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Office of Arts & Culture news and events

City announces new project with VividMatterCollective to recreate and properly preserve the Capitol Hill Black Lives Matter Street Mural

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Starting Tuesday morning, September 22, the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will be collaborating with the original artists from VividMatterCollective to recreate the Black Lives Matter street mural painted during this summer’s protests on Capitol Hill.

Photo by Kyle Kotajarvi

The mural has rapidly deteriorated primarily because of paint applied to an unscored surface covered in slippery aggregate. After discussions between ARTS, SDOT, and the fifteen artists who worked to create the street mural in June, all have agreed to a comprehensive removal, recreation, and reservation plan that kicks off on Tuesday.

Close ups of the damaged street mural

The street mural is located on Pine Street between 10th Avenue and 11th Avenue and was a central gathering place during the protests that was then preserved by the City by creating a reconfigured street to limit vehicle access to the mural. The recreation efforts will get underway quickly to avoid the inclement weather – rain and pavement that is too cold for paint to properly cure – that would delay this work until sometime in 2021.

“Vivid Matter Collective along with the City of Seattle is proud to announce the collaborative effort in preserving the beautiful Black Lives Matter monument, making it a permanent landmark celebrating progress and change during this unprecedented time in Seattle’s history.”

Artist Kimisha Turner, a member of the VividMatterCollective

The careful effort by all parties to identify a comprehensive plan to recreate a longer-lasting Black Lives Matter mural in its original location is an acknowledgement of the cultural significance of the site in the Black Lives Matter movement.

The deterioration of the artwork further accelerated when members of the public who were not a part of the collective applied sealant without the original artists’ permission. The sealant damaged the artwork, which is now beginning to separate from the roadway in some areas. The City is committed in time, resources, and values to do better.

The original artists have worked with SDOT to develop a plan to remove the current artwork and prepare the site so that the artwork can be recreated in a more durable fashion to survive the harsh roadway conditions.

SDOT will begin temporarily removing the artwork on Tuesday, September 22 and preparing the site for the artists to repaint the mural on Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27. Repainting of the mural is dependent on weather conditions.

Work will commence by tracing and scoring the existing footprint of the mural to properly prepare the surface for the application of paint. SDOT will provide supplies and installation support to the VividMatterCollective. This will include expert guidance from SDOT’s own Dahvee Encisco, who is
himself an experienced muralist. He will be onsite from beginning to end with the artists to advise on how to install a durable on-street mural with the correct primer, number of paint layers, and adding traction material to each coat of paint that can withstand the roadway conditions in this area.

It is important for all to remember that even when utilizing best practices and materials, on-street murals will continue to deteriorate at a rate much faster than other surfaces. Maintaining the integrity of the recreated Black Lives Matter mural will be an ongoing project for all.

“The Capitol Hill Black Lives Matter street mural is a potent symbol of free speech and civil rights” said SDOT Director Sam Zimbabwe. “I am deeply sorry that we fell short in our efforts to prevent damage from occurring to the original mural. SDOT is committed to supporting the original artists to restore their work in a more long-lasting fashion.”

SDOT has been working with the original artists to create a preservation plan for some time. In July, SDOT installed posts to prevent people from driving over the mural and added a new 4-way stop sign at 10th Ave E and E Pine St to help eastbound drivers transition onto the block with the mural at a slower speed. Those protective measures will remain in place.

Apply now for Build Art Space Equitably (BASE) Program

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Information Webinar September 22, 2020 | 4:30-5:30 PM
Link to webinar:  https://zoom.us/j/91592301274
If you cannot make this webinar but would like to watch the recording, email monyee.chau@seattle.gov 

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture is now accepting applications for the Build Art Space Equitably (BASE) Program. This program, launched in 2018, responds to growing concerns we have heard from communities of color about gentrification and displacement, and the need to gain capacity in cultural space development for the stabilization, growth, and sustainability of community-led space. Broadly, we’ve heard from both the arts and cultural community and from the commercial development/property management community – both sides of the cultural space equation. Everyone has asked the same basic question – “I want to work with arts organizations / with property developers, but I don’t understand how they work. Where can I learn about the intersection of art and real estate?” Your depth of leadership and practical experience will contribute greatly to create a program that can help develop even more people to advance these efforts.

