Welcome to Bellevue Arts Council, Bellevue, Iowa!
about us
Riverfront Sculpture
We are delighted to announce that BAC member Ronald Hansen dedicated the public art piece along Bellevue's Scenic Byway during our Fishtival 2018 festivities. Ronald's concept of steamboat stacks and colorful fish is now installed for all of Bellevue and visitors to enjoy. Thank you to the community for its input in this multi-year process, and to the Public Art Selection Committee which developed the theme "Living, Flowing, Ever Changing." This project is being managed by the Byways of Iowa Foundation and the Northeast Iowa RC&D.
BAC Board Members
Our current BAC Board Members are from left to right, back row, Anne Amore, Ron Hansen, Allen Ernst, Dave Eischeid, and Julianne Couch.
Front row from left to right, are Karen Langseth, Jo Fifield, Linda Nudd, Kate Brooks, and Sue Sawvel.
Carrie Weaver of the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce, shown above separately, is also a board member and advisor.
Great River Gallery
We are so fortunate for the use of the Great River Gallery for individual showings by artists and also for our annual BAC Members Spring Exhibit.
The gallery is located at 116 North Riverview Drive, Bellevue, Iowa. Access to the gallery is available upon request by contacting Allen Ernst at 563.581.9197 (or 563.872.3388) or email at allenrernst@me.com.
Link here to the Great River Gallery website.
ARTS EVENTS SPONSORED BY THE BELLEVUE ARTS COUNCIL
Great River Gallery Exhibits
PLACE & RECEPTION DATE
The 6th Annual Members Exhibition will be displayed in the Great River Gallery, 116 North Riverview. The show will open with a public reception on Friday, May 3, from 5 P.M. to 8 P.M. Additional show viewing is Saturday, May 4, from 2 P.M. to 4 P.M.
GUIDELINES
This is a non juried show open to any current BAC member. Member artists are invited to exhibit up to three works of art. Non members may enter artwork by joining and paying the $25 membership dues at the time their artwork is delivered for exhibition.
DELIVERY OF ARTWORK
Artists are to deliver their work to the Great River Gallery on Saturday, April 27, from 12 P.M. to 2 P.M. or at a prearranged time.
All artists that intend to participate in the show are requested to contact Dave Eischeid in advance of artwork delivery 563.542.7020.
All artwork should be packaged for safe storage and handling while awaiting show set up.
Although the show is not juried all work must be properly framed or otherwise well presented for display. All framed work must have picture wire for hanging. All artwork must be identified with:
Title, size, medium (oil, watercolor, etc.), price (if for sale), artist name, address, and phone number.
ARTWORK RETURN
Artists may pick up work
Sunday, May 5, from 2:00 - 4:00 P.M..
RIGHT OF REFUSAL
The Bellevue Arts Council retains the right to refuse any work that we deem inappropriate. The utmost care will be taken of all artwork but neither the BAC or Great River Gallery will be held responsible for damage or loss.
SALE COMMISSION
The Bellevue Arts Council requires a 20% commission from the artist on any work sold during the show.
GREAT RIVER GALLERY OVERVIEW
The Great River Gallery exhibits ongoing artworks from resident artists throughout the year. In addition, specific scheduled shows by individual artists and the BAC Members' Spring Exhibit celebrate area artists creations in photography, 2D studio works, jewelry making, fabric art, woodworking and sculpture.
Annual Fishtival in August
Our annual 2019 Fishtival event will be on Saturday, August 17th, from 10 - 4 P.M.
If you'd like to view some photos from last year's Fishtival, use this link to access the Fishtival 2018 page or use the link at the top of this Home Page.
FISHTIVAL OVERVIEW
The annual Fishtival event in August is a celebration of our heritage as a community on the Mississippi through all forms of art including dance, media arts, and folk and traditional music. Some activities included in the past are an art exhibit, on-location painters, fish sculptures, fish related children's hands-on projects, DNR fish demonstrations, children's dance troupes, trolling musicians, a mermaid, and a fish boil. Added in 2017 were informal adult art experiences in the gazebo, which included a clay handbuilding project, chalk pastel and watercolor. In 2018 we added a family-friendly art workshops held in the Great River Gallery that included a wide variety of studio activities.
The mission of the BAC is to present a variety of unique, artistic expressions and experiences to children, students, and community. The purpose of Fishtival is to attract tourists to the Bellevue, Iowa, through the promotion of art.
2nd Sunday Events Schedule 2019 and the River Ridge Brewery
The above painting is "Poppies, Isles of Shoals, by Childe Hassam, 1891, Pastel.
Come join us from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Great River Gallery, 116 North Riverview, Bellevue, next door to the River Ridge Brewery, that is open for the arts event offering specialty beverages if desired. See you there!
JANUARY 13, 2019 - Mini Acrylic Paintings.
FEBRUARY 10, 2019 - Abraham Lincoln re-enactor.
MARCH 10, 2019- Irish themed studio event in calligraphy and illumination.
APRIL 14, 2019 - Chalk Painting Spring Flowers.
MAY 12, 2019 - Paper Flowers and Unique Collage
Subject matter will be diverse from making paper flowers, stamping and creating unique collage cards. This should prove to be a fun and creative project for your imagination. No charge.
JUNE 9, 2019 - Rock Painting.
