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Office of Arts & Culture news and events

University and Fremont Bridges to host Artist-in-Residency for Digital Artists

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Residency will take place June through December 2023 

Application deadline April 14, 2023 

Blue marker drawing of a person wearing a face mask inside the bridge tower. They wave to somebody on the sidewalk below with long hair who's wearing a warm hat.
Excerpt from “The Bridge Was Cut” by E.T. Russian, 2021 University Bridge artist-in-residence

This summer, the University and Fremont Bridges will host two artist-in-residence programs. Designed by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) in partnership with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), the residency is open to two digital artists/creators working in digital data visualization art for a unique, project-based residency within two of Seattle’s iconic bridges. The northwest tower of the Fremont Bridge and the southeast tower of the University Bridge will be used by the artists as working studio/office space and as inspiration for their work. The application can be found here, the deadline to apply is April 14, 2023. 

Virtual Application Info Session

On March 16, we held a virtual information session to walk you through how to turn in your strongest application. First-time applicants are especially encouraged to watch.

This is one of the most unique artists-in-residence spaces in the city. University and Fremont bridge are key pieces of infrastructure for Seattle, they connect our neighborhoods and hold a special place in our imagination. Giving artists the opportunity to not only work in these spaces but to help SDOT artistically visualize their work is a testament to the integration of art in our everyday lives. 

royal alley-barnes, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture Interim Director

This call is open to digital artists living in King, Snohomish, Pierce, or Kitsap counties and are able to travel to Seattle for the residency requirement of this project. This opportunity is for individual artists, artist teams are ineligible to apply. Each artist selected (2) will receive $10,000 inclusive of all residency time, costs, project, presentation, documentation of the work, and applicable taxes.  

Each artist-in-residence will undertake an in-depth exploration of some type of data regarding or stemming from Fremont or University bridge and interpret that information using some form of artistic digital data visualization. A public showcase (held in-person or virtual) of the artwork created as part of the residency is required.  

The University and Fremont Bridge Artist-in-Residence call is a project of ARTS 1% for Public Art Program. Adopted in 1973, the 1% for Public Art program designates 1% of eligible city capital improvement project funds be set aside for the commission, purchase and installation of artworks in a variety of settings. By providing opportunities for individuals to encounter art in parks, libraries, community centers, on roadways, bridges and other public venues, the city creates connections between artists and community.  

ARTS at King Street Station 2023 Exhibition Calendar 

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The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture is excited to announce the 2023 exhibition calendar for ARTS at King Street Station. Upcoming exhibitions will explore a plethora of ideas and identities including Indigenous culture, Japanese heritage, 1% for Public Art’s 50th Anniversary, and Black culture from local artists such as Naoko Morisawa / Morisawa Studio, Le’Ecia Farmer, Antoine Fougere, and more. All exhibitions are free and open to the public. 

“The exhibitions slated for 2023 at ARTS at King Street Station will be impactful, challenging and a glimpse into the mind and artistry home to Seattle. We are excited to host such a talented roster of artists this year, allowing Seattle to better understand how art makes our city a more cohesive and civic society.”  

royal alley-barnes, Interim Director, Office of Arts & Culture

February 2 – April 6, 2023 

digital indigiqueer: a showcase of trans transmedia 
Hexe Fey 

227 Indigenous Children, Elijah Forbes, digital illustration print, 2022

A showcase of transgender and sacred gender indigenous artists working in digital media, transmedia, film, 360 video, glitch art, contemporary interpretations of traditional forms, and future mediums. digital indigiqueer: a showcase of trans transmedia includes 11 individual pieces exploring the diversity of contemporary indigenous creativity and touching their futures and pasts. Work from Raven TwoFeathers, Ty Defore, Raven Kameʻenui-Becker, Communidad Catrileo+Carrion, Elijah Forbes, and organizer Hexe Fey. 

Happy Room – Mosaic Collage 
Naoko Morisawa/ Morisawa Studio 

Foreground: Happy Chair, Naoko Morisawa/Morisawa Studio, 20 x 13 x11 in., handcrafted, oil-stained wood, 2022. Background: Invisible world – on the way to the Shangri-La, Naoko Morisawa/Morisawa Studio, 30 x 40 in., handcrafted, oil-stained wood/ paper mosaic, acrylic, and Japanese paper, 2022.

Specializing in intricate natural and oil-dyed wooden and paper mosaics, artist Naoko Morisawa invites viewers to experience Happy Room – Mosaic Collage, a collection of over 50 small, mid, and large-scale works that evoke a sense of joy and draw from the Hygge lifestyle. The artwork selection is divided into four rooms Shoes/Closet, Kitchen/Living Room, Theater Japonism/Living Room, and Heart Room. Each room and piece transform everyday objects like a dependable pair of shoes or a pastry from a café into ornate, dynamic mosaics that invite viewers to find beauty in the details. Happy Room – Mosaic Collage features pieces from various bodies of work from the past 15 years including pieces from My Collection Shoes, Mosaic Café, Japanese Opera – Noh Mask, and newer abstract works. 

May 4 – July 6, 2023 

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

Bolt 40 Ledger, Robert “Running Fisher” Upham, 30 x 23 in., Ledger paper, pen, colored ink, 2019 

Since the 1% for Public Art ordinance was created in 1973, the Seattle Civic Collection has grown to include 4,112 artworks, 3,674 of which are displayed throughout city buildings. The remaining 438 are permanently sited throughout Seattle. The First 50 Years includes artworks that highlight the breadth and depth of the collection and artistry of the region. Artists in the exhibition include national icon Jacob Lawrence, Sherry Markowitz, Marita Dingus, Susan Point, Akio Takamori, Jeffry Mitchell, and newer artists in the collection including Humaira Abid, Robert “Running Fisher” Upham, Natalie Ball and Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas.  

