Lower Mapes Creek Art Project

The Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) and Seattle Parks and Recreation, seeks an artist or artist team to develop site-integrated artwork for the Lower Mapes Creek Restoration project in the Rainier Beach neighborhood. The artwork will be located in the project area including 52nd Avenue South between Rainier Avenue South and South Henderson Street, extending into Beer Sheva Park. SPU is restoring lower Mapes Creek to an open stream channel to improve habitat for juvenile Chinook salmon rearing in Lake Washington.

The project includes a diversion structure and dedicated pipeline carrying Mapes Creek flow from South Fisher Plaza to South Henderson Street along the 52nd Avenue South right-of-way and into Beer Sheva Park, a headwall structure where the pipe discharges into a new channel, a new channel from the pipe outlet to Lake Washington, a pedestrian bridge across the new channel and path, landscaping, plaza, and street restoration. The artist will work with SPU and its consultants to develop artwork that will be constructed within the project schedule. The project is currently in design through early 2013, with construction expected to begin in mid-2013 and project completion expected in 2015.

The Rainier Beach community is located approximately 10 miles southeast of Downtown Seattle and is the most ethnically diverse neighborhood in Seattle. The project area includes low-income single and multi-family housing near Rainier Beach High School, South Shore Middle School, Rainier Beach Community Center, Dunlap School, and the Rainier Beach Branch Library. Beer Sheva Park is a one-tenth acre lakefront park featuring a children's play area, picnic tables, pathways, and a Works Progress Administration era restroom. Applicants should submit 16 images.