Those visiting the Bellevue Arts Museum during this month’s Free Friday event may have encountered a surprise guest in Claudio Bisogniero, Ambassador of Italy to the United States.

The Ambassador, who is based in Washington, D.C., was in this Washington last week as part of a goodwill visit by the Italian government.

Before stopping by the museum, Bisogniero stopped by the Capitol in Olympia to speak with the Senate about Italian culture, as well as the potential relationships he hopes to develop between companies in Italy and the United States. Bisogniero’s visit to Washington state – the first time representatives from Italy have visited the state since 1979 – also included a meeting with Governor Jay Inslee.

The ambassador said 2013 marks the year of Italian Culture in the United States. As part of the celebration, more than 200 events celebrating Italian culture are planned to take place in different cities around the United States in 2013.

While at the museum, Bisogniero and two consuls to Italy were given a tour a new exhibition, “Zoom. Italian Design and the Photography of Aldo and Marirosa Ballo.”

The “Zoom” exhibit, which showcases Italian designs from the 1950s and ‘60s as seen by the legendary Italian photographers, is on loan from the Vitra Design Museum in Germany.

This is the second exhibit from the Vitra that has been showcased at BAM; the first was an exhibition showing the work of artist George Nelson, which came to Bellevue just over a year ago.

While viewing the exhibition, Bisogniero said this display is exactly the type of thing the Italian government is looking to showcase this year.

Bisogniero said that stereotypes about Italy often revolve around their rich heritage – the art and music from hundreds of years ago. Ultimately, the goal of the cultural events taking place this year is to celebrate these traditional elements of Italian culture while also showcasing its creativity and innovation in the modern era.

The ambassador and his colleagues were guided through the museum by Stefano Catalani, director of art, craft and design for the Bellevue Arts Museum. Catalani said the museum is excited to feature more Italian artists in the future. He explained the museum is already looking to feature an exhibit about Italian glass art. He said this would be a good fit due to the Northwest’s connection to the medium.