Designed out of the City’s Race and Social Justice Initiative, we’ve created a 12-month cohort program, based in communities of color, that launches a new certification curriculum for both arts and cultural professionals and real estate professionals. We hope to continue creating a network of certified experts in both equitable development and arts/cultural spaces. We launched this certification program in 2018 and hope to continue it well into the future, and potentially well beyond Seattle. Special thanks to the Wing Luke Museum, Historic Central Area Arts & Culture District, Densho, Rainier Valley Corps, and South Seattle Emerald for their input that led to the implementation of BASE.

Approximately 16-18 individuals will be selected for 2020’s cohort, which we hope will represent a balance from the real estate and the arts/cultural worlds. Members of this cohort will learn from each other and explore topics such as feasibility studies, land acquisition, property development, financing options, artist studio aggregators, raising money for nonprofit capital campaigns, and the power of community organizing, knowledge, experience, and passion will be shared collectively.

To apply for the 2020 Build Arts Space Equitably (BASE) Program, please complete this application survey by 11:59 P.M. on Sunday, September 28th, 2020. If selected, the time commitment will involve approximately 3 hours per month for a year, and you will be paid $20/hour for your time. For more information on the program and Frequently Asked Questions, we will be screening a FAQ webinar on September 22nd, from 4:30 – 5:30 PM under this zoom link, put together by our program team.

Celebrating the nominees for the 2020 Mayor’s Arts Awards

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List of the 2020 nominees. The blog post lists them all out.

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture opened nominations for the 2020 Mayor’s Arts Awards in February and received more than 80 submissions honoring exceptional artists, individuals and organizations that broaden our horizons and humanize our city and our world. 

However, between the global pandemic and the heightened tension of racial injustices that have plagued our nation, our spirit for the traditional celebration has been defused. Although we are transitioning from the traditional Mayor’s Arts Awards, we acknowledge the many individual artists and organizations who were nominated.  Please join us in celebrating everyone who was nominated for the 2020 Mayor’s Arts Awards.

2020 Mayor’s Arts Awards Nominees:

  • Adra Boo
  • Alfredo Arreguín 
  • Amigos de Seattle  
  • Anna Edwards 
  • Ari Glass 
  • ArtsFund  
  • ArtsWest  
  • Asia Tail 
  • Bridgette Hempstead 
  • CarLarans/CarLarans (Coles) 
  • Carlos Martinez 
  • Carol Emarthle-Douglas (Northern Arapaho (enrolled) and Seminole Nation of Oklahoma) 
  • Carol Rashawnna Williams 
  • Cecile Hansen 
  • Che Sehyun 
  • Cheryl Waters 
  • Cheryl West 
  • Chiyo Ishikawa 
  • Clarion West  
  • Clyde Petersen
  • Cookie Couture
  • Corson Studios LLC  
  • Cucci Binaca 
  • Curtis Steiner 
  • David O Smith 
  • Eliaichi Kimaro 
  • Erin Shigaki 
  • Fabrication Specialties LTD  
  • George Rodriguez 
  • Greg Lundgren 
  • Heather Bentley 
  • Inye Wokoma 
  • Isabelle Kerner 
  • Jade Solomon 
  • Jeff Day 
  • Jeffrey Veregge 
  • Jovino Santos Neto 
  • Julianna Ross 
  • Kristen Ramirez 
  • Kristin Leong 
  • Larry Calkins 
  • Living Voices  
  • Marcia Sill 
  • Marsha Burns 
  • Michael Hall 
  • Miguel del Aguila 
  • Miha Sarani 
  • Monica Schley 
  • Moses Sun
  • Nancy Guppy 
  • Miss Texas 1988
  • Northside Step Team  
  • Onyx Fine Arts Collective  
  • Patricia Fay 
  • Paula Nava Madrigal 
  • Re-bar  
  • Reboot Theatre Company  
  • Richard Morhous 
  • Robert Luu 
  • Samuel Stubblefield 
  • Sara Porkalob 
  • Sawhorse Revolution  
  • School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts (SANCA)
  • Seattle Public Theater  
  • Short Run  
  • Sound Theatre Company  
  • Student Art Spaces  
  • Susan Dory 
  • Susan Lieu 
  • Susanna Ryan
  • Tae Phoenix 
  • Tariqa Waters 
  • Taylor Wang 
  • Timothy White Eagle 
  • The Scarecrow Project/Scarecrow Video 
  • Totem Star  
  • Trans Pride Seattle 
  • yəhaw̓ – Curatorial Team 

Significant change to the 2020 Mayor’s Arts Awards

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Freeman leans against the concrete retaining wall next to his piece: a young Black girl spraying a stream of water from a hose.
Melvin Freeman with his public art piece, We Are Water in the Central District,
photo by Jason Huff

Our city is in a very different place than it was when the call for nominations for the 2020 Mayor’s Arts Awards was announced. Between the pandemic and the heightened tension of racial injustices that have plagued our nation, our spirit for the traditional celebration has been defused. In response to these unorthodox events, we believe it is best to pivot this year’s 2020 Mayor’s Arts Awards.   

