East Hill North Community Park Public Art Commission

The East Hill North Community Park site is a beautiful and unique property that provides an opportunity for community members to connect with nature without traveling far outside of the city limits. The property's long, central ridge line meadow is grounded by forest and wetlands on either side, framing views towards the Cascade foothills and Mt. Rainier. With wetland surrounding it and unincorporated King County land along the Soos Creek corridor to the east, the areas around the site will remain wild and mostly undeveloped into the future. Visitors often witness a variety of wildlife supported by the range of habitats found across the property. The setting of meadows, forests, wetlands, and farmland gives visitors a sense of escape from the urban environment.

Kent's Parks Planning and Development division has developed a master plan informed by public engagement and community voices. The artist will coordinate their work with Site Workshop Landscape Architecture, and artwork should complement the environment and views. This selection process will consist of two rounds. In the first round, interested artists will submit a statement of interest, resume/qualifications, and images of past work examples. An artist selection panel comprised of art and design professionals and community representatives will review all eligible applicant materials and select three finalists to create proposals. In the second round, the three finalists will each be paid $1,000 to attend a required orientation, prepare a proposal, and present to a final selection panel. Each finalist's proposal will include a written narrative explaining the artist's intention, visual renderings of the proposed artwork, and a budget demonstrating allocation of the commission award. One artist will be chosen to complete the project.

All artists are required to submit qualifications by January 31, 2024, 11:59 p.m. PST. Qualification materials include: a statement of interest, limited to ten images of previous work, an annotated image list with titles, dates, media, and dimensions, a resume limited to two pages, and professional references limited to one page with three references including name, organization/title, phone number, and email. This call is open to both emerging and established professional, practicing artists residing in Washington state. Kent and South King County based artists are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants must be 18 years or older and cannot be an employee, council member, or commissioner of the City of Kent. For questions, contact Ronda Billerbeck at [email protected].