The Civic Collection is an amazing living history focused mainly on artists in the Pacific Northwest region and offers a snapshot of the area’s artistic output over the past 50 years. Curated by Blake Haygood, ARTS Curator, and Collections Manager. 

Spotted in Seattle 
Agustina Forest 

Artwork courtesy of Agustina Fore

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 ranging from epoxy resin sculptures, pencil sketches, and oil pastel pieces. 

August 3 – October 5, 2023 

Space Cowrie 
Le’Ecia Farmer 

Artwork courtesy of Le’Ecia Farmer

Space Cowrie is a multimedia exhibition exploring African diasporic desire – the whirring space of longing, grief, joy, and healing. Through experimentation with traditional and nontraditional forms, Le’Ecia Farmer examines both the fragmented and whole sides of individual and collective desire. The exhibition will include paintings, textile pieces, constructed garments, and video installations. 

Perceiver/Perception
Eymah Nuzhat 

Untitled, Eymah Nuzhat, 11 x 14 in., watercolors on Wasli paper, 2022

 Eymah Nuzhat’s installation Perceiver/Perception transforms the narratives of women’s experiences of sexual assaults, through the lens of the perceiver, into powerful visual autobiographies. Nuzhat portrays the stories and emotions of abused women – particularly when the perpetrators are family members – and how this alters the victim’s self-perception over time. Her work also exposes how society’s reactions can shun the victim, which leads to the glorification of the abuser. Perceiver/Perception features watercolors, handmade gold paint, and gilding on traditional hand-glued paper. 

October 5 – 7, 2023 

On the Edge: 2nd International Latinx Performance Art Festival  

Artwork courtesy of On the Edge

On the Edge: 2nd International Latinx Performance Art Festival is the second Latinx performance art festival based in Seattle, showcasing a wide range of experimental performances grounded in the themes of inclusion, identity, and intersectionality. Featuring a wide range of pan-Latine/x artists and supporters, these performances will range from intimate, single-person storytelling, to medium-length, mixed-media group performances, as well as durational, non-traditional, conceptual, and video performances. The event is headlined by visiting artist, Katherine Adamenko, a Cuban-born, New York-based performance artist and Butoh writer, who will be presenting an iconic third-wave feminist piece from the 90s, “Beauty Borg.” Accompanying the live performances will be video showcasing further work by the performers as well as major historical pieces in Latine/x performance art history. This festival is supported by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and 4Culture, with further support from La Sala, Centro Cultural de Mexico, CoCA, and others.  

November 2 – January 4, 2024

Places Between 
Tammie Dupuis 

Boundaries, Tammie Dupuis, Wood, canvas, paper, acrylic paint, vinyl, and steel

Tammie Dupuis explores the intersections of her heritage as an Indigenous and Western European person in her exhibition, Places Between. Using both Indigenous and non-Indigenous ways of making and seeing, her work spans several different processes and materials including paper, wood, textiles, glass beads, bone, hair, teeth, canvas, relief print, stamp, and paint. Places Between features over 30 works that explore ideas of visibility/invisibility of the Indigenous body and how it affects her personal visual identity, spiritual recognition/non-recognition of place and family, and didactic work of the reservation system and other assimilationist policies. 

Make it. Make Sense. 
Antoine Fougere 

Amine by Antoine Fougere 

Make it. Make Sense is a collection of photos that are based around artist Antoine Fougere’s childhood and imagination. The installation will feature approximately 20 works including digital and film photographs and video artworks. Fougere’s goal is for the artworks to spark a conversation with one another and help inspire his community to continue to create.  

*This information is current as of February 9, 2023. Please check back for updates on our website.

About ARTS at King Street Station: 

ARTS at King Street Station is a dynamic space for arts and culture in the heart of Seattle, dedicated to increasing opportunities for communities of color to generate and present their work. ARTS at King Street Station – which incorporates a 7,500-square-foot cultural space available to the general public, a studio for artists-in-residence, and offices for the staff of the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture – was conceived to reflect and foster the creativity and talents of people that continue to create the fabric of Seattle. 

ARTS at King Street Station is free and open Wednesday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. On First Thursdays, the gallery is open until 8 p.m. Learn more on our website. 

Where’s the Party: New 1% for Art Public Artwork Concept for Highland Park 

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Perched at the apex of Highland Park Drive a larger-than-life Steller’s Jay will soon watch over the neighborhood.  This new artwork concept, tentatively titled “Where’s the Party” by artist Matthew Mazzotta was selected by a community selection panel to be part of the upcoming Seattle Department of Transportation Highland/Holden Intersection Improvement project. This 1% for Art project is managed by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS). 

Renderings of “Where’s the Party” by artist Matthew Mazzotta

A community panel, including a junior from Chief Sealth High School, selected three artists from ARTS’ Public Art Roster to develop proposals for the site location.  All three artists participated in a series of meetings and conversations to learn more about the area and the character of the neighborhood. Matthew Mazzotta’s artwork was selected for his exciting proposal of a large-scale Steller’s Jay overlooking the intersection of Highland Park Way SW and SW Holden Street. 

Matthew Mazzotta’s proposal will create an iconic entrance to the neighborhood and bring a spot of color and fun to this heavily trafficked intersection.  

“Involving community in the Public Art process is at the heart of what we do, centering community and using art to placekeep, honoring the people, history, and environment that makes each neighborhood unique. Highland Park chose an artwork that symbolizes bold, inquisitive connections to birds that make their presence known.”

royal alley-barnes, Interim Director Office of Arts & Culture. 