The Seattle Arts Commission and the Office of Arts & Culture have had many conversations regarding this matter and concluded that the resources allotted for the Mayor’s Arts Awards be reallocated towards lifting up our Black arts community.  

Therefore, we will pilot a new program that will amplify work of the Black arts community to the broader Seattle community. We acknowledge that the Black arts community has been largely marginalized and that the time is now to uplift and celebrate the powerful and illuminating art that has been a constant force in our amazing city. We will launch this new program in the fall.   

Although we are transitioning from the traditional Mayor’s Arts Awards, we acknowledge the many individual artists and organizations who were nominated. We plan to honor all of the nominees in September and we appreciate the community for bringing forth so many wonderful people who continue to make valuable contributions to our vibrant arts scene.   

We also acknowledge that our decision may not be easy for everyone to fully embrace and agree with. However, it is imperative for us to empower and pay tribute to our Black arts community who continue to do outstanding work. We invite you to join us in solidarity as we move forward and embrace this new change. Our vision is to create a valuable and historic program that everyone can benefit from.   

We look forward to sharing details as they are developed and celebrating the voices of our Black arts community with you.  

Sincerely,  

Priya Frank and Dr. Quinton Morris, co-chairs, Seattle Arts Commission 

A Community Update from The Creative Advantage

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by Tina LaPadula

A Black women at a podium looks down. A slide is on the screen behind her, featuring people addressing a crowded room.
Toyia Taylor at the 2019 Summer Arts Partner Institute, photo by Jenny Crooks

Arts Education Equity and Access

Seattle Public Schools Schools will likely start the 2020-21 school year with 100% remote learning. As the district explores student learning options for the upcoming year, The Creative Advantage is thinking expansively about ways to be responsive to current changes in alignment with our core goals to build arts education equity and access for students.

Many students, teachers, families and arts partners are concerned that arts partnerships will be minimized or eliminated. Our team has been strategizing about ways that community arts partners could be even more involved in the transformation of arts education possibilities. We’ve been scheming with folx who care about Social and Emotional Learning and Culturally Responsive Learning, and looking at what other cities are doing. We’re dreaming big and hoping to come up with a menu of options for the district that ensures arts partners can bring their magic and get paid.

  • What if student residencies include prerecorded (asynchronous) lessons and streamed (synchronous) online visits or lectures from teaching artists?
  • What if we intentionally blur the lines between “School Time” and “Out-of-School Time”?
  • What if The Creative Advantage hosts streamed arts content before school, at lunch and after school for different age ranges of youth?
  • What if we collectively develop thematic ideas around activism, voting, empathy for students, teachers and families to engage with?
  • What if we can create a schedule of consistent classes and creative engagements to market to schools and families?

We’re tapping into our creative super powers and putting all options on the virtual white board right now.

Transparency, Engagement and Accountability

In an effort to have greater transparency, engagement and accountability The Creative Advantage is creating an Advisory of teaching artists and education leaders to help guide our work, our policies and our trajectory. We’ll have open general meetings quarterly and Project Based Teams / Paid Advisory Team Consultants to help us dig into things we care about like:

  • Curricular supports for Creative Advantage Online Arts
  • CA racial justice assessment, program evaluation, goal setting and policy reviews
  • Observations, assessment and mentorship of Roster orgs to build aligned best practices, stronger racial equity strategies
  • Storytelling, documentation and amplification of great models and examples from community
  • Efforts to invite, amplify and showcase the artwork, ideas and opinions of students / young artists.
  • Connections to community events, organizing and activism.

Summer Institute Changes

We’ve collaborated with our partners at SAM, and transformed our traditional Summer Institute into a series of community get-togethers focused on knowledge-building and care. The kick off for community arts partners on our Roster, What’s Next? is Monday, August 24th from 10 to noon. This session is FREE but registration is required.

Resources

Here’s a list of resources that were shared in the chat from our June 25th Community Convening – A Time for Change:

Question: What are the efforts around making broadband a public utility?

