Statements

Mission

Creating, promoting, educating, and uplifting the arts and culture of Bellevue and the West Nashville area.

Background

Arts Bellevue was chartered by the state of Tennessee in January 2018 as a 501(c)3 tax exempt, nonprofit Corporation that was organized to operate for educational and charitable purposes. It's mission is creating, promoting, educating, and uplifting the arts and culture of Bellevue and the West Nashville area with a vision to:
- Be THE resource for arts/artists in the West Nashville area
- Promote opportunities for diversity through arts education
- Build an engaged community through arts and collaborations
- Make Bellevue a destination place through art and art events

Impact

Art and its impact on the community are unique-it is localized and can almost be measured immediately.  When the arts and culture interweave into the fabric of a community, it helps the community to attract tourists, highlights diverse talent, seeks innovation, grows the economy and cultivates a culture of understanding and learning.  Everybody in the ecosystem benefits from the arts.  Arts Bellevue sees the opportunity, through the arts (visual, performance literary and culinary), to bring culturally relevant and inclusive events and programming that best showcases and promotes diversity,  equity, inclusion and access to all.

Needs

1. As Arts Bellevue expands our services and offerings, there are a number of items that are needed:
- Space to provide art workshops and performances
- Art Supplies
- foldable art/task tables
- Stackable chairs for audience members
- Stackable chairs and stools for working/teaching art spaces
- Portable staging
- Video equipment

2. Large annual art event. This event would showcase local visual artists, musicians, and culinary to become a signature art event for the West Nashville community.
3. Funding to bring in touring arts companies and individuals for performances and workshops.
4. Funding to create public art installations (sculptures, murals, etc) and create more volunteer opportunities

CEO Statement

Arts Bellevue continues to redefine itself. Post-Pandemic found AB without performance space and space to do workshops, created art, etc. Through this need we formed a relationship and collaboration with the Ford Ice Center Bellevue. This is now the home to our Vue In The Round program, a singer/songwriter evening held each month on the 3rd Thursday. Prices are $10 per ticket and sustaining members receive a 20% discount. This concert series provides a number of benefits to the community such as:
- Showcasing local artists which are paid for their performance
- Local venue for live music performances
- Collaboration with Predators and Ford Ice Center

Arts Bellevue assists in planning and producing the music for the Taste of Bellevue event which is a fundraising event for the Bellevue Community Foundation.

This year also marks Arts Bellevue's First Juried Art Show which was also a fundraiser event. This show was juried by Omari Booker, Sydney Riechman and James Threalkill. The show hosted 29 Davidson County and local area (Fairview, Kingston Springs and Pegram) artists. Both 2D and 3D arts were shown including pottery, copper, jewelry and sculpture. Approximately 300 people attended the 3 day event with sales of over $8,500 in artists sales.

Arts Bellevue is still looking permeant space to house the organization, but the collaborations that are being built will serve the organization for many years to come.

Board Chair Statement

Community Arts of Bellevue was created out of a void that existed in the West Nashville community, the lack of a unified arts community. In 2018-19 the board of directors compiled a survey of West Nashville (including Pegram, Kingston Springs and Fairview communities) to find out the need of the community through the lens of the arts. With =/-200 responses, we learned that there was a true interest and value in having an arts organization in West Nashville/Bellevue. 90% of the respondents said that that "it was important (22%) or highly important (68%) to have a variety of arts and cultural offerings in the Bellevue community." When asked on how they saw themselves being involved in the arts 82% said by attending events, 45% wanted to volunteer in some capacity and 34% in direct participation (stage, music, classes, demonstrations, etc)

This data was used in creating the founding strategic plan for this new organization.

Currently there are no paid staff members and all participation (events and board membership) is all volunteer.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Arts, Culture & Humanities  - Alliances & Advocacy
Secondary Category:	-
Tertiary Category:	-