The opening of "The First 50 Years: Highlights from the Civic Collection” at the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture King Street Station Gallery on May 4, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. “Spotted in Seattle” by artist Agustina Forest also opened May 4th, 2023. By Marcus Donner © 2023

Spotted in Seattle (May 4 – July 6, 2023) and The First 50 Years: Highlights from the Civic Collection, 1973-2023 (May 4 – September 7) on view at ARTS at King Street Station

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) and its ARTS at King Street Station Gallery hosts two new exhibitions this spring celebrating the City of Seattle’s Civic Arts Collection and the work of artist Agustina Forest. These two exhibitions celebrate the natural environment, people, and artists who call Seattle home. Agustina Forest’s Spotted In Seattle is on view from May 4 – July 6, 2023, and The First 50 Years: Highlights from the Civic Collection, 1973-2023 is on view from May 4 – September 7, 2023.

Opening Celebration: May 4

ARTS at King Street Station celebrates the opening of these exhibitions on First Thursday, May 4. Opening remarks at 6 p.m. ARTS at King Street Station is open until 8 p.m. on First Thursdays. 

Opening Celebration
Thursday, May 4
5 – 8 p.m.
Free
ARTS at King Street Station (303 South Jackson Street Top floor, Seattle, WA 98104)
*ARTS at King Street Station is open during construction. Click here to learn more.

The First 50 Years: Highlights from the Civic Collection, 1973-2023   

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and its 1% for Public Art Program has been at the forefront of commissions with diverse artists to create Public Artworks and works for the City’s Civic Collection. Since the inception of the 1% for Public Art ordinance in 1973, the Seattle Civic Collection has grown to include 4,112 artworks, 3,674 of which are displayed throughout city buildings in city offices and public areas. The remaining 438 works are permanently sited in neighborhoods, parks, public buildings, and along roadways all throughout the city. The current exhibition at ARTS at King Street Station includes over 150 artworks that highlight the breadth and depth of the civic collection and regional artistry.  Artists in the exhibition include renowned artists Jacob Lawrence, Sherry Markowitz, Marita Dingus, Susan Point, Akio Takamori, and Jeffry Mitchell. Newer artists’ works from the civic collection include Humaira Abid, Robert “Running Fisher” Upham, Natalie Ball, and Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas.    

The 1% for Public Art program specifies that 1% of eligible city capital improvement project funds be set aside for the commission, purchase, and installation of artworks in a variety of public settings. By providing opportunities for people to encounter art in parks, libraries, community centers, on roadways, bridges, and other public venues, we simultaneously enrich their daily lives and give voice to artists. The Civic Collection is an amazing living visual history focused mainly on artists in the Pacific Northwest region. It offers a snapshot of the area’s artistic output over the past 50 years.  

Spotted in Seattle 
Agustina Forest 

Agustina Forest’s Spotted in Seattle is a collection of visual stories of the strangers she observed while exploring the streets of Seattle. For Forest, sidewalks are scenarios with stories constantly unfolding in front of us. Spotted in Seattle features 30 artworks including epoxy resin sculptures, pencil sketches, and oil pastel pieces. The exhibition is a vibrant collection of stories and characters, that Forest has encountered in various neighborhoods since she moved to Seattle in 2018. 

“When walking in Seattle, chances are you are coming across someone you don’t know, but more than being a mere stranger, they are a living story. If you look closely, they are constantly experiencing emotions, melancholy, joy, annoyance, confusion, experiencing failure or living successes. Sidewalks are scenarios with stories constantly unfolding in front of us.”

Agustina Forest

Agustina Forest is an established painter living and working in Seattle, Washington. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she moved to the United States at age 24. Having called Seattle home gave her the time and space to recognize the sense of place. Walking in the city, interacting, and just observing helped her understand and connect with its essence.