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About Us: history
The Burien Arts Association was first establish by a group of artists and arts supporters in Burien about 1965. The goal was to promote the arts in Burien which was at that time still a small, suburb of Seattle. The first major effort they undertook was to organize the Burien Strawberry Festival – a celebration of the arts and the diversity of Burien. The Festival was a success and continues today but operates under the auspices of Burien Parks and Recreation. The city offered the Burien Arts Association the use of the house in Dottie Harper Park to use as a base of operations and gallery space. Over the years the original founders remained active with the gallery going through highs and lows.
In 2004 The Board members decided to refurbish the gallery and bring in rotating shows highlighting emerging artists. This provided a shot in the arm to the organization and it grew over the next 4-5 years. In 2008-2009 the Board made two key changes: change of name to Burien Arts and hired an executive director.
The model the founders developed had served the community and the organization well for many years. During the last 3 years, changes in demographics, growth, development and relocation of the key City facilities had drastically reduced gallery traffic. These changes combined with rapidly deteriorating economic conditions contributed to the erosion of BA’s financial position, support base and having to let the Executive Director go and close the gallery. Today, Burien Arts continues to bring exciting art and music performances to the Highline area in a variety of venues.
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