Upgrade
Subscribe
Search
Log In
Advertise
Upgrade
Search
Apr 14, 2026
The Open Studio Interview - Sandy Vo
The Open Studio Interview - Sandy Vo
00:00
29:59
Transcript
0:00
One, two, three.
0:24
[upbeat piano music] Hello, and welcome to the Open Studio interview.
0:38
My name is Allie Marcus, and I am in Bellevue today in the BelRed Arts District with Executive Director Sandy Vo. Sandy, thank you for being here today. I am so happy to be here. [laughs] We met only nine months ago.
0:53
I truly can't believe how much you've accomplished in the last nine months.
0:57
You opened the BelRed Art Studio, where we are today, you launched an artist residency program, the Eastside's only arts calendar, and you're now hosting regular community events.
1:09
Um, and all this, as I understand it, is just the prequel. Yes. So tell me about your work. I would like to know how you got into this work, and what drives you. Oh, that's a loaded question.
1:24
So I went to college for communications, and I never thought... Well, actually, I never, I never even considered nonprofit work. Um, I just thought I'd be working for a marketing firm.
1:40
And then I found an internship at the Bellevue Downtown Association, which is a nonprofit organization.
1:46
They're a placemaking organization, so they do a lot of work in the community by promoting events, working with small businesses.
1:55
Um, and that's where I really fell in love with community and bringing people together and creating experiences where people choose to take time off of work or take days out of their weekends to come hang out with us because we've put on an experience that is so meaningful to the people who attend.
2:17
And so when I worked there for a couple years, I have always been in love with arts in general. All the experiences that I've, uh, been a part of throughout my life, arts has been my favorite component.
2:32
Like when you go to a festival, music was always my favorite, or, um, I always chose to go to see movies and do... see live concerts instead of, you know, other activities that aren't related to the arts.
2:47
Um, and so when I had this opportunity to step into the executive director role at the BelRed Arts District Community Alliance, it was like all of my love combined into one. It was like community, arts,
3:02
planning for the future of a neighborhood, experiencing it with visitors, workers, and residents.
3:09
And so I think that's what drives me, is the people that we serve and the experiences we get to offer to the community and beyond.
3:18
So for people who may not know a lot about BelRed, can you describe the neighborhood and the vision? Yes.
3:27
So BelRed in the 1990s used to be very light industrial, and that's when artists found this area because of, one, cheap rents, and two, big spaces, and that's like the one thing that artists are always looking for is big spaces with low rents.
3:47
And so throughout the years, there seems to be this cultivation of artists and local arts organizations and creative businesses, and then that's when the city in 2009 designated the, um, the district as an arts village.
4:04
So when 2020 came around, the city decided to do a creative space needs survey, um, and that's when they started to notice that there is this longing for arts, longing for creative spaces, longing for a place for artists to belong,
4:24
and they realized that they couldn't do it alone. And so that's when they started to do these proto-board meetings where, where they invited the community and asked, you know, "Who wants to get involved?
4:38
Who wants to help develop the arts district concepts?" And then a few people ended up raising their hands, and some of them are still on the board to this day.
4:48
Um, and that's when the BelRed Arts District Community Alliance became.
4:52
So we, uh, became a nonprofit in 2023 with a strong mission of not only developing an arts district in Bellevue that is sustainable, diverse, innovative, thriving, but also
5:11
build a place where we can provide accessible and affordable arts and cultural experiences to the community. So when this started, were you working at Bellevue Downtown Association?
5:22
I was working at the Bellevue Downtown Association when this started, and then I stepped into the executive director role in June of 2025, so last year. Yeah. I mean- So I've been in this role for about 10 months now.
5:34
'Cause my experience of the Bellevue Downtown Association is that they were, and still are, a huge proponent of the arts in Bellevue. Absolutely.
5:41
They were the go-to spot for someone like me looking for musical opportunities. Mm-hmm. So that makes a lot of sense. Yes. Yeah. [laughs] I...
5:50
Everything I've learned about the arts and the connections I made with the arts have been from the Bellevue Downtown Association.
5:57
I mean, I could go on about their jazz and blues music series, their downtown arts market, their Live at Lunch concert series.
6:05
It made me really fall in love with the idea of placemaking and bringing, you know, these arts into public spaces where people can experience it throughout their daily lives. Yeah.