Inspired by the heavily wooded green landscape of Highland Park and the crest of the hill where the forest gives way to the built environment, this realistic but oversized Steller’s Jay will be perched upon a branch as a reminder that we share this location with all the rich wildlife that also calls this area “home”. When leaving Highland Park, the Steller’s Jay remains the guardian of the changing neighborhood and the connection between how we travel through space in cars, buses, bikes, and by foot. It also reminds us of how animals make daily migrations of their own. The tentative title for this artwork “Where’s the Party” comes from the fact that a group of jays is known as a “band,” “cast,” and a “party” of jays. 

Inspiration photo; courtesy of the artist

Construction on this intersection improvement project includes new permanent signal lights and roadway improvements which will begin in January 2023. The new artwork will be installed in the summer of 2023.

Matthew Mazzotta works at the intersection of art, activism, and urbanism, focusing on the power of the built environment to shape our relationships and experiences. His community-specific public projects integrate new forms of civic participation and social engagement into the built environment and reveal how the spaces we travel through and spend our time living within have the potential to become distinct sites for intimate, radical, and meaningful exchanges.  Matthew Mazzotta received his BFA degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Master of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Program in Art, Culture, and Technology. He is TED Fellow, a Guggenheim Fellow, as well as a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University. Additional information about the artist can be found on his website.

Curated Art Tour Now at Seattle Center 

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Alaska Airlines and Seattle Center partner in support of international artists 

Seattle Center, in partnership with Alaska Airlines, has made a commitment to bring together works of art from around the globe with the self-guided Seattle Center Art Tour Presented by Alaska Airlines. Visitors will experience 50+ public art pieces across the Seattle Center campus, providing an opportunity to learn more about our well-known pieces, while discovering other hidden treasures.

“This tour is a pillar of our larger commitment to art through our on-campus programing. I am proud of this partnership that strengthens our ability to provide opportunities to artists to showcase their work on our campus.”

Robert Nellams, Seattle Center Director
International Fountain Tokyo-based architects Kazuyuki Matsushita and Hideki Shimizu during 1961–1962 for the Century 21 Exposition,
Photo courtesy Seattle Center

In collaboration with Climate Pledge Arena and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, the Seattle Center Art Tour Presented by Alaska Airlines, brings together a collection of new public art pieces in the plazas surrounding Climate Pledge Arena, along with a variety of donated pieces, some dating back to the 1962 World’s Fair. This collection highlights an assortment of pieces from international artists and cultural inspiration from, Germany, Japan, China, and Switzerland, along with pieces from local tribal communities. 

Guests can pick up a free map at customer service in the Armory or view the map on two Art at the Center kiosks on campus, located by the Space Needle turnaround and at the North Fountain Lawn. Visitors can use the map to discover over 50+ works of art. Each includes a marker with a QR code that can be scanned with a phone to gain access to additional information. This self-guided tour allows visitors the flexibility of viewing art at leisure or all at once. 

Climate Pledge Arena on December 16, 2021. (Photo by David Conger / davidconger.com)

Seattle Center and Alaska Airlines share a commitment to community and the arts while continuing to grow their longstanding relationship with a multi-year partnership, extending a long history between the two organizations dating back to 2014. The 10-year agreement through 2033, will create additional experiences on campus, designed around Seattle Center’s mission to delight and inspire the human spirit.  

For more information, head to seattlecenter.com and follow them at @seattlecenter on Instagram for fun contest opportunities coming soon. 

Art Interruptions 2022 explores history, connection, and portraiture along Delridge-Highland Park Neighborhood Greenway 

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The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) in partnership with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), commissioned four emergent public artists to create temporary art installations along the Delridge-Highland Park Neighborhood Greenway for Art Interruptions 2022. The artworks will be installed on City-owned infrastructure offering passers-by a brief ‘highlight – interruption’ in their day through moments of surprise, beauty, contemplation, or humor. 

“Art Interruptions gives opportunities to emerging artists in our local community that are looking to break into the field of public art. Temporary art is contemporary art that connects us all to time, place and people.”

royal alley-barnes, Interim Director, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture 

Art Interruptions Delridge-Highland Park explores themes of nature, conservancy, history, connections, and the individuals who make up the neighborhood through temporary public artworks that are ephemeral, experiential, and experimental allowing artists to explore current issues.  

Artwork Descriptions

School’s Out by Malayka Gormally 

Location: Sanislo Playfield Fence along 21st Ave SW 

School’s Out by Malayka Gormally

Malayka Gormally’s project is a portrait series capturing the afternoon ease of Sanislo Elementary School students after school lets out – children enjoying each other’s company, connecting with friends, parents, and guardians, and walking home. Her designs focus on the legs and feet of the students, communicating their energy and liveliness and their varied self-expression through clothes and shoes. These vibrant, mixed media images highlight the beautiful diversity of our communities alongside the things we may have in common. They will be printed across eight banners affixed to the Sanislo Elementary playground fence along 21st Ave SW.  

Lukia e Tenifa by Va’eomatoka “Toka” Valu

Location: Digital design, printed on vinyl and adhered to the retaining wall at the NE corner of 18th Ave SW & SW Myrtle St  

Lukia e Tenifa by Va’eomatoka “Toka” Valu

Toka Valu’s Lukia e Tenifa features the artist’s take on the traditional Tongan Amoamo Kofe design motif, sharks, and octopuses.

