The doors will be locked permanently soon at the little blue house at the edge of Dottie Harper Park in Burien.

After 47 years in the same location, the Burien Art Center will be closing its doors March 19 at the conclusion of the current exhibition.

Gallery operators vow to open again at an even better location.

Residing on Southwest 146th St. near 4th Avenue Southwest, the gallery's final hurrah of sorts will be "Page Turner: Contemporary Artist Books," a free exhibition that displays the original works of 22 artists.

An artist's reception will be held on Friday, March 5th from 6-9 p.m. The opening reception will be an excellent time for people to share their views about the future of the art gallery over a glass of wine.

With the new Burien Library relocated to the Town Square complex, gallery operators are looking for a location closer to downtown Burien.

According to Erin Williamson, executive Director for Burien Arts, the final gallery show is a celebration of their years there.

"It's a book art show for mid-career professional artists. They are all from different parts of the country. We attract both local and national artists," said Williamson.

In reference to its closure, John Unbehend, Burien arts board president said, "We're looking at this from a repositioning point of view. We may be closing, but we're not going under. We are heading in a new direction and it is a different path and a new challenge."

In 1963, the Burien Art Gallery was established, based on successful business demographics that were relevant then. Times have changed.

Recently Burien Art Gallery changed names and became Burien Art Center, due to confusion with the Burien Arts Commission, which is part of the city.

Over the years the gallery played a significant role in the community with activities such as high school art exhibitions, the creation of the yearly Strawberry Festival, sponsorship of Shakespeare-in-the Park, the production of musical events and numerous other projects.

"It's good for the community to have both visual and performing arts," Williamson said. "It's amazing, there are numerous American realist artists in the Northwest. The Interstate-Five corridor from Portland to Vancouver BC is incredibly rich in artistic talent and we can build on that."

Burien Arts has provided the community with a breadth and depth of art. However, with the new town center, building projects, new restaurants and relocation of the Strawberry Festival they have to get a new grip on their future.

Changes in demographics, growth and development in the city, and relocation of key facilities have drastically reduced gallery traffic and have led the board to reexamine how Burien Arts can better serve the community.

Unbehend said, "Initially we naively thought that things that worked in the past would work now. We tend to be blinded by what we like. We have to be careful not to have tunnel vision."

The repositioning will be both a physical (eventually moving to a more visible, accessible location) and a directional one (how they will bring a sustainable set of visual arts services to Burien).

"We don't own the current art gallery-- the space is rented," said Unbehend. "Do we rent in the long term? I don't know."

According to Lorain Stowe, a volunteer at Burien Arts, due to the relocation of the library to the center of town foot traffic has evaporated.

"The biggest impact at this time is the current environment. Financially it's a tough time. Burien Arts is in a remote spot and we haven't been getting the exchange with the community we want," said Unbehend.

Unbehend sees the first step for the new direction is information gathering from the community.

"I think the future looks good for us," said Unbehend, stressing that all eight board members are enthusiastic. "There's never going to be change without a significant emotional event."

An e-mail address has been established, BurienArts@gmail.com, where people can submit their opinions about the future of the center.

Information gathering will also take the form of discussions with art groups and artists, talking with individuals in the community, holding public meetings and viewing those e-mails. Board members are constructing a list of people that are supporters of the arts: artists, merchants (frame shops, stained glass), art teachers and art lovers.

"We're looking for people that want to get involved," said Unbehend. "We also have a huge need for marketing. I want information! We need to find out what people need and want and what they are willing to support."

According to Unbehend, there are demographic questions that need to be answered before the board of directors will proceed: Who are we are serving? What are the artistic (visual, performing, literary) activities that the community wants and will support? How do we find a new facility that meets the community needs that will be eagerly supported - attendance, participation and financial?

"We will be working with the Burien merchants and Discover Burien to find how we can best support one another," said Unbehend. We plan to join in close discussions with the City of Burien -- Parks and Recreation, council, city management -- to make sure we're clear on how we can support and reinforce their activities in the arts so that Burien Arts is not duplicating their fine efforts. This data will provide the foundation for decisions on how we reposition ourselves."

One successful model being considered is the Columbia City artist's co-op in Rainier Valley. Their Web site is: http://www.columbiacitygallery.com/about.html.

When asked about the timeline for closing and then reopening, Unbehend stated that they will take a few months for intelligence gathering and preparing for the Strawberry Festival and by July they will have a firm strategic vision of what do.

By August they hope to reopen, whether it is a new location in the downtown area or recruiting storeowners for a rotating exhibit.

In November they will have their "20/20 Artist's Exhibit" - which is twenty pieces of art, 8" x 8" by twenty artists. There are 400 works of art total and each piece is available for sale for $40 each.

According to Williamson, it is great art that is wonderful, accessible and affordable.

"By November, when we have our annual 20/20 Artist's Exhibition, we will hopefully be rocking and a rolling," said Unbehend.