Housed above the historic King Street Station, ARTS at King Street Station is an arts and culture space dedicated to expanding opportunities for communities of color here in Seattle to present and share their work. Since opening this 7,500-square foot exhibition space, the Office of Arts and Culture (OAC) has invested more than $500,000 in artists, supported over 490 creative workers, and engaged over 44,000 visitors.

How did we get here? Let’s go behind the scenes too learn more about the journey from when artists hit submit on their application to when community is celebrating their work in the gallery. Similar to our grant selection process, exhibition selection for ARTS at King Street Station uses community engagement to ensure equity and transparency. 

Step 1: The Call for Proposals 

Every year OAC issues a public call to Seattle-based artists, curators, and cultural producers to exhibit in our gallery.  

Submissions are made online and include a description of the concept or project, how the work engages community or reflects equity values, and a proposed timeline. The open call is always designed to be inclusive and transparent so that creatives ranging from emerging to seasoned can participate. 

Some past exhibitions at ARTS at King Street Station include:

• Hanako O’Leary: Izanami and Yomi
• Molly Vaughan: Her Body and After Boucher
• IMMINENT MODE: US
• Welcome to Paradise: ¡Viva Puerto Rico Libre!
• Please Touch: Together, Breaking Barriers

It’s a rare for an arts space to be as radically open as ARTS at King Street Station is to the amazing diversity of human creativity. Many arts spaces begin with an assumption of scarcity, building walls to regulate who is valued and who is allowed in. I’m proud of ARTS at King Street Station for taking the opposite approach, for beginning with an idea of abundance and an open-hearted embrace of the multiplicities of creativity and community. At its very best, ARTS at King Street Station helps to realize the ambitious dreams of Seattle creative people and communities and welcomes everyone into this project of world imagining and building.

– Matthew Offenbacher, King Street Advisor

Step 2: Evaluation and Criteria that Shape Thoughtful Selection 

After the application window closes, all proposals are reviewed in a multi-stage process that centers equity and public benefit. Proposals are reviewed by a selection panel composed of artists, community members, cultural organizers, and multi-hyphenate creative professionals—the King Street Advisors. They use multiple criteria to evaluate the strength, impact, and relevance of each project proposal. 

It’s important to note that criteria is reviewed and adapted for each call cycle and can change from year to year depending on the funding levels and the goals of that cycle. 

While not fixed criteria, here are some examples from a recent exhibition call:

• Advancing Equity: Does this project center the experiences of historically marginalized people? Is it accessible to diverse audiences? 

• Public Benefit: Will the work be free and welcoming? Does it invite community engagement in an intentional way? 

• Artistic/Cultural Contribution: Does the artist or project demonstrate depth, skill, and relevance? Does it uplift stories, creatives, ancestors, and audiences that represent Seattle’s diversity? 

• Achievability: Can the proposed project realistically be completed within the proposed timeline and support? 

As Advisors, we can lean on one another for insight into communities and artistic disciplines outside our own, which really enriches the panel review process. Because our term lasts at least two years, we also have time to build enough trust amongst ourselves to ask for help identifying our blind spots and broadening our perspectives. That helps us honor our responsibility to artists and the wider community to center equity, welcome diverse communities, and support a wide range of creative disciplines.

– Shaudi Bianca Vahdat, King Street Advisor

Step 3: From Advisors to Committees 

Once the panel convenes and finishes evaluating proposals, they have a list of recommendations. These are passed along to the Creative Placemaking Committee, a subcommittee of the Seattle Arts Commission. This committee reviews and approves the selected recommendations, which then go to the OAC director for final approval. 

This layered process brings needed community input along with multiple perspectives into the selection process and makes sure each exhibition fits into the broader cultural and equity goals of both OAC and the City. 

Step 4: Production and Making Art Happen 

Once selected, artists collaborate with OAC staff to bring their projects to life. This includes: 

• Finalizing contracts and funding 

• Planning exhibition design and logistics 

• Integrating accessibility 

• Coordinating with communications 

• Developing public programs like talks, workshops, or performances 

This is a deeply collaborative time where artists have support from multiple OAC staff members while navigating the exhibition process. OAC offers professional development opportunities to emerging exhibiting artists such as the opportunity to be a part of a cohort to learn from prior exhibiting artists or getting professional headshots.  

We meet the artist where they are both in their process and in their career. Collaboration is an essential part of making the artist’s vision specific to this unique space.” 

– James Coley, King Street Station Program Lead

Step 5: Exhibition, Engagement, and Impact 

Once the art is installed, the exhibition becomes a public space for engagement, reflection, and conversation. Typically, exhibitions have opening programs that often feature workshops, performances, or talks. Since ARTS at King Street Station is always free, community is welcome to come enjoy what’s on view and connect with the art. 

ARTS at King Street Station is setting the standard for the broader Seattle arts and culture ecosystem. Rather than repeating narratives around whose work is considered “high art,” they are actively dismantling hierarchy at all levels of their programming. They uplift Black and Brown communities, incarcerated individuals, Indigenous people, queer stories, youth, people with disabilities and so many more. YES, there is always more work to be done—but ARTS at King Street Station is constantly working to improve and build a future art community that doesn’t yet exist.

– Alicia Mullikin, King Street Advisor

As new technology develops and evolves, so will our exhibition call and selection process to make sure that it remains fair and transparent. Sign up for our email list to hear about opportunities and open calls like these!