City of Seattle: SPU Portable Works Cultural Perspectives

The Office of Arts & Culture, in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities, will purchase artworks that represent the experience of communities of color, and of immigrant and refugee communities for SPU's Portable Works Collection. The office invites artists to submit images of available work for direct purchase. All types of 2D artworks will be considered: abstract, pictorial, figurative, representational, and others. Artwork may also reflect social issues including environmental, ecological, and cultural heritage themes.

The call is open to professional artists residing in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, Montana, Idaho, or Alaska. Artists of color are strongly encouraged to apply. Maximum artwork measurement for two-dimensional work is 48 x 48 x 5 inches. Artists may submit up to 16 images of available work, and multiple artworks by an individual artist may be purchased. A total of up to $150,000 is available for all artworks. Artists from outside the Seattle area must include shipping costs for each artwork as a separate line item.

Applications must include up to 16 images of available work, image descriptions (not to exceed 1,000 characters) with title, year made, medium, dimensions and price, and an artist's statement (not to exceed 2,000 characters). A panel of three arts professionals will select works for purchase directly from digital submissions based on artistic merit, appropriateness for the public setting and existing collection, artistic diversity, and completeness of application. Artists will be notified of selection decisions by late October. Contact Deborah Paine at [email protected] or (206) 684-7132 with questions.