6:17
And BelRed is in between downtown andI mean, crossroads basically. Yeah. Yeah. And is it named after the road? 'Cause Bel Red Road goes right through it? Yes. Yeah. It is named after a road. [laughs] Yeah.
6:31
So what do you think has changed in Bellevue that's made this possible? Like, over the last 10 or 15 years, has policy changed? Has funding changed? Mm. Real estate I know is always changing here.
6:43
Like, has the population changed? What is driving the greater interest in building an arts district? I think it's a culmination of all of those things. I think as the area grows into a more diverse community,
7:02
people are recognizing that arts and culture is a very vital part of a thriving ecosystem, and the city of Bellevue continues to put so much effort and focus and funding into the arts and culture sector in general.
7:21
The arts and culture industry is actually under the economic development department because
7:28
the city of Bellevue really believes that it not only provides e-experiences for the community, but it also helps the local economy grow in general. I think that's such a cool expression of structure- Mm... and values.
7:41
I don't see that a lot. Yes, and it shows that they're putting arts and culture at the forefront of what they believe in. And, you know, you can take a look at their
7:52
economic development plan, and arts and culture is one of the top focus for council as well. And so there's a lot of- The city council? The city council, yes. Yeah.
8:05
So there's a lot of investment and interest in building a neighborhood that supports creativity, and I think that's where things have really shifted in the past couple of years. Yeah.
8:20
There have been a lot of shifts in Bellevue the last couple of years. One I wanted to ask you about is the closure of the Bellevue Arts Museum.
8:28
What has it been like to live through that loss for the community, and also maybe the potential it represents for- Mm... new opportunities? I think it's exactly that.
8:40
It, it provides future opportunities and potentials that we may not have even thought about. Bellevue Arts Museum closing was obviously a devastation to our community.
8:53
Um, any major museum like BAM closing is, is hard to believe sometimes. But I think it opens the doors of how can Bel Red Arts District fill that gap that is current in our community right now?
9:08
You know, how can we support local artists and creatives and arts organization and creates the thriving arts and cultural destination on the east side?
9:19
I'm sure there's a lot of crossover between the more community-based efforts from BAM, like the arts fair- Mm-hmm...
9:25
that happens every July, um, and the folks who are coming to events and being part of the Bel Red community now.
9:33
Do you feel like Bel Red Art District is reaching a new set of people that BAM wasn't reaching to, or do you feel like it's just geographically, like, a different area, so a different set of people?
9:47
No, I think there's, there's an overlap of audiences. What BAM and the Bellevue Arts Fair has served and supported is, is local artists, but they...
9:59
but you can also see artists from out of state who are part of the arts fair. I think for the Bel Red Arts District, we're really focused on how can we
10:12
amplify and elevate and platform a more local, regional group of artists- Mm-hmm... in this area in a more intimate setting- Yeah...
10:22
where we're providing, you know, artist talks and exhibitions where you can ask artists questions about their processes and their works, and it's more long-term connections with local artists.
10:35
There's obviously a huge gap in that institutional opportunity, the broader reach, the bigger resources that I hope is filled too, but- Absolutely...
10:45
I can understand how from the perspective of a local artist and a regional artist, like, that feeling of how do I get in there, you know, is, um, is a constant barrier in the world.
10:56
[laughs] And I think oftentimes people see arts and culture as a very competitive industry, but the reality is, you know, we're just another platform for artists to connect to.
11:13
I already miss the really thoughtful curating with the reach that they do have and the high-quality work and kind of historical context and social context, and it's...
11:26
You know, those are some of the things you're producing here now at Bel Red Art Studio.
11:30
So do you wanna talk a little bit about upcoming exhibits and things like that where you're bringing people together and work together here? Yes. Yeah.
11:40
I wanna quote Lori Hoffman from the city, and that she describes this area and the Bel Red Arts District as grit meets glitter. And I, I just love that because, you know, we aren't trying to be downtown.
11:57
We're trying to be our own area that's a bit, little bit more industrial, a little bit more gritty, and a little bit more accessible to people across all different types of mediums, as well as all different types of artistry levels as well.
12:12
And so that is shown throughout our exhibits and events and programmings that we host at the art studio.
