For the second year of Mayor Bruce Harrell’s Downtown Activation Plan (DAP), the Office of Arts & Culture has worked to lift up the arts and culture sector as a critical piece of a revitalized downtown.

Earlier this year, we hosted “Downtown is Vibrant,” an event to share with community our role in the future of this work. Below are updates and highlights, organized by DAP goals, of our Downtown Activation programs, activities, and outcomes from the first half of 2025.

There is no downtown recovery without arts recovery.

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Make Downtown safe and welcoming 

• On March 25, Freeway Park came alive with the Meeting at Balance Equinox Art Party, hosted by Hope Corps grantee, Freeway Park Association. Around 200 people braved the spring weather to enjoy illuminated art installations, workshops, performances, and a DJ-led dance party. Six glowing artworks stayed on display in the park through June 22, with a seventh just for that evening. 

• On July 12, Pier 58 hosted the first-ever Seattle Disability Arts Festival, a Hope Corps grantee, to celebrate Disability Pride Month. The event highlighted local artists and innovators through an accessible arts program, with Braille signage, ASL interpreters, and closed captioning ensuring everyone could be part of the event.  

Create a unique Downtown retail experience 

• On Feb. 18, Hope Corps grantee, Seattle Jazz Fellowship, enlivened the neighborhood with Pioneer Square Jazz Night, featuring 13 bands performing at 12 neighborhood venues and one nearby spot. The free event drew over 4,000 attendees, boosted foot traffic by 13%, and transformed a typically quiet evening into a lively celebration of music. Pioneer Square Alliance is supporting another Jazz Night on July 29. 

Celebrate Downtown Seattle’s arts, culture, sports, and entertainment 

• On March 19, the Office of Arts & Culture brought over 200 community members together at ARTS at King Street Station for Downtown is Vibrant: The Path Forward with Arts and Culture. It was a lively and informative event where downtown arts and culture leaders learned how we’ll team up with them and community to weave arts and culture into Downtown’s revitalization. 

• On June 21, the Office of Arts & Culture turned King Street Station Plaza into a vibrant gathering space for LONGEST DAY, a free celebration for all ages. Over 1,300 people joined us to make flower crowns, watch aerial performances, enjoy DJ sets, and dance as the sun set. Timed with a Club World Cup match, the event showed how sports and cultural celebrations can go hand in hand, with surveys revealing 25% of attendees had also watched the game that day. 

• On June 9, the Office of Arts & Culture celebrated the end of the 2024-25 school year with over 40 community members. The Creative Advantage members including Seattle educators, teaching artists, and arts organizations, came together to hear exciting updates like the creation of a new Youth Arts Council and how steady efforts have made arts education a priority in the district. Students also shared how these arts partnerships have enriched their classrooms. 

• On June 14, The Creative Advantage wrapped up the 2024-25 school year with a professional development day for theater teachers and teaching artists at the 5th Avenue Theatre. Fifty educators joined workshops, shared a meal, and enjoyed free tickets to the evening show of Bye Bye Birdie. 

• The Office of Arts & Culture and SDOT is transforming the Symphony Block near Benaroya Hall into a more vibrant, creative place for everyone to enjoy through public art. Together with King County Metro, Downtown Seattle Association, Seattle Symphony, and other partners, we are upgrading the Skytones artwork by Anna Valentina Murch inside the Boeing Arcade with LED technology, making it fresher and brighter. This summer, look out for bike corral designs by local artist Roy Franklin, and in spring 2026, a large-scale work by Ivan Toth Depeña will bring new energy to the area. Even more art activations are on the way this fall and next spring. 

• The CityArtist grant helped local artists in Seattle create new work and host public events in visual art, theater, and dance. They connected with organizations like Strippers are Workers and EarthCorps to show how art enhances and is relevant to other sectors. 
  • Margaret Livingston, Flux – Created and exhibited six of 12 mixed-sized, acrylic paintings on paper, canvas, and panel with experimental narratives reflecting on inner lives, chance, humor, Surrealism, and risk. Work culminates in a public exhibition and talks at the Greg Kucera Gallery in Pioneer Square. 
  • Holly Ballard Martz, Past Perfect Future Tense – Created two lead and bra strap wall-hanging sculptures, three medium framed beaded textile pieces, six small framed mixed medals, and two punching bag sculptures that explore the good, bad, and the ugly truth of aging as female in our youth-obsessed culture. A public exhibit was presented at the Greg Kucera Gallery in Pioneer Square. 
  • Flora Carlile-Kovács, Before Gone – Designed and created a large, 3D, textural, site-specific handmade, hand-dyed felt installation focused on the natural beauty of endangered species due to climate change. A public exhibition was scheduled at the Labor Temple building in Belltown. 
  • Robert F. Flor, Salamangka Returns – Developed, rehearsed and produced three presentations of a full-length play and a staged reading that explored cultural appropriation. Staged and final public performances were at Theater Off Jackson. 
  • Varian Oatman, Fluff – Developed and presented a full-length Burlesque theatrical production with four artists that paid homage to films from the 1970s and culminated in public performances at The Rabbit Box at Pike Place Market. 