“Our paths to each other are known to the ancestors because we are linked to the same boundless wells of wisdom through roots and connections that provide guidance for generations to come. Shark and Octopus are depicted here in their titanic struggle that set precedence for rituals of respect and relationship nurturing with the sea that are still observed between the two to this very day. We honor the “path-well-traveled” through this legend’s depiction.”

Va’eomatoka “Toka” Valu 

all the ways we’ve found through these downs and ups and downs by Clare Johnson 

Location: Backs of signs throughout the greenway between SW Kenyon St. and SW Myrtle St. 

all the ways we’ve found through these downs and ups and downs by Clare Johnson

Inspired by the concept of a scavenger hunt, Johnson’s vividly detailed artwork mirrors how neighborhood greenways can uncover surprising new joys in familiar places. Her handmade drawings intricately fuse past and present aspects of the neighborhood, celebrating our urban environment as full of ordinary daily treasures to be found. Details from the full images will be spread out on the backs of signs throughout the Neighborhood Greenway. 

Animals of the Salish Sea by Tommy Segundo 

Location(s): Various signposts along the Greenway 

Animals of the Salish Sea by Tommy Segundo 

Animals of the Salish Sea grace various signs located along the Greenway. Each animal has a significant role within the Salish Sea and Duwamish River ecosystems.  Since time immemorial, these animals have held great meaning to the indigenous people of the city we now call Seattle. (Named after Duwamish/Suquamish leader Siahl aka Seattle). 

Artists were selected by a panel of artists, community members, and city staff. Art Interruptions is an ongoing program funded by the SDOT 1% for Arts Fund. 

Rock Stack, Seattle’s newest artwork, unveiled in Lake City Park 

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Artist Elizabeth Gahan with Rock Stack; Photo by Maija McKnight

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) celebrates the newest permanent public artwork located in Lake City Park (12510 33rd Ave. NE), Rock Stack, by artist Elizabeth Gahan. Conceived by Gahan, the artwork strives to embody the community’s aspirations for the new park as a safe gathering space that acknowledges the diverse neighborhood. Rock Stack is inspired by Cairns, a historic form of wayfinding or commemoration, which has become a common occurrence on hiking trails and destinations all over the world. Please join us for the public dedication on Saturday, October 8, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. 

Poster courtesy of Seattle Parks & Recreation

Through meeting and working with community members, the artist created this public artwork to reinforce the idea of the park as a gathering place and to serve as a focal point for shared community experiences. 

“Rock Stack represents a universal instinct to build, communicate across cultures and languages, and create a unique mark to be shared with a broader community. Furthermore, what gives this experience a soulful beauty is that the forms come from nature and are an extension of the surrounding natural landscape. In this way, a rock stack signifies a connection to both nature and community which is also what the sculpture will represent in the context of the Lake City park.”

Elizabeth Gahan, Artist 

This large-scale, painted steel sculpture is a welcoming beacon positioned along the sidewalk at the main entrance to the new park. Visible from the street and throughout the park, it adds a unique character, serves as a visual marker, and symbolically represents the transition into a creative community space.   Approximately 16’ high and 8’ wide this colorful sculpture is a series of “rocks” that seemingly defy gravity. The colors transition from darker jewel tones nearest to the ground, to brighter warmer tones towards the top as it grows closer to the sun. The dominant color scheme yellow-green-blue refers to nature and is accented with contrasting red stripes to create a sense of upward movement. Most importantly, the color scheme evokes a welcoming and celebratory feel, which reflects the community’s hope for the positive impact this park and artwork will have on the neighborhood.  

Photo by Maija McKnight

“This new work in this special new park highlights and celebrates community coming together. People have celebrated spaces with objects to signify their importance to elevate community in many cultures. Lake City Park, will be a cherished space in the Lake City neighborhood and Seattle Parks system. Rock Stack is a fitting artwork that underscores the deep ties community have for their neighborhood.”

Office of Arts & Culture Interim Director, royal alley-barnes

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture’s Public Art program commissions artists to integrate artworks across Seattle that express our community values in the public realm. 1% of eligible city capital improvement project funds are dedicated to commissioning public art informed through a community process. Rock Stack is funded through Seattle Parks and Recreation % for Art. 

Gahan is a Seattle-based artist and her artwork considers relationships between natural and built environments, as well as local community and global connectivity. Gahan has been awarded multiple fellowships, grants, and public commissions including Washington State Arts Commission, City of Tukwila Public Art Collection, Boston Children’s Hospital, and PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) Washington DC. Gahan was recognized in the Americans for the Arts 2014 Public Art Network Year in Review.  

Seattle Parks and Recreation is also launching the naming process for the park. Visit their website to learn more.  

ARTS presents the Public Art Boot Camp Class of 2022-23 and the full list of upcoming workshops

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Photo by Sunny Martini

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) investment in training the next generation of public artists is the Public Art Boot Camp. These selected artists will create culturally relevant artworks that resonate with Seattle’s diverse population. Public Art Boot Camp provides training to artists who are ready to translate their studio art experiences to the public art realm. Twelve artists were selected for the 2022-23 cohort. They will spend the next eleven months in trainings and workshops that will culminate in temporary art projects that will be installed in August 2023. All workshops are open to the public. 

“Public Art Boot Camp helps artists cultivate their skills and explore innovative sharing and showcasing of their art practice.   Public Art brings diverse voices into the public realm to ensure that they are heard. This program uplifts artists and provides them immersive training and mentoring opportunities. It will be exciting to see the art that will be created and installed in communities.”

royal alley-barnes, Interim Director for Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS)

In 2003, ARTS created our first public art training project — the Emerging Public Artists Roster program — introducing regional artists to the idea and practice of public art. In 2015, we evolved the program into Public Art Boot Camp, which advances racial equity by centering artists of color and providing the information and experience they needed to enter the world of public art.  