12:19
Um, a couple of things that we're really excited about coming up is, you know, the 2 Line is officially connecting to the 1 Line across the bridge, and so we'll be hosting a women's arts exhibit-Uh, here on March 28th from 12 to 4 PM, and we're partnering with neighboring businesses like Pottery Washington right next door, Evolution Studio, West Coast Drum Shops, and they'll be doing their own exhibits.
12:43
So we welcome people to come and enjoy a creative experience while exploring the local businesses and what they have to offer.
12:52
Something else that we're really excited about that's coming up is we just launched our upcoming and second Artist in Residence program here at the art studio.
13:02
We are partnering with Densho, uh, which is a nonprofit organization who is focused on, uh, telling the history of Japanese American World War II incarceration.
13:15
Um, and we are seeking artists to tell that story through artwork. So that Artist in Residence program will close April 3rd.
13:25
And I think with- within all of these types of programmings and events that we do in the studio, we're really focused on how can we reach a broad audience of art lovers, and also how can we cultivate an artist community here in the district that feels meaningful to them and that offers something that they want to be a part of.
13:49
Can you tell me about the Bel Red Night Market and what makes it special and what you have planned for this year? Yes.
13:57
The Bel Red Arts Night Market provides local artists the opportunity to platform their work and what they're creating. And one of the things that really excited me about starting the Bel Red Arts Night Market is
14:11
it really highlights local working artists in a really fun environment. And I think this ties back to, you know, our events being a little bit more intimate.
14:23
You know, it offers people a chance to talk directly with the artist, to buy directly from the artist, and these artists who are working primarily on the East Side.
14:35
Um, it also brings together, you know, the general activities and programs that most markets offer, which is a food truck, um, arts activations, and live performances. We were really proud that we were able to
14:51
host 10 live cultural performances from seven different cultures, and I think that's something that we're really focused on is, how can we provide a diverse experience that everyone can see themselves in?
15:08
Which, you know, in an area like Bellevue, that's really important to do because the diversity of backgrounds of the people who live here is, um, you know, really apparent when you live in or spend time in Bellevue.
15:22
So it's really great to have an organization focused on representing that through the arts. Yes.
15:28
And when I was at the Night Market, I saw community groups on the stage performing, um, things I never would have seen otherwise, and, you know, you... They were families.
15:39
There were kids, and this was not like a tent in a parking lot. It was a real stage- [laughs] Mm-hmm... with lights and production and everything, and I thought that was really neat.
15:50
Yeah, and I think it gives, you know, especially people who have never performed on a stage before, the opportunity to be like, "Hey, I was on a stage, and I got to perform at the Night Market," and that's exactly the type of experience that we wanna provide to, to our community.
16:07
In the Bel Red area, as it evolves and grows, and it's still growing and evolving, we wanna be able to set the tone and stage for what future development could look like. Mm-hmm.
16:19
And by providing a type of event like this, we're showing this is what matters to the community, and this should be continued throughout the whole growth process of the area itself.
16:32
Is there anything about future development that you can share for the neighborhood? This area is one of the two line stops- Mm-hmm... that provides accessible transportation for the community.
16:48
It's in the heart of our Arts District, and that means that people wanted to develop around the light rail station itself. And so what our role is, is to continue advocating for more affordable arts and cultural spaces
17:07
because we know that people will develop regardless. But we see this as an opportunity for our organization to be the voice of creative entrepreneurs and business owners- Mm-hmm...
17:19
to say, "Hey, we deserve a space in this area as well." And we know that without those arts and cultural organizations and businesses or artists or venues, there really isn't much of an Arts District.
17:33
There is a light rail station here. The development is inevitable.
17:38
So you've kind of put your stake in the ground as a way to help be an advocate and a supporter and a, in a lot of ways, a growth engine of the arts to kind of parallel- Yes... the real estate development. Yeah. Yeah.
17:52
Because those land use codes meetings, you know, what people build in the future
17:59
will affect how you do business and where you do business, and I think it's important for us now more than ever, as the Arts District grows, is for the arts and cultural sector to, to have a voice and say in what gets built and for who.
18:14
So I remember a time when it was, like, a really hot topic to talk about how Bellevue was like the little sibling of Seattle, you know, and Seattle got all the attention and all the funding, and that's where everybody would move, and Bellevue was always kind of fighting for, for awareness.
