City of Seattle: Burke-Gilman Trail Public Art Commission

The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the Seattle Department of Transportation, seeks an artist or artist team to create a permanent, multi-site outdoor artwork at select locations along the Burke-Gilman Trail. The budget for this project is $80,000, all-inclusive. This call is open to artists residing in Washington state; all members of an artist team must reside in Washington.

The selected artist will create a durable, permanent outdoor artwork for two to five select locations along the trail. The multi-site art installation will function as one artwork in which the various parts will combine to create a larger vision, and each part will also enliven its immediate space. The artwork will serve to identify the trail as a connective conduit of the city and should add an element of discovery to peoples' experience of the trail. The selected artist must use the split section of the trail east of 40th Avenue East as a portion of the overall artwork. The artist will need to consider the many users of the trail, including cyclists and pedestrians, commuters and people out for a leisurely outing. For traffic safety reasons, the standard lateral clearance for any multi-use trail is two feet (three feet preferred) from the edge-of-pavement to the closest part of any fixed object. The artist will coordinate with staff in SDOT, Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs in the selection of sites and development of the artwork, and will meet with community representatives during the development of the project.

Applications must include: a letter of interest (not to exceed 2,000 characters), résumé, three references, and up to 16 images with an Image Identification List (not to exceed 500 characters for each image). The selection process will take place in two parts. During the first round, a panel of arts professionals, client representatives and community members will review applicants' images, qualifications and other materials. The panelists will identify up to four finalists to interview at a second panel meeting two to three weeks later. The panel will select one artist to be awarded the commission. Applicants will be notified of the panel's decision by e-mail by end of September 2011. The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs reserves the right not to select any of the applicants.