Storefronts Seattle: Creative Enterprise

The Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs and Storefronts Seattle seek artists, groups, and companies to develop pop-up Creative Enterprise projects for vacant storefronts in various Seattle neighborhoods, including Pioneer Square, the Chinatown/International District, Capitol Hill, South Lake Union, and Rainier Beach. Projects will be programmed in available spaces throughout 2012 and into 2013. Creative Enterprise provides a place to experiment and test out new creative business ideas.

Selected participants will have access to a space for three to six months, dependent on space availability and number of applicants. There is no occupancy fee. Spaces are open to the public, and participants must hold appropriate city of Seattle and State of Washington licenses and permits, as well as a general liability insurance policy. Selected artists and/or artist teams must hold set business hours. Examples of possible Creative Enterprise uses include: businesses with creative/innovative emphasis, performance space for theatre, dance or other performance art, retail space for hand-made items, services such as art classes or design advice, merchandising creative products, museums and galleries, and creative home-based businesses testing their product in a retail environment.

Individual artists, arts groups, or arts businesses may apply. Arts groups are not required to have 501(c)3 status. Applicants will be selected based on innovation, capacity to be successful, benefit to the community and appropriateness for the public realm, high level of engagement of the street and passers-by, strength of proposal, and artistic quality. Proposals are reviewed by a panel of arts professionals, representatives of neighborhood groups, and commercial property owners. Applicants will be notified of acceptance or rejection by late March 2012. Submit 2-5 images via the online application system.