Public Art Boot Camp is a cohort model program and training includes presentations by working artists, mentor sessions with public art administrators, handouts, and an opportunity for a temporary public art project as a Public Art Boot Camp selected artist.

ARTS is excited to announce the Public Art Boot Camp Class of 2022-23 and the full list of upcoming workshops!

Upcoming Public Art Boot Camp Online Workshops

Meet the 2022-23 Boot Camp Cohort

Upcoming Public Art Boot Camp Online Workshops

Starting this December 2022, a series of online workshops will be free and available to anyone interested in learning more about public art. Featuring staff, artists, and experts in the field, the information shared will highlight the steps needed to navigate through the completion of a public art project successfully. 

These workshops will be held online and recordings of each will be posted on our YouTube Channel subsequent to each event. You can also watch sessions from prior years.  

Where to Begin: Developing Concepts for Public Art

Thursday, December 8, 2022

So you’ve received your first public art commission, now what? This session will explore how to develop concepts for public art using community feedback, project scopes, budgets, and site restrictions. Fellow public artists will share how they’ve navigated the challenges of taking their public artworks from call to concept.

Guest Speakers:

  • Damon Brown
  • Erin Shigaki
  • Horatio Law

Watch the recording of the 12/8/22 workshop below:

Hiring Subcontractors: Engineers, Fabricators and Artwork Installers

Thursday, March 9, 2023

Local engineers, fabricators, and installation experts will share about how they’ve worked with artists on projects in the past and the types of information you will need to best find and initiate your own public art project.

Guest Speakers:

  • Marianne Wilson, Associate Principal at ZFA Structural Engineers
  • Jeff Hudak, Partner at StudioFifty50
  • Rob Saccardi, Special Projects Manager, Seattle and Portland, Art Work Fine Art Services

Watch the recording of the 3/9/23 workshop below:

Life After Project Completion: Post-Installation Rights & Responsibilities

Thursday, May 11, 2023
7 – 8 p.m. PST

Once your artwork has been completed, accepted, and installed, you’re all done, right? Well…not quite. In this session, we will give a brief overview of your rights and responsibilities to an artwork once your project’s been completed. We will discuss VARA, copyright, and artwork documentation to help demystify some of these long-term considerations.

Speakers Include:

  • Hon. Adam Eisenberg, Seattle Municipal Judge, author, and guest faculty with the University of Washington’s Museology program (specializing in art and cultural property law)
  • Sandy Esene, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture’s Public Art Collection Registrar
Register for the 5/11 Workshop

Meet the 2022-23 Boot Camp Cohort

These selected twelve artists will participate in trainings and workshops that will culminate in temporary art projects to be installed in August 2023. Although the cohort has been selected, much of the workshop content is open to anyone who is interested in learning more about public art. Meet the artists below!

愛淳 黃 (Ai-Chun Huang) 

愛淳 黃 is a digital artist and animation director roaming around the world between different media such as hand drawing, installation, digital animation, and sculpture. Their artwork focuses on life limitations and social expectations from an Asian immigrant woman’s perspective and uses metaphors from their Asian cultural icons. 

You can learn more about Ai-Chun on their website, Facebook, and Instagram.

Amiko Matsuo 

Amiko Matsuo is an educator, artist, and writer. Her writing and art have explored how we might learn from the ways people are connected to the plant and animal communities surrounding the places we live. Matsuo is committed to working collectively to learn and teach about the unfolding crises and realities of our places. She believes that art can be the catalyst to create spaces where we can be vulnerable together in conversations marked by transforming care and belonging. 

You can learn more about Amiko on her website.

VULGAR DREAMER

VULGAR DREAMER uses old-world craft to connect you to ancient symbols and alternative ways of healing. VULGAR DREAMER is Black and female. 

You can learn more about E.T. on their website and Instagram.

E.T. Russian 

E.T. RUSSIAN is a multi-sensory artist, cartoonist, and healer, living in Seattle — the unceded ancestral homeland of the Duwamish People.

You can learn more about E.T. on their website and Instagram.

Hans Amor 

Hans Amor’s artwork focuses on sharing the artists’ Filipino culture and history in the hopes that people will appreciate its resilience and beauty.

Io Palmer 

Io Palmer is a multimedia artist who uses a variety of materials including clay, paper, wood, and video. She is most looking forward to seeing how her usual private work will translate to the public arena. 

You can learn more about Io on her website and Instagram.

JoEllen Wang 

JoEllen Wang is a Seattle-based painter and installation artist. She is a lover of mash-ups and a pursuer of nuance. 

You can learn more about JoEllen on her website and Instagram.

Lee Davignon 

Lee Davignon is a multi-disciplinary artist working in the Pacific Northwest. Through a combination of traditional textile techniques, sculptural experiments, and material play, their work explores themes of waste, value, and craft. 

You can learn more about Lee on their website and Instagram.

Morgan Madison 

Morgan Madison is a Seattle-based artist working in numerous media. His work is inspired by the forms, materials, colors, and other elements that comprise place. He believes the language of place is easily recognized and carries space within for all to become engaged creatively when it used selectively to attend to ideas rather than to steer with intention.

You can learn more about Morgan on his website and Instagram.

Nahom Ghirmay 

Artist Nahom Ghirmay’s work explores identity and emotional experiences through a variety of mediums.

You can learn more about Nahom on their website and Instagram.

Renee Adams 

Renee Adams creates mixed-media sculptures that examine the complex relationships humans have cultivated with the natural world. She is active in the regional arts scene as a Curator and Exhibition Coordinator at Gallery One and a founding member of PUNCH Projects, a rural arts collective dedicated to the promotion of visual dialogue between urban and rural art communities. 

