Bellevue, WA—The New Frontier presents works by emerging designer-makers with nearly 30 design studios from British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon contributing to the exhibition. Examining the materials, processes, and creative strategies that define their practices, the exhibition acts as a catalyst for the discussion of how objects and products are conceived and created here; who is making them; and how the field of local design is reflective of our unique region.

The frontier represents the final boundary, signifying a geographic region as well as an abstract realm where original ideas evolve and take shape. In "the new frontier"—on the cusp of the unknown and untested—designer-makers are resetting boundaries, playing by their own rules, and establishing innovative models for creating, producing, and distributing goods.

The Pacific Northwest, still a frontier for industrial design production, is home to an inspiring population of young makers who are forging creative practices based on untested economic models stemming from both pre-industrial craft production and cutting-edge technologies. Driven by a need to create beautiful, functional objects, these pioneers form ideas, locate resources, and utilize processes available to them on the frontier. This phenomenon, globally conscious but regionally based, represents the new creative economy.

The New Frontier: Young Designer-Makers in the Pacific Northwest is organized by Bellevue Arts Museum and cocurated by Charlie Schuck and Jennifer Navva Milliken.

Media sponsor: GRAY Magazine

ABOUT THE BELLEVUE ARTS MUSEUM
Bellevue Arts Museum is a leading destination in the Pacific Northwest to experience art, craft, and design. BAM engages the community through exhibitions, programs, and publications, featuring regional, national, and international artists. bellevuearts.org.

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