• The Office of Art & Culture’s rapid response grant, smART Ventures, supported individual artists and art organizations to bring visual and performance art to Downtown: 
  • Kalina Winska’s Natural Households is a community-engaged art installation and workshop series that explores creative reuse, environmental transformation, and poetic reflection. Workshops are also being held at the International District Community Center. 
  • The Jackson Street Music Program created Jazz in the City, a video featuring artist-pianist Darrius Willrich. It includes a performance and an interview where Willrich shares his perspective while at the historic King Street Station—a key arrival point for musicians from 1920 to 1960. This project helps preserve artists’ stories and performances, serving as a powerful educational tool for future generations and the public. 

• The Office of Arts & Culture’s Youth Arts grant supported individual artists and art organizations to bring visual, literary, and performance art to Downtown: 
  • Olu Productions, Black, Bright, and Brillant provides visual arts, poetry, and writing instruction to students. Students developed an artist portfolio and receive support in growing their artistry and access to resources, revealing new artistic pathways. 
  • National Organization of Minority Architects Northwest, Project Pipeline educated minority middle and high school aged youth about the process and impact of architecture. Students learned about design and planning, helping them grow their focus, creativity, and critical thinking skills. 
  • Totem Star’s in-studio instruction to young people offered continued access to music instruction, production, performance, and mentorship opportunities. 

Make Downtown a top destination for Seattleites and visitors year-round 

• Ongoing conservation of several publicly sited artworks was completed, giving residents and visitors alike a chance to encounter art in their daily lives. Graffiti was removed from Bear (Totem) in Pioneer Square using environmentally-safe walnut shells. Over at Urban Triangle Park, the whimsical Escape Destinations was repaired and updated so its display of fictional locations can continue to feed our imaginations. And annual maintenance was completed on Hammering Man in the Seattle Art Museum Plaza. 

• City galleries showcased the work of local artists. Cuban-born Tatiana Garmendia reimagined the legacy of remarkable women artists. Essential and frontline workers from the COVID-19 pandemic were highlighted. And Katsuyuki Shibata gave us a glimpse into the Understated Beauty of the Pacific Northwest.   

• Since January 2025, ARTS at King Street Station has hosted eight exhibitions and 21 events, welcoming over 16,750 visitors. This vibrant gallery has become a vital space for artists, especially from historically underrepresented communities, to share their work at all stages of their careers. From traditional Indian dances to exhibitions by BIPOC curators and Tongan Tapa cloth showcases, the gallery showcases diverse perspectives and stories. Many artists call it a career-changing opportunity: 

“Exhibiting at ARTS at King Street Station has been a pivotal moment in my creative journey. It provided me with a respected platform to introduce Tongan Tapa art to a broader, diverse audience in Seattle. The exposure deepened my confidence as a cultural artist and affirmed the importance of creating space for Pacific Islander narratives in contemporary art settings.” -Benedicta Kongaika  

• Between January and June 2025, Hope Corps grantees brought over 35 free public events to downtown Seattle, filling venues and public spaces with multifaceted arts experiences. From live music and intimate readings to a powerful celebration of Vietnamese stories that marked 50 years since the Vietnam War, these events highlighted the richness of the local creative community while bringing people together and activating underused spaces. See the full list of grantees and happenings. 

• In 2025, the Office of Arts & Culture invested $774K in 70 arts and cultural organizations through its Centering Art & Racial Equity grant. This funding supports inclusive and welcoming programming in downtown Seattle like the sell-out Anne Frank exhibit hosted by the Holocaust Center for Humanity, the Seattle Gay Men’s Chorus celebrating Dolly Parton, and 206 Zulu’s Beat Masters hip-hop tournament at Westlake Park. 

• The Office of Arts & Culture has partnered with the Wing Luke Asian Museum through a $100K investment to celebrate and share the stories of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Each year, over 36,000 people visit the Chinatown International District to enjoy exhibits, cultural and heritage tours, teen mentoring programs, and more, making these events a powerful way to connect and inspire. 

Create a healthy, resilient, and green Downtown 

• Throughout May, Sustainable Style Seattle, a first-time Hope Corps grantee, brought sustainability-focused fashion to life with four weekends of free events at Common Area Maintenance (CAM) in Belltown. Over 460 people joined in for clothing swaps, mending workshops, upcycling lessons, and a fashion show. The series not only engaged the community but also helped CAM grow its audience and develop a foundation for their mission. Their success has already opened doors to new opportunities, including upcoming programs with the Seattle Art Museum, a fiscal partnership with CAM, and the possibility of a storefront in CAM’s El Rey building initiative. 

And more!

• The Office of Arts & Culture’s open call for 2026 Downtown Activations had 170 creative proposals under the theme We Still Dream a Future. With nearly $900K in grant funding, the program will feature (an anticipated) 10 exhibitions and 15-20 activations. Some will align with the World Cup, adding vibrant cultural moments in high-visibility areas during an exciting global event. 

“[ARTS at King Street Station] provided a rare opportunity to present large-scale narrative paintings and terracotta reliefs in dialogue with one another something that is central to my practice but not always possible in traditional gallery settings. The physical scale and accessibility of the venue allowed for a fully immersive experience, inviting viewers to step into a world shaped by myth, memory, and lived experience.” -Shruti Ghatak