You can learn more about Renee on her website and Instagram.

Sara Dobbs 

Sara Dobbs is visual artist and co-founder of Wilbie Farm. The practical work she does on Wilbie Farm to grow food for her local community provides a grounding for her artistic exploration of the impacts of food production, distribution, and consumption on the individual, society, and environment. 

You can learn more about Sara on her website and Instagram.

View Additional Artist Works

Tsutakawa Memorial Gates Public Celebration: September 14 

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Come Salute the Return of the Arboretum’s Iconic, Sculptural Entry Gates, Stolen and Destroyed at the Start of the Pandemic 

Seattle, WA—You are invited to attend a free public celebration at Washington Park Arboretum for the installation of the refabricated Tsutakawa Memorial Gates. Please join us at the Graham Visitors Center (2300 Arboretum Drive East, Seattle, WA 98112) from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 14, for an afternoon of fun and festivities. Enjoy live music, taiko drumming, food trucks, and more. 

“This will be a special occasion for everyone who loves the Arboretum,” said Arboretum Foundation Executive Director Jane Stonecipher. “Stolen and destroyed at the start of the pandemic, the original Memorial Gates were a symbol of endurance and of humanity’s connection to nature. They marked the entrance to the Arboretum for more than 40 years, and their loss was a cultural and artistic tragedy. The story of their re-fabrication and return is an inspiring one of generosity, resilience, and community—truly a story for our times.”  

Made from patinated bronze and featuring an intricate design reminiscent of the plant foliage, flowers, and fruits found in the Arboretum, the original Memorial Gates were created in 1976 by internationally renowned Pacific Northwest artist George Tsutakawa (1910–1997). Commissioned by the Arboretum Foundation and the University of Washington, the gates were placed at the north entrance to the park in honor of all those who have loved and supported the Arboretum. That same year, the gates were officially gifted to the city of Seattle and came under the management of the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.  

George Tsutakawa next to the original Memorial Gates in 1976.  
(Josef Scaylea / The Seattle Times)

In mid-March, 2020, just two days after the pandemic-related closure of the Arboretum’s Visitors Center, the beloved Memorial Gates were stolen and cut up for scrap. Though quickly recovered by Seattle Police Department detective Mark Jamieson, they were found to be damaged beyond repair. 

The news was greeted with frustration and sadness by many who appreciated the gates’ unique artistry and representation of place. Shortly after the theft, a number of donors contacted the Arboretum Foundation offering to help to recreate the gates. The Tsutakawa family still had the design blueprints for the gates, and fortunately George’s son, sculptor Gerard Tsutakawa—who fabricated the original gates for his father—agreed to rebuild them for the Arboretum. 

Gerard Tsutakawa refabricating the Memorial Gates in spring 2022.  
(Tess Forte/Arboretum Foundation) 

“The Tsutakawa Memorial Gates at the Washington Park Arboretum represent the legacy of community building and welcoming spaces we strive to build in One Seattle,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. “Gerard Tsutakawa’s faithful interpretation of his father’s design speaks to the importance of generational artistic wealth and encouragement, represented once again at one of our city’s favorite gathering places. Thank you, Gerard, for preserving the integrity of this artistic treasure.” 

“We are so grateful to Gerard and the entire Tsutakawa family for their involvement in and support of this public-art restoration project,” said Stonecipher. “Thanks also to our generous donors, King County’s 4Culture for their additional funding, and our partners at UW Botanic Gardens and Seattle Parks and Recreation for their support in returning the gates to the Arboretum. And special thanks to the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture for partnering with us by contributing public art conservation funds to this collaborative effort.”  

“The new gates will be installed at a more secure and visible location beside the Graham Visitors Center,” continued Stonecipher, “and they will continue to welcome visitors to the Arboretum for generations to come. They will also become part of our city’s official public art collection.”  

Event parking and transportation: Event parking will be limited. To help reduce traffic, please consider coming by bike or on foot, or using public transportation. 

Event questions: Contact our Events and Corporate Sponsorship Manager Tess Forte at tforte@arboretumfoundation.org or 206-325-4510. 

About the Washington Park Arboretum: Founded in 1935, the Washington Park Arboretum is cooperatively managed by the University of Washington Botanic Gardens and Seattle Parks and Recreation, with major support from the Arboretum Foundation. 

Background on George Tsutakawa: George Tsutakawa’s legacy runs deep in the fabric of the Pacific Northwest. His work is recognized as a unique merging of Japanese and Puget Sound aesthetic traditions into a unified expression. He is remembered not only for his permanent bronze sculptures, fountains, and dramatic paintings, but also his positive humanistic outlook. For more information, visit https://georgetsutakawa.com. 

Seattle Civic Art Collection Selects: by Anh Sy Seattle Youth Employment Program Intern

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By Anh Sy, SYEP Intern

Art is an amazing creative invention. All of the artworks below – all curated from the Seattle Civic Art Collection – are pieces I chose because they represent myself, my dream, and my aspirations for my future and world.

Changing of the Bay, Alyson McCrink

Changing of the Bay, Alyson McCrink, Acrylic paint, gold leaf, and modeling paste on stretched canvas, 2019

Why I chose it: I love the mysterious color of water, of the ocean. So beautiful!

A State of Mind, Maya Milton

A State of Mind, Maya Milton, Mixed Media, 2019

Why I chose it: Women are such precious stones. Beautiful. Easily Broken. And strong, too.

