure the BelRed Arts District is a place where local and regional creatives can live, work, and create.

A Core Group of community members have volunteered their time to help advance this survey work and the vision of new, affordable space. We thank them for their contributions:

Maria Lau Hui

Ashmita Gulati

Eden Helstein

Katie Miller

Rita Meher

Angela Cheung

Xin Xin

The survey is developed and owned by Artspace Consulting.

Established in 2009 – The BelRed Arts District is the nucleus of a grassroots creative neighborhood. Cultivated by artists, arts organizations and small businesses focused on music, dance, fine arts and technology all located within a single square mile. 

Thousands of people of all ages visit the district every week, whether it's shopping in music stores, lessons and rehearsals, dance classes, clinics, camps, special events and so much more!

BelRed Arts District's Mission Statement 

A vibrant grassroots creative district, one that inspires and connects everyone through music, art, dance and technology.

 

To learn more about the BelRed Arts District, planning efforts and programs visit: BelRedArtsDistrict

....download the 2022 BelRed Arts District Implementation plan....

...and follow @belred_arts_district on Instagram

Artspace is a Minneapolis-based, national nonprofit developer and consultant with a mission to “create, foster and preserve affordable and sustainable space for artists, and arts organizations”. Artspace Consulting is a division of Artspace and leading this phase of work. The organization owns and operates 54 artist communities in 43 states, including 4 in the state of Washington. www.Artspace.org

City of Bellevue
City of Bellevue Cultural and Economic Development
Artspace Consulting