When you walk into The Lodge at Bellevue Square, what most people recognize as the area in between Starbucks and PF Changs, what you’ll see mounted above the fireplace is new wood-carved art.
Friday at The Lodge, Kemper Freeman Jr. discussed the meaning behind this special art piece that now hangs. The origins of the art come from an Atlantic Cedar Tree, which was planted in the 1960’s by Kemper Freeman Sr. to replace a meaningful Madrona Tree which was popular among the locals in Downtown Bellevue. The Atlantic Cedar Tree in 2007 was removed to create more space for the Bellevue Square expansion.
The artist that created the carving had special meaning to Bellevue, as she was the granddaughter of an artist, that Kemper Freeman Sr. met at the very first ArtsFair, who went on to create the first piece of public art in Bellevue.
To read more, and see a picture of the artwork, visit the Bellevue Reporter’s Article.
The art and the history behind it are truly splendid and I very much appreciate Kemper’s investment in keeping the city’s heritage alive through such a lovely addition to an already inviting space. Thank you to everyone involved in the project!
Very meaningful.