Wildflower Wolves, Michelle Zeidman

Wildflower Wolves, Michelle Zeidman, Ink & Watercolor, 2019

Why I chose it: Bright & colorful pathway. Lights up the way I go home.

Mother Earth and the Northwest, Blanca Santander

Mother Earth and the Northwest, Blanca Santander, acrylic on canvas, 2018

Why I chose it: Mother Earth gives us life and places to live. We have to be grateful and treasure it. Gratitude!

Road to Spring Pasture, Emily Wood

Road to Spring Pasture, Emily Wood, Oil on canvas, 2014

Why I chose it: This is my dream home where I want to build my own house and live for my whole life. Peaceful, simple, and homely.

Pretty Paper, Cathy Fields

Pretty Paper, Cathy Fields, Acrylic on wood panel, 2015

Why I chose it: Pretty paper should be used to make pretty things, to make life and the world prettier.

Falling Leaves, Adrienne La Faye

Falling Leaves, Adrienne La Faye, Acrylic on Canvas, 2011

Why I chose it: This seems like another side of the world — “heaven.” It looks like a famous scene in a movie I watched called “Tam sinh tam the thap ly dao hoa” — a ten miles of peach blossoms garden.

Additional Selections

Pier 32, Stephanie Ashby, Mixed media (ink(acrylic), watercolor, gouache, acrylic gesso and paint, 2008
Switchwall, Ned Kahn, Stainless steel, anodized aluminum, LEDs, magnets, 2019
Reunion, Juliana Kang Robinson, Screen print, 2019
andimgonnamisseverybody, Christopher Paul Jordan, painted bronze, aluminum, and stainless steel, 2021
Tendrils, Lisa Sheets, Mixed Media Collage, 2020
View Anh’s Full Favorites Gallery
Make Your Own Favorites Gallery Here

About Anh

NgocAnh “Anh” is currently a junior at Evergreen High School and is a Seattle Youth Employment Program (SYEP) intern working at the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. Prior joining the communication team, Anh was also an SYEP intern at the Central Area Senior Center, working as an Activity Assistant. Anh is grateful and honored to be a part of the communication team where she explores how the arts and technology work to support her future career goals.

Anh is a Vietnamese immigrant and moved to the U.S. in 2018 with her family. She loves to create art such as drawing, painting, cooking, playing instruments, photography, etc.

Public Art Blooms across Seattle this summer 

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Temporary and Permanent Arts abound from West Seattle to Lake City  

Photo by Jenny Crooks

The Seattle Office of Arts and Culture is excited to share that, starting in July, temporary and permanent artworks will be installed in Seattle neighborhoods, parks, and right-of-ways. A diverse mix of local artists, genres, and themes will make the summer of 2022 filled with arts experiences for everyone.

This year’s slate of art and artists explore themes of nature, conservancy, history, connections, resilience, and responsibility through both permanent commissions and temporary public artworks that are ephemeral, experiential, and experimental allowing artists to explore current issues.

“These temporary and permanent artworks showcase our artists at work and embedded in creating new voices in diverse communities. This is One Seattle at its continuous best.”

royal alley-barnes, Interim Director of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture

JULY

Events  

Created Commons: Neighborhood Edition – Lake City 
Created Commons: Neighborhood Edition – Lake City will transform plain concrete into vibrant art that will, beautify the neighborhood, promote public safety, and highlight local businesses and nonprofit organizations. Live music and events reflect Lake City’s cultural diversity. Build Lake City Together also commissioned a new community mural to celebrate the opening of a new community arts and culture space.   

  • Thursday, July 14, 7 – 8 p.m.: Gansango African Music and Dance 
    Lake City Farmer’s Market, 12546 – 28th Ave NE 
  • Friday, July 22, 7 – 8 p.m.: Panama Folklore Seattle 
    Lake City Mini Park, 12359 Lake City Way NE 
  • Thursday, July 28, 7 – 8 p.m.: Trío Guadalevín 
    Lake City Farmer’s Market, 12546 – 28th Ave NE  

Artists at the Center
Artists at the Center will host music, dance, theatre, and multi-disciplinary performances, presented by individual artists and performance groups based in the Puget Sound region. The program is an ongoing partnership with Seattle Center, ARTS, Climate Pledge Arena, Uptown Arts & Culture Coalition, and Seattle Kraken.

Friday, July 29, 6 p.m.: Dance with Dora 
Northwest Courtyard 

Art Installations 

Arts in Parks – Temporary Art Installations and Events  
Four local artists, Ken Roepe, Tory Franklin, and Jean Bradbury will have temporary artwork for 6 weeks in Westcrest Park, Pritchard Island Beach Park, and Cal Anderson Park, respectively. Installations will be on display starting mid-July through the early fall. Arts in Parks, a partnership between Seattle Parks and Recreation and ARTS, is offering a number of free events and temporary art projects that will activate community parks this summer. The Arts in Parks program includes events, series, public art installations, and family-friendly, kid-centered activities in neighborhood parks throughout the northeast, northwest, central, southeast, and southwest regions. 

ChromaCyclium by Ken Roepe, courtesy of the artist
Island / Marshland by Tory Franklin, courtesy of the artist
The People Make This Park by Jean Bradbury; Photo by Jeremy Beliveau

Art Interruptions at Lake City – Temporary Art Installations 
Enjoy temporary artworks around Lake City by artists Amanda Lee, Baso Fibonacci, Damon Brown,  Kamla Kakaria, Lynn Yarne, Micah Lawton McCarty,  and Sabina Haque. On view for one more month!

Lake City Landbanked Park – Permanent Artwork Installation 
ARTS, in partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation, has selected Seattle artist Elizabeth Gahan to create a permanent, site-specific artwork for a new park in Seattle’s Lake City neighborhood.  

