The Bellevue Arts Museum traces its roots back to street fair art in 1947. After several temporary locations, it moved to the third floor of Bellevue Square, a large shopping center in the center of downtown Bellevue, Washington in 1983. In 2001 the museum finally moved into its own building. The museum subsequently ran into financial difficulties and was forced to close to the public in 2003. After a lengthy fund raising campaign, extensive interior remodeling, a slight change in name and a new focus on crafts and design, the museum re-opened on June 18, 2005 with an exhibition of teapots.