18:33
But from my view, because I'm further east in the county, Bellevue really feels like the big fish.And [laughs] That's funny. I know it's funny.
18:41
[laughs] And so like Bellevue and Redmond, they kinda like have have what's going on. They know, they they know about things like land use, you know, and, and how to plan ahead to make change.
18:52
Um, and so in many ways, I feel like Bellevue is, uh, a bigger sibling to look up to and learn from. Um, but I'm curious, do you experience the community feeling like the little sibling or the big sibling?
19:07
Like, what's it like to be Bellevue in the arts world? Seattle is a much older city. They've had more years to develop the arts and culture within their city.
19:22
I think it's important for Bellevue to realize that we're still a brand-new area, and we have a lot of growth to do, and we also have a lot of learning to do from Seattle.
19:36
Yeah, there are some people who will say that we're the, we're the, the little sister, little brother, or little sibling to Seattle,
19:45
but I think it's an opportunity for us to see what Seattle is doing and translate it within the Bellevue community, the things that we aspire to be, the things that we want to see within Bellevue. Mm.
20:02
I also see that it's really not Bellevue or Seattle. Every issue that we, that we have is a regional problem. You know, there's never enough funding for arts and culture. [laughs] There's never enough affordable housing.
20:16
There's never enough, you know, resources for, for people to... There's just never enough resources. And so for me, I see it as it's better to work together than to work in silo.
20:33
So you just throw that whole dichotomy out the window basically. [laughs] Yes. Yes, I really do.
20:39
Um, but how about, how do you see the rest of the county and the, the more rural areas, the less resourced areas than Bellevue, which there are many, you know? Mm-hmm. And, um, you know, how do you see your role in that?
20:52
Well, I kind of refer that back to Art Commons a little bit. [laughs] Where your idea of, you know, if we're all on the East Side, why do we have to work within a specific boundary? Yeah.
21:08
And so my role is to continue making relationships with people like you and to cultivate a stronger arts and culture ecosystem throughout the entire East Side and King County. Yeah. Again- It sounds so simple...
21:23
it sounds so simple. [laughs] It... But I think a part of it is starting to really talk to each other. Yeah.
21:30
Like, you and I have known each other for nine months, and we've had so many conversations, and we've been able to address issues that we're dealing with and point to other different resources that I would've never known about, or you've never known about.
21:45
I think that's how great things happen is when we're able to communicate and share resources. Mm-hmm. The scarcity mindset [laughs] is going to kill us one day.
21:55
[laughs] And so I see Bellevue's role as supporting these other more rural areas by platforming them as well.
22:05
Yeah, I mean, we don't move to Fall City or North End or Issaquah or any of these places with the intent to, like, never go to Bellevue. In fact- Yeah...
22:15
we really love having Bellevue nearby and think there's a lot of really special stuff about it. And that, that's as residents, as people who r-need to run daily errands, people who like- Mm-hmm...
22:28
restaurants or certain kinds of grocery stores or make friends through soccer leagues and whatever. Like, we share the area. Mm-hmm. We should share in the arts community.
22:39
Yes, and we support each other's economy as well. And I think that's one of the reasons why we started the East Side events calendar is because
22:49
people are always saying, "Well, there's never anything happening on the East Side that's related to arts and culture," and I, and I think our events calendar proves that wrong.
22:57
There's something happening every single day on the East Side and in places that you would've never expected.
23:03
So can you tell us about some of the unique art coming out of Bellevue these days, if you have any artists to watch or where we can experience some interesting work?
23:14
Well, one of the many places that you can watch artists grow in Bellevue is the BelRed Art Studio. I would say 80% of our artists who are here lives in Bellevue.
23:27
They range from a scale of emerging artists to career-level artists to artists who have been doing art for a while and then are revisiting their work.
23:37
I also think that a lot of the creative entrepreneurs in the BelRed Art districts are artists as well.
23:45
Heather from Kokanee Clay Studio, she's an artist, and she runs a fantastic pottery studio here where you can watch her create art as well as take classes.
23:56
You can go down to Yonru Art Center and see the different types of exhibits that she's hosting. I believe she's hosting a Lunar New Year one right now.