The new neighborhood park located at 12510 33rd Ave NE previously housed an office building that was purchased in 2010 as part of the Green Spaces Levy and demolished in early 2016. The park will serve Lake City’s growing population with much-needed green space and provide a safe place to play, exercise and enjoy. Seattle Parks and Recreation has worked over the past year to gather community input into the overall design of this ¼-acre park. 

Northgate Bridge Artwork – Permanent Artwork Installation 
ARTS, in partnership with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), selected artist Charles Sowers to develop and design artistic elements that will be integrated into the Northgate Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge. 

AUGUST

Events 

Artists at the Center 
Wednesday, August 3, 5:30 p.m.: The Mahagony Project 
Northwest Courtyard 

Created Commons: Neighborhood Edition – Pioneer Square
Saturday, August 6, 1-8 p.m., Nord Alley and Occidental Ave S.  
Styled as MS PAM’S Block Party and curated by Tariqa Waters, it will be an 80s-themed event that will be held in Nord Alley, Occidental Ave S, and surrounding areas. The event will feature DJs, musical acts, interactive art activities, and performances. 

Artists at the Center  
Sunday, August 7, 3 p.m.: Inspired Child 
The Armory  

Created Commons: Neighborhood Edition – Lake City 

  • Friday, August 12, 7 – 8 p.m.: David Arteaga and The Paul Miranda Trio 
    Lake City Mini Park, 12359 Lake City Way NE  
  • Friday, August 26, 7 – 8 p.m.: Indian Classical Dance with Mrs. Ekta Sandbhor Patil
    Lake City Mini Park, 12359 Lake City Way NE

Artists at the Center  
Sunday, August 28, 2 p.m.: Nia Amina Minor 
Northwest Courtyard

Art Installations 

Saltwater Podcast
This podcast is conceived of as a way to engage pedestrians in the area around the Ship Canal Water Quality Project construction sites in Fremont and Ballard, as well as a broader podcast-listening audience. This tour will reveal what’s hidden, go under(water), from the droplets that flow through the Salish Sea’s watershed, to the shallow tidal waters, into the depths of the Sea.

As we move through geography, we’ll also move through time, hearing about some of the environmental and human forces that flow into and through the Ship Canal and the Salish Sea. Given that the Salish Sea Streets’ permanent installations feature Indigenous artists, the audio tour will also center on Indigenous stories and voices with a focus on the peoples of the Salish Sea region. The tour will have a total run time of at least 50 minutes with shorter 1-3-minute short pieces (excerpts). We have consulted with several Coast Salish sources and the Salish Sea Streets artists and conducted additional reading and listening. 

The audio tour will weave together several audio elements:

  • Language recordings of Salish Sea peoples: We hear the human sounds (language) used for thousands of years to describe these waters
  • Underwater recordings: Sound travels faster in water and many water-living creatures use it to communicate
  • Interviews featuring storytellers, Coast Salish language and history experts, scientists, and a Salish Sea Streets artist 

Seattle Center Art Activations – Temporary Art Installations  

Skating in the Sky by Nikita Ares; Photo by Ricky Reyes
To Catch the World by Matthew Dockery; Photo by Ricky Reyes
Path of the Sky Dragon by May Kytonen; Photo by Rick Reyes

Working with Seattle Center and ARTS, up to four selected artists will design and develop small-scale temporary artworks to be installed on City-owned street furniture, infrastructure, or building facades, (e.g., light poles, railings, sidewalks, trees, tree pits, stair risers, etc.). These installations will be on view for a minimum of 12 weeks and up to four months from mid-August 2022 through early-January 2023 on the Seattle Center campus.

FLOW – Temporary Art Installations  
ARTS, in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), will be installing the next round of artists commissioned to develop new temporary art installations for four locations in north Seattle. FLOW: Art Along the Ship Canal is a project designed to enliven temporary walls and fences surrounding construction sites that are part of the Ship Canal Water Quality Project.

A Visual Love Letter by Perri Rhoden; Photo by Ricky Reyes
We Are All Immigrants by Malayka Gormally; Photo courtesy of the artist
Landscape, Collage, Waterway, Tapestry by Allyce Wood; Photo by Ricky Reyes
Aquatic Kaleidoscopes by Marsha Rollinger; photos courtesy of artist

FLOW features temporary and site-specific artwork in four different locations (Ballard, East Ballard, Fremont, and Wallingford) and changes every six months. New artists will be commissioned over the next few years. You can view the current round of FLOW artworks which will be on view until late August when the new round will be installed. 

Nihonmachi Alley – Permanent Art Installation  
The Nihonmachi Clear Alleys Artwork is a pilot partnership between SDOT, SPU, ARTS, and the community to commission an artwork in Nihonmachi Alley in support of SPU’s Clear Alleys Program. 

SEPTEMBER

Events

Created Commons – Legendary Children  
Friday, Sept 23: Olympic Sculpture Park  

Art Installations

Art Interruptions West Seattle – Temporary Art Installations 
ARTS and SDOT commissioned four local artists, Clare Johnson, Tommy Segundo, Malayka Gormally, and Toka Valu to create temporary art installations along the Delridge-Highland Park Neighborhood Greenway for Art Interruptions 2022. The artworks will be installed on City-owned infrastructure and offer passers-by a brief interruption in their day through moments of surprise, beauty, contemplation, or humor.  

all the ways we’ve found through these downs and ups and downs by Clare Johnson
Lukia e Tenifa by Va’eomatoka “Toka” Valu
School’s Out by Malayka Gormally