Other resources:

Artists Up Scholarship for Mentorly now open

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A Native dancer in traditional dress: "Elevate your artistic practice through mentorship."

In 2012, Artists Up (AU) was formed to support artists, especially under-represented artists, in Washington State through convenings and skill-building opportunities. A highlight of AU programming has been the partnership with the Mentorly online platform that connects less experienced artists with accomplished artists for career mentorship, advice, and guidance.

“Online mentoring is a joint service using Mentorly’s platform,” Irene Gómez, Project Manager of the Artist Up program tells me. “Like all AU opportunities, it is artist-informed where all stakeholders benefit. Mentees advance their skills and mentors earn a living wage.” To cover mentor fees for Washington State artists, AU offers a quarterly scholarship opportunity.

The Scholarship Application is NOW OPEN at https://www.artistsup.org/mentorly-scholarships. for Washington state artists. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit early. Scholarships pay for up to four (4) sessions with a choice of mentors listed on the AU web site. For other national/international mentors on the Mentorly site, artists must cover these costs themselves.

The Mentorly platform has proven to be a game-changer for artists. The platform gives artists the ability to connect with professional artists around the state/world for support and guidance and also provides professional connections and access to networks that help artists discover opportunities that may lead to new opportunities. AU is a collaboration between The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, 4Culture and ArtsWA, serving artists throughout Washington with a focus on artists of color, LGBTQ+ artists, artists with disabilities, artists who are new to the U.S. and Washington, mature artists, and low-income artists.​

Two new artists selected for Bridge Artist-in-Residence

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This fall, as drivers cross and boaters pass underneath the University and Fremont Bridges, comics artists will be observing and documenting the rhythm of the city from the bridge towers. In partnership with Seattle Department of Transportation, the Office of Arts & Culture selected E.T. Russian and Roger Fernandes as the two artists that will have a temporary studio in the towers of University and Fremont Bridges. 

Roger Fernandes, 24 page graphic novel “Nettle Girl” created for the U.W. Native Center for Cancer Control in 2015.
This shows images that are part of a fictionalized story of a Native girl who has a special relationship with the stinging nettle plant

This unique opportunity of providing the space to creatives has been a program since 2016 and has hosted visual artists, poets, musicians, lighting artists, and now comics artists to use the historic bridge locations as inspiration for the creation of new work.  The artist-in-residence will run from September – December 2020.

E.T. Russian, Handle With Grace, 2016
Brush pen, paper

E.T. Russian is a multi-sensory artist based in the Pacific Northwest and has been making zines, comics, video and installation art about disability, queerness, and life since the 1990s. As part of the application and interview, E.T. shared ideas about bridges being a location of transition and access (open and closed) and shared their potential ideas about a multi-sensory project as part of the residency for the public to be able to access experiences that otherwise wouldn’t be accessible.

Roger Fernandes, or Kawasa, is a member of the Lower Elwha Band of the S’Klallam Indians from the Port Angeles, Washington. He is a writer, storyteller and educator, and a skilled comic artist. As part of the application and interview, Roger shared his experiences of the Fremont site location both as the Ship Canal serving as racial line growing up in South Seattle, but also from working at a neighborhood service center adjacent to the bridge for many years. Roger’s traditional style and important message of this site will be shared as part of his residency. 

This residency project is funded by SDOT’s 1% for Art Funds and administered by the Office of Arts & Culture.

Friends of Waterfront Seattle and Seattle’s Office of The Waterfront & Civic Projects Announces Artist in Residency Program Selection and Summer Launch of $100,000 Call for Artists

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Friends of Waterfront Seattle (Friends) and the City of Seattle’s Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects (OWCP) have selected their Future Forward: Artist-In-Residency: Takiyah Ward. Born and raised in Seattle, Ward is artistically known as T-DUB Customs.

Photo of Takiyah Ward by M.T. Perkins

Launched as a rapid response plan to provide immediate virtual opportunities for local artists, creatives, and makers, the artist residency supports the long-term health of the future waterfront park and will develop virtual art opportunities to activate the waterfront with temporary art installations.

Working with partners, Ward will lead a process that incorporates elements of the Seattle Waterfront Art Plan as inspiration to develop a program to award $100,000 in funding to local artists. This funding was made available by Friends and OWCP projects in support of the Seattle Together initiative, a partnership among the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, Office of Arts & Culture, Office of Economic Development, Seattle Public Library, and the Mayor’s Innovation and Performance Team coming together to build a city-wide COVID-19 community response plan.

