City of Seattle: Fremont Ship Canal Public Art Project

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS), in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), seeks to commission one artist or artist team to design, fabricate, and install a two-part integrated outdoor sculptural artwork at the Ship Canal Water Quality Project Fremont site. The artwork will be located on both the Fremont side (near NW Canal Street and 2nd Ave NW) and the Queen Anne side (near 244 W Ewing Street) along the Ship Canal/Fremont Cut. Project budget: $180,000.

The selected artist will develop permanent, outdoor, site-specific artwork that is rich, rigorous, deeply considered, relevant, and relates to the location. The two-part sculptural artwork on both sides of the canal should reference and relate to each other, and relate to foot and cyclist traffic on the neighboring Burke Gilman Trail. The artwork should contribute to placemaking, increase awareness that water is a great unifier flowing throughout the city, and conceptually connect to water quality, flow, and related themes. The art should create a thematic or visual connection to the significant infrastructure hidden below ground and the function it provides. The selected artist will work collaboratively with the SCWQP coordinating artist and other artists, and participate in community outreach and engagement with SPU staff and leadership.

The Ship Canal Water Quality Project builds a 2.7-mile, 18' 10" diameter storage tunnel to reduce polluted water overflows into the Ship Canal from Ballard, Fremont, Wallingford, and north Queen Anne. The tunnel will temporarily hold more than 15 million gallons of stormwater and sewage during heavy rains. Construction is expected to begin in 2019. Eligibility: Professional artists residing in the United States. Students are not eligible. Application deadline: June 12, 2018 at 10:59 p.m. PDT. Applications must include a Project Letter of Interest (not to exceed 2,000 characters) or Video/Audio Statement (not to exceed 1.5 minutes), résumé, three references with contact information, and up to 10 images. The selected artist will receive a commission of $163,488 plus Washington State Sales/Use Tax of $16,512.00, totaling $180,000.00. Artist selection and notification: August 2018. Concept design: November 2018. 100% design and documents: March 2019. Construction and fabrication: 2021/2022. Installation: 2021/2022.