Bellevue is changing. We see it in the growing population, the new high-rises in downtown, the worsening traffic. But that doesn’t mean that community has to be lost. At least that’s what Bellevue resident Patty Gordon believes.

That’s why Gordon decided to bring the “Before I Die” public art installation to downtown Bellevue.

The “Before I Die” wall is an interactive public art project which invites people to share their hopes and dreams in public space. The wall, constructed by Gordon and her husband, Paul, is at the corner of Main Street and Bellevue Way.

The concept behind the wall came about in 2008 when New Orleans-based artist and urban planner Candy Chang painted an abandoned building in her neighborhood with chalkboard paint and stenciled it with a grid of the sentence “Before I die I want to ______.” Within days the wall was filled with her neighbors’ aspirations.

Since then, more than 100 “Before I Die” walls have been created in more than 10 languages, in more than 30 countries.

Gordon said she started thinking about bringing the wall to Bellevue after stumbling across Chang’s story a year ago.

“I’m really interested in public art,” Gordon said.  “And I’m passionate about trying to build community.”

At the time, Gordon’s two kids were attending Bellevue High School and she was frequenting the Bellevue Way corridor. She decided the location near the now-defunct KFC would be the perfect location.

“I thought, wouldn’t it be nice to get that building looking cool during development?” Gordon said.

She said the location’s proximity to businesses in the downtown area, as well as it’s proximity to the school, ensures there will be a variety of people walking by the wall on a daily basis. Her prediction seems accurate, as Bellevue’s wall has already been filled – twice.

In addition to getting approval to use the building from the landowners – one of which happened to be an old fraternity brother of her husband – she also had to get the OK from the city.

“The city was super supportive in having it there,” Gordon said, explaining that she met with Mary Pat Byrne, arts specialist for the city.

Gordon plans to stop by the wall once or twice a week to take photos of the entries and wipe it clean so more people can share their thoughts. Photos will be posted to the “Bellevue’s Before I Die Wall” Facebook page as well as on Chang’s website (BeforIDie.cc/bellevue).

Ultimately, Gordon hopes Bellevue’s “Before I Die” wall will encourage a better sense of community, and help Bellevue residents feel more connected with their neighbors.

“We’ve kind of lost the whole front porch idea of talking with your neighbors,” Gordon said. “This is kind of my stab at creating a front porch.”