24:06
And I think this goes back to Bellevue artists exist, but where can they work?
24:13
That's where our art studio comes really handy is that when we do our Artist-in-Resident program, our exhibit, or our night market, we're specifically looking for East Side artists to be part of that work.
24:30
So you've been in this role for 10 months as executive director, what have you learned that you didn't know before? All of it. [laughs] I've learned something new every single day.
24:43
This is-My second job ever after college. So I knew this role was, was going to be a big and hard one, and that I would have to navigate so many challenges.
24:57
And something that I am still learning and focused on is the arts and cultural sector. The Bellevue Downtown Association, while they were in it, they were more focused on the business aspect of downtown.
25:13
And so being able to be right in the middle of how...
25:19
what factors are affecting local artists, what factor at the state level is affecting creative businesses and organization, how much funding is in arts and culture, all of those things I'm still learning and s- grasping, and there's so much.
25:34
Well, I think there is a really refreshing aspect to the fact that you haven't been in this field for many decades, because you have that openness, and you, you bring that community development experience that, you know, a lot of people in the arts community don't have from a professional standpoint.
25:53
But your willingness to be responsive to community needs and your relative youth in the role, I think is a honestly a big part about why so many things are changing here. It's 'cause you, you have an openness to change.
26:08
Because of that, that's a real asset, so I hope that you see, you know, this is your second job ever.
26:14
I think in some ways that's a really big positive for what that means for the community, 'cause there's just a f- an open field for, you know, being welcomed in and being heard and listened to, and you just embody that.
26:30
A- and the Bel Red Arts District embodies that. And for people who are tuned in and looking and listening, it's really obvious. That's really great to hear. [laughs] Yeah. Yeah.
26:39
So can you share a memory you have from childhood where you experienced a profound connection from art? I don't think there's ever one memory.
26:50
I think I've always, even growing up as a kid, been really attracted to arts and cultural experiences and moments, and those are the ones that stick with me. Like,
27:02
my favorite movie that I loved watching growing up, my favorite song that I still can't get out of my head, um, all the arts classes that I was able to take throughout middle school, elementary school, high school,
27:15
and remembering how awesome it was to be able to express myself creatively and not have to think about, you know, a problem to solve.
27:27
It was just something that I could just do and be without really thinking about if it needs to be perfect or not, and I think that's what continues to connect me back to arts, is because art is so free-forming and it's so subjective, and I love that it's so...
27:46
there's so many different forms of art that are so accessible to so many different people. This is a total side note, but we are in Bellevue. We are in Bellevue.
27:56
[laughs] Which has some of the greatest food in the Northwest. It does. Yeah. So do you have any restaurant recommendations for Bel Red? I'm always, uh... Cascadia Pizza. Mm-hmm.
28:09
They do fire-roasted or oven-roasted pizza, but my favorite is their oven-roasted wings. Ooh. I would definitely recommend checking them out. I would also go to Ramen Nori, which is also in Bel Red.
28:27
They have some of the best sushi around. And Mercury's Coffee Co., which we're drinking right now. [laughs] I love that place. It's so vibrant, and they do everything in-house.
28:39
Um, so I would definitely check out, uh, Mercury's Coffee for their delicious pastries and delicious coffee. For people listening, how can they engage with Bel Red Arts in the coming months?
28:52
What are you looking for, and what kind of help do you need? I think, one, we're always looking for artists to engage with us. We wanna know what barriers you're facing, what support you're looking for.
29:04
We wanna know, we wanna hear about your work and how you do it and where you do it.
29:10
But we also want people to continue engaging with us by following us on social media, @BelRedArts, and signing up for our newsletter, keeping in touch, showing up to our events,
29:23
building that creative density that we need to build an arts district, a sustainable and thriving one, and just being a part of the experiences that we're offering in this community.
29:34
Well, thank you so much for your time. It's been great to hear more about your work and be able to share it with others. Yes. Thank you for your time. Yes, of course. Thank you so much.
29:43
[outro music]
The Open Studio Interview
Listen on
Apple Podcasts
Apple Podcasts
Recent episodes
The Open Studio Interview - Larkwing
May 27, 2026
The Open Studio Interview - Anna Sullivan
Apr 11, 2026
The Open Studio Interview - Sarah Miller
Apr 7, 2026
