Seattle Center Skatepark Artist Design Competition

The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, in partnership with Seattle Center, seeks a design team artist or artist team to work with design consultants and the skateboarding community to identify art opportunities and develop art enhancements for the new Seattle Center Skatepark. The design and location of the park will create opportunities for the artist(s)'s designs to be fully integrated into the skateboarding experience. Art opportunities include integrated "skateable" objects, strategically placed non-skateable obstacles, surface treatments for park terrain, two-dimensional applications, lighting or other technology effects for walls or vertical structures. The artist(s) may also work with the design team to contribute to the overall park design and suggest ways to incorporate temporary or permanent artwork by others into the park.

The Seattle Center Skatepark will include a minimum of 8,900 square feet of skating terrain along with amenities such as seating and landscaping, located at the northwest corner of Second Avenue and Thomas Street. The selected artist or artist team will participate on the design team and work collaboratively with design consultants, the Skate Park Advisory Committee, and the skateboarding community. The artist's designs will be integrated into the Skatepark's design and construction documents, and may be responsible for providing drawings and specifications for inclusion in construction documents. Art elements will be fabricated and installed as part of the skatepark construction project. The design development stage will be completed by late July 2008, with the artist(s)'s involvement concluding upon completion of construction documents at the end of September 2008.

The competition is open to established professional artists living in Washington, Oregon, or British Columbia, Canada. Teams are welcome and may include artists, designers, community engagement specialists and others with relevant knowledge and experience. Teams must include at least one visual artist and identify a lead artist as primary contact. Students are not eligible. The contract for this project will total $22,850.00, inclusive of all costs and applicable taxes, for participation on the design team. A fabrication budget for art enhancements will be developed in conjunction with Seattle Center and the design team. Selection will be based on strength and artistic merit of past works, ability and experience creating durable outdoor site-specific artwork, experience working collaboratively and facilitating community involvement, understanding of skateboarding and skatepark design, and contribution to the diversity of the city's art collection. The selection process will occur in two phases: a selection panel will review applications and select up to four finalists, then interview finalists to select one artist or artist team.