BLM Mural, photo by Kyle Kotajarvi.

Takiyah Ward said, “I’m excited about the opportunity to bring a variety of art to the waterfront that speaks to the essence of the city, and the most vibrant parts of Seattle’s culture. To highlight the beauty of our shared story and the truth of our perseverance.” Most recently, Ward organized Vivid Matter Collective’s Black Lives Matter mural on Pine Street in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.

This Artist-in-Residence pilot is created to be scalable over time and continue throughout the life of the park to allow artist-led projects to be a cornerstone of Friends’ waterfront park programming and ensure participation of a range of artists, especially those representing communities of color.

With Arts Consultant Vivian Phillips serving as facilitator of the Future Forward: Artist-In-Residency, the selection panel was comprised of a diverse group of working artists, arts administrators, and entrepreneurs, including Friends Board Member and Phila Engaged Giving Founder/Principal Stephanie Ellis-Smith, Seattle Art Museum Associate Director for Community Programs and Equity Team Founding Chair and Seattle Arts Commission Co-Chair Priya Frank, artist, educator, and Eighth Generation Founder Louie Gong, Seattle Center Managing Artistic Director of Cultural Programs and Hidmo/Cypher Community Volunteer Heidi Jackson, and visual artist and Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery owner Jake Prendez.

Friends of Waterfront Seattle Board Member, Stephanie Ellis-Smith said, “The selection of Takiyah Ward for the artist-in-residence program is significant in achieving our goal of creating a ‘Waterfront for All.’ Her voice and creativity illustrate our commitment to incorporating BIPOC artists and creatives at all levels and establishing their influence to make the waterfront an inclusive and welcoming place.”

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Friends and the City recognize the importance of participating in economic recovery for the arts community while leading strategies supporting the long-term health of Seattle’s future Waterfront Park. The residency program will embrace a process for employing a creative waterfront arts program that is artist-driven and audience-minded, inclusive and welcoming of a diversity of thought and approaches, and responsive and adaptable to changing public gathering norms. The program brings to life the significance that the arts play in our daily lives as well as in our ability to be “in community.”

For details, visit friendsofwaterfrontseattle.org/events/artist-program.

Friends of Waterfront Seattle (“Friends”) is the nonprofit partner to the City of Seattle responsible for helping to fund, build, steward, and program the park – today and into the future. In addition to raising $110M by 2024 to fund park construction, Friends will manage the programming and operations of the future Waterfront Park through a joint-delivery partnership with Seattle Parks & Recreation. Friends is responsible for funding and carrying out park programming for the future park. Park construction has begun following the Viaduct’s removal and the first piece of the park — Pier 62 — is planned to open later in 2020.

The Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects is pleased to support this project that aligns with the City’s Seattle Together program, a series of initiatives responding to communities impacted during these unusual and challenging times. Future Forward: Artist In Residency will provide opportunities quickly to artists and arts groups for activation of the waterfront for the benefit of everyone. Seattle Together is a partnership of city departments that includes the city’s Office of Arts & Culture, which in turn collaborates with the Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects to bring arts and culture to the waterfront.

New Artwork Celebrates the Central District’s Rich Culture and History

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Artist Melvin Freeman, AKA Fly Blind Guy, recently completed the installation of his new artwork, We Are Water, in Seattle’s Central District. The Central District was a predominately African American neighborhood since the 1970s as a result of red-lining and other forms of housing segregation. Since the 1990s the neighborhood has seen widespread displacement and gentrification that has reduced the neighborhood’s Black population from 70% down to 20%. The Central District is still a place that is a centralizing beacon for the black community. Art, music, food, and history are all things that keep the Central Area a vibrant neighborhood for Black community and culture. The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) partnered to engage residents who have roots in the neighborhood to see how an art project can attempt to look at the entire fabric of this community.

We Are Water (detail) and Melvin Freeman. 2020, mixed media installation.
Photo credit: Jason Huff

ARTS and SPU worked with the community engagement team of Jill Freidberg (Shelf Life Community Stories), Rachel Kessler (Yesler Terrace Artist in Residence), Elisheba Johnson (artist, curator) and Inye Wokoma (Central Area photographer, journalist, and filmmaker), on a series of community engagement activities that asked people who have roots and/or relationships to the Central District, what they want to see in an artwork and how clean drinking water affects their lives.