We had so much fun painting rocks last year we decided to repeat it this year. All supplies of clean rocks, acrylic paint, brushes will be supplied for our artists, along with visual resource ideas. No charge.
JULY 14, 2019 - The July 2nd Sunday event at the gallery is cancelled. Instead members will be attending Mama Mia at Timber Lake Playhouse in Mt. Carroll on July 28th.
AUGUST 11: There will be no 2nd Sunday event scheduled for August 11th. Instead, that will be replaced by Fishtival set for Saturday, August 17, 2019. Information about Fishtival is on the adjoining column to the left.
SEPTEMBER 8, 2019 - TBA
OCTOBER 13, 2019 - TBA
NOVEMBER 10, 2019 - TBA
DECEMBER 8, 2019 - TBA
2018 2ND SUNDAY PAST EVENTS
JANUARY 14, 2018 - Mini Acrylic Painting
FEBRUARY 11, 2018 - Writing Love Poems MARCH 11, 2018 - Symbols and Calligraphy APRIL 8, 2018 - Painting and Hiding Rocks
MAY 12, 2018 - Springtime and Mother's Day JUNE 10, 2018 - Sun Prints on Fabric
JULY 8, 2018 - Pour To Create
AUGUST 12 - Field Trip to Fiddler on the Roof, Timber Lake Playhouse in Mt. Carroll
SEPTEMBER 9 - Chalk Pastel
OCTOBER 14, 2018 - Origami with Joe Oclon. NOVEMBER 11, 2018- Paint ceramic bisqueware
DECEMBER 9, 2018 - Create greeting cards
SECOND SUNDAY OVERVIEW
Second Sunday events allow children, adults, and families to explore the arts. These events started in December 2016 and are held every Second Sunday in the Great River Gallery from 2-4 p.m. Participants have access to the River Ridge Brewery next door while enjoying writing, music, and studio art. Some of the 2nd Sunday arts events in 2017 included watercolor, pastel, recycled art, authors, historical re-enactments of prominent writers and poets of the past, and musical experiences. The sky is the limit in what you may experience. Our goal is to maintain a very diverse range of arts activities that include music, theater, studio art, dance, and adventures in written expression. When applicable we incorporate brief examples of art from the past for inspiration and education for our community. Come and enjoy! Explore your creative side!
Explore Art in Bellevue!
We've had so much wonderful community participation in Bellevue promoting the arts because of enthusiastic support from the school districts and community. This year we have decided to rethink approaches to community need and requests for alternative avenues of sharing the arts with our community. In addition to the 2nd Sunday events and Mill Valley painting classes for residents, we have a series of outreach opportunities for all citizens in Bellevue. This year, we offered a Paint to Create 2-hour class on a Friday evening painting a beautiful Mississippi scene in acrylic. In addition, we are wrapping up the 5 series painting sessions in either acrylic or oil with teacher assistance to render a painting of one's own subject matter. As time goes by this year, we'll be offering more diverse avenues of creative expression for our Bellevue community. As always, classes being offered will be shown on the Bellevue TV station and in the newspaper. We hope to see you at our future events.
Mill Valley Resident Art Experience
Two to three times a month Dave and Carol Eischeid, and Sue and Earl Sawvel take turns giving painting classes to any Mill Valley residents who choose to attend. Karen Dunne consistently helps with every class as well and a special "Thank You!" goes to her for her devotion to what we are trying to achieve at Mill Valley for its residents. Our painting classes are an hour and a half in length giving residents the opportunity for mental focus, dexterity, and critical decision making skills while producing very personal artworks that could include subject matter from horses and barns to florals. We love working with the residents of Mill Valley, knowing these activities add to their enrichment opportunities and quality of life. Random discussions, camaraderie, and life stories add depth and a smile to the residents' day as well.
Field Trips and Other Inspirations
March 9, 2018, we took a caravan field trip to three different Dubuque locations to experience very diverse expressions of art. It was a wonderful day of discussion, inspiration, comaraderie, and art experience. We began at the Sinsinawa Mound Center for Gail Chavenelle's Spirit and Space Exhibit, but we couldn't leave without admiring the chapel's beautiful stained glass windows, then heading for the bakery and gift shop for goodies. Then on to lunch at 7Hills, followed by the Amanda Steines Exhibit at Gallery C in downtown Dubuque. We finished up the day with two shows at the Dubuque Art Museum, the Charles Thwaites Exhibit and the Paper: Medium and Message Show.
July of 2018, BAC members took a trip to see "Fiddler on the Roof" at the Timber Lake Playhouse in Mt. Carroll .
This year will be attending another theater presentation, Mama Mia, on July 28th, 2019, at the Timber Lake Playhouse in Mt. Carroll.
Past field trips have included art museum tours to Milwaukee, Chicago, Dubuque, and Mt. Carroll. Where would like to go on an arts related field trip? Let us know.
Not really a field trip but rather an opportunity to add to your individual exploration of the arts and artists that include a brief biography, their motivatiions, and personal style, we are including an Inspiration Page to this website that will change in content every month or so. Access to the Inspiration Page can be linked to from the Navigation Bar at the top of this page as well. It explores an artist from history, his or her biography, the relevant artistic time period, and the artist's personal style and motivation to be an artist. It's a little art appreciation and art history rolled into one. We hope you enjoy it!
