About Us

Burien Arts Association (BA) formed in 1964 as Burien Arts Gallery, an informal group of local artists, art enthusiasts and activists who wished to increase access to art in local schools and secure a place to display artists’ work. BA incorporated in 1968.

The first gallery was in the Burien 400 Building on SW 152nd where it operated for two years under the name The Burien Festival Shop. The gallery then moved to 4th Avenue SW and Ambaum Boulevard SW. BA offered arts instruction in schools and at the gallery for both students and adults into the early 1990s.

In 1974, the group moved to the former home of Harold and Bonnie Kampinski, the “little blue house” in Dottie Harper Park, 4th Avenue SW and SW 146th Street, next to the then Burien branch of the King County Public Library. The gallery occupied the little blue house until 2009.

During most of the 35 years in Dottie Harper Park, the Burien Arts thrived. The group initiated and spun off the Highline Historical Society and the annual Heritage Fair and Strawberry Festival (originally a celebration of the U.S. Bicentennial.) There were art classes, activities for children, and lectures as well as exhibits in the house and adjoining garage. The historical society continues to operate, independently of BA, as does the Strawberry Festival, now run by Discover Burien.

In its later years at Dottie Harper Park, BA expanded its scope to include performing arts events as well as visual arts programming. BA sponsored free Shakespeare in the Park plays each summer; life drawing; the Highline Classic Jazz Festival; free face painting at city cultural events in the summer and fall; and the annual Vision 20/20 Art Gala as well as poetry readings and humanities offerings.

In 2009, the library moved to the new City Hall complex at its current location on SW 152nd Street. This move left the gallery in a foot traffic vacuum, which combined with the widespread recession, led to economic difficulty. The gallery closed that year. The old library building became the current Burien Community Center, 14700 6th Avenue SW, Burien, WA 98166.

BA continued its non-gallery programs and events, however, with help from donors and business sponsors, together with grants from 4Culture, WA Arts Commission, and the City of Burien. BA was by then a registered non-profit (501)(c)(3) corporation. BA had also become an outspoken and proactive advocate for the expansion of arts experiences and opportunities in our community.

In October 2013, BA reopened a gallery at 826 SW 152nd Street in Olde Burien. Exhibits were juried in by a three-member committee and rotated on a monthly schedule. Art works exhibited included two-dimensional works in every possible medium, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, and art gift cards. The gallery was staffed on a volunteer basis. Most volunteers were members of local artist group Artists United, which displayed members’ work in their own separate space within the gallery in exchange for their help. BA closed the gallery in Olde Burien in December 2016.

In January 2017, BA debuted its Pop-up Art Exhibit program in the City Hall lobby in the Burien City Hall complex where we displayed for two years. We also displayed art in the lobby of the Burien Actors Theatre at the Annex (now demolished) from time to time. From 2019 on, BA presented monthly exhibits on the BA wall at the Burien Community Center. From 2020-present, BA has presented bimonthly art exhibits on its designated walls at the Highline Heritage Museum, 819 SW 152nd Street, Burien, WA 98166. BA also retains an exhibit wall at the Burien Community Center.

Burien Arts continues to present free Shakespeare in the Park productions, working with GreenStage, the Seattle-metro area summer Shakespeare company. BA also continues to offer art classes and two major art sales each year: one an art gala, the other a summer garden event, as well as a range of art programs. In 2020 BA launched a new event at the Highline Heritage Museim: 7 Stories. Seven people tell their real-life stories in seven minutes on a given theme.

BA looks forward to many more years of serving the Burien/Highline area with arts programming, experiences and opportunities as well as arts advocacy. We thank the community for its support.