We Are Water (detail). 2020, mixed media installation. Photo credit: Jason Huff

Freeman was selected as a result of the community engagement to create a permanent artwork installation that honors the history and current experience of the African American community in the Central District through the idea that water connects the community to history, place and freedom. Located along a retaining wall on 23rd Ave S and S Massachusetts (adjacent to the Northwest African American Museum) We Are Water is a large-scale mixed media mural that features bold porcelain enamel letters that spell out CENTRAL DISTRICT. Within each letter are photographs of past and present Central District residents and businesses collected by Freeman from the community through engagement events, social media calls for images, and through a partnership with The Black Heritage Society of Washington, who allowed access to their historical archives. Freeman states, “It was important for me to create a public work that my beloved Central District community could identify and interact with. This one piece of art tells an infinite amount of our stories. This piece will be a history lesson for future generations to come. “

We Are Water (detail). 2020, mixed media installation. Photo credit: Jason Huff

We Are Water also features a girl with a hose spraying water that flows through letters. The painted water mural portion was created by Seattle artist Perri Rhoden who collaborated with Freeman in the creation of the artwork.  

We Are Water was commissioned with Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle Department of Transportation 1% for Art funds, and administered by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.

Temporary Outdoor Art Exhibition FLOW 2020: temporary and site-specific artworks

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The Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) has commissioned local emerging artists to develop new temporary art installations for four locations in north Seattle. The project features four site locations in Wallingford, Fremont and Ballard that make use of temporary construction walls and fences as part of the Ship Canal Water Quality Project.

Beginning this summer, artwork by a variety of artists will begin to appear.  Grab your bike or walking shoes and visit all four locations to see some artwork that inspires. The artworks can be viewed from sidewalks and streets near the Ship Canal, and especially from the Burke-Gilman trail.

 Chaac by Angie Hinojos Yusuf and Carlos Jimenez

Ballard – 24th Ave NW & Shilshole Ave NW Angie Hinojos Yusuf and Carlos Jimenez (on view)
Hinojos & Jimenez Art
Angie Hinojos Yusuf & Carlos Jimenez
Chaac

Chaac is the Maya god of rain. This piece emulates the great carved stone masks that can be found on the pyramids in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The masks were made of stone carved into intricate shapes which were assembled together to form the powerful visage of the god. Chaac had both human and animal characteristics, showing the interdependence of all living things and their relationship to life-giving water. It illustrates the natural cycle of the flow of water, as it originates in the clouds, where Chaac strikes his jade axe and causes thunder and rain, to where it falls on the land, is crucial. Water infrastructure will safeguard our environment for future generations.

Five white panels on a wooden wall show traditional Killer Whales. In the center, the artists pose with a panel that reads "Protect the Sacred, justice for Missing Murdered Indigenous Women".
A composite of the MMIW mural, photos by Crystal Christopherson

Wallingford – N 35th St & Interlake Ave N (July 2020)
Kalee Nelson and Crystal Christopherson
MMIW

Elevating awareness of Missing Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) is the key goal of this temporary installation that includes a large scale mural featuring traditional formline design of Killer Whales.  Kalee Nelson is an Alaskan Native from the Tsimshian Tribe and Crystal Christopherson is Alaskan native from the Tlingit tribe. 

East Ballard – NW 45th St. & 11th Ave NW Katie Miller (August 2020)
Katie Miller
Crossing

Crossing is inspired by Seattle’s maritime industry, the nearby ship canal, and our relationship to water. Crossing alludes to a journey moving through or along water and serves as a metaphor for our individual experiences, personal connections to, and reflections on water.

Fremont – NW 36th St. & Leary Way NW Minh Carrico (August 2020)
Minh Carrico
TATTARRATTAT

Honoring the waterway connecting Lake Union and the Puget Sound, the phrase “TATTARRATTAT” is spelled out using the International Code of Signals for water vessels moving in either direction of the canal. The repetition of the palindrome serves as a visual interpretation of the “knock, knock” emanating from a construction site for months to come. 

These temporary works will be on view for six-months and then be changed to feature new artwork by artists including Barry Johnson, Hugo Moro, Shawn Parks , Whitney Lynn and Janelle Abbott

FLOW: Art Along the Ship Canal is an annual program that will use the construction fences along the project as a backdrop to allow artists to showcase their unique voice and provide a changing gallery of experiences for those who walk, bike, drive along the Burke-Gilman Trail and throughout the area.

Artists were selected by a panel of artists, community members, and city staff. The project is commissioned with SPU 1% for Art funds.