The Power of Cultural Connection

August 6, 2025

Connection to Culture is rated well on Bainbridge Island, as BCF’s Community Report shows. Beyond its own importance, it has the power to positively impact many other aspects of quality of life. Below is a key highlight from the 2024/2025 Community Report.

Much of the sector’s success is driven by the incredible work of our local nonprofits. Here are just a few standout examples.

In 2025, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA) proudly reintroduced one of its most prestigious initiatives: the BRAVA Awards (BIMA Recognizes Achievement in the Visual Arts). This biennial program shines a spotlight on four remarkable contemporary artists, craftspeople, or makers whose work exemplifies artistic excellence, technical mastery, and a deep commitment to the arts community.

Each BRAVA awardee receives an unrestricted $15,000 prize, national recognition through BIMA’s media platforms, a professionally produced video about their creative journey, and the opportunity to participate in a special event honoring their achievements.

Among the 2023 recipients was artist Betty Pasco, whose words continue to resonate: “My winning the BRAVA Award was a humbling experience, especially when I realized the incredible works of the other artists. It still is to this day. I believe that artists are recipients of ancestral gifts, enabling us to see beauty in our life experiences and the ability to create. Artists are blessed with special gifts that allow us to find beauty in a mud puddle, the dew on a cedar branch outside a window, or music that stirs emotions so deeply it brings tears to your eyes. I like to believe there is an artist in all of us. I know my talents were gifted to me by my ancestors, which is why I want to honor them in the works I weave. I thank BRAVA for honoring my effort.”

Through providing a free art museum to the public celebrating diverse artists from the region—and also having programs like BRAVA and a wide range of educational offerings for all ages—BIMA continues to play a vital role in shaping the region’s vibrant arts and culture landscape.

Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial Association (BIJAEMA)

The Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial Wall winds solemnly down to the historic Eagledale ferry dock landing site, where the first of more than 120,000 Japanese individuals—two-thirds of whom were American citizens—were forcibly uprooted from their West Coast homes and confined to concentration camps during World War II. BIJAEMA is a steadfast advocate for fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of this profound historical event and the enduring lessons it imparts. The Memorial stands as an unwavering testament to the events of March 30, 1942, serving as a poignant reminder of the past. As Bainbridge Island honors the past, it is critical to come together on this journey of remembrance, education, and reflection. Plans for constructing a Visitor Center are underway. Nidoto Nai Yoni — Let It Not Happen Again. Read more about BIJAEMA.

In 2023, Bainbridge Community Foundation honored Lilly Kodama who was born in 1934 on Bainbridge Island. Lilly grew up on the Island before being removed with her family to the Manzanar concentration camp in California in 1942. While she left to explore opportunities beyond the Island after graduating high school in 1952, she returned to Bainbridge Island in 1998. She soon got involved with local nonprofits, and has had an immense impact on sharing personal and historical stories about Japanese exclusion with children and adults to further education on this important part of history. She has helped activate the Japanese American Exclusion Memorial's motto Nido to Nai Yoni (Let it Not Happen Again) as a place of remembrance and action. Watch the video about her incredible contributions to our community.

When Anne Smart first came across Washington State’s new initiative to honor artistic and culturally rich communities as a “creative district” back in 2017, she immediately recognized an opportunity. State certification endorses creative activities in the community, and recognizes the incredible potential for growth. Anne saw that Bainbridge Island was a perfect fit.

Inspired by Colorado’s creative district model, which supports everything from historic downtown revitalization to flourishing arts scenes, Washington’s version was designed to spotlight places where creativity fuels the local economy. Anne saw the Island as more than just a designation, she saw a chance to elevate Bainbridge’s already-vibrant creative community and give local artists and makers the support they deserve.

With that vision in mind, Bainbridge Island applied in 2021, and soon after it became the 11th officially recognized Creative District in Washington State. The recognition cast a well-deserved spotlight on the Island’s cultural heart, which was a lively two-square-mile zone pulsing with artistic energy, innovation, and heritage.

Today, Bainbridge Island is more than a place to visit. It’s where visual artists, performers, writers, chefs, craftspeople, and entrepreneurs converge to shape something truly special. Whether you're strolling through the First Friday Art Walk, sipping craft beverages at a pop-up event, or uncovering local gems at the Moonlight Market, there’s inspiration around every corner.

Over the past year, the Creative District has played host to unforgettable events like the Asian Heritage Festival in May, which celebrated the beautiful traditions of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, and the colorful Creative Threads Fest in September, held in collaboration with the Bainbridge Island Modern Quilt Guild’s annual show.

Bainbridge Island’s Creative District is a celebration of culture, creativity, and community. It’s where art meets opportunity, tradition meets innovation, and where both Bainbridge Islanders and visitors alike participate in an experience they won’t soon forget. Sign up for Bainbridge Creative District newsletter.

BCF has cumulatively awarded more than $20,000 through the Community Grants Cycle in support of the Bainbridge Creative District.