BELLEVUE, WA.- What might appear like a photographic imprint onto glass is instead a masterfully hand-carved “mural.” Created by on-the-rise Seattle artist April Surgent, Into the Surface illustrates a fractured urban landscape filled with people and places the artist has photographed and interacted with over the past months. Video and audio add to a rich multi-sensory experience. Spanning 14 feet in width and comprised of more than one hundred 6 x 12 inch glass panels, Into the Surface is Surgent’s largest installation to date. It also marks the artist’s first museum solo exhibition and will be featured at Bellevue Arts Museum from October 26, 2010 through April 3, 2011.

One of the Museum’s core commitments is the support of artists living and working in the Northwest. Over the past five years, 16 solo exhibitions have been dedicated solely to regional artists. For many, including Surgent, Bellevue Arts Museum was the first institution to extend this incredible opportunity. “We are thrilled to have been able to nurture and partake in the growth of so many promising artists, including John Grade, Mandy Greer and now April Surgent,” says Stefano Catalani, Director of Curatorial Affairs/Artistic Director and curator of Into the Surface. Two BAM-originated exhibitions featuring Northwest artists have traveled to other museums across the nation, introducing tens of thousands of people to the immense talent that resides in this region. “It is all about sparking new conversations, within and beyond the boundaries of this region.”

Born in 1982, April Surgent studied glass production in Bornholm, Denmark as a teenager. In 2003, she received a scholarship to attend Pilchuck Glass School, where she learned cold-working and traditional cameo engraving techniques, studying with master Czech engraver and mentor Jiri Harcuba. She graduated with honors from the Australian National University School of Art, Canberra in 2004. In 2009, she was awarded the Neddy Artist Fellowship for glass through the Behnke Foundation, and received the UrbanGlass New Talent award in 2010. Her work can be found in the collections of the Chrysler Museum (Norfold, VA), Museum of Glass (Tacoma, WA), Australian National University Public Artwork Program (Canberra, Australia) and the Embassy of Spain Art Collection (Canberra, Australia) among others.