Waterfront Seattle: Call for Artist Commission (Play)

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, in collaboration with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), seeks an artist or artist team to create a public artwork that engages play as a theme and activity for Waterfront Seattle, a project to create 20 acres of new parks and public spaces on Seattle's Central Waterfront. The commissioned work should engage the site as well as the history of art and play, resulting in a work or works that actively support interaction and play. The call is open to professional artists internationally who are eligible to work in the US, have at least five years of professional experience, and a demonstrated interest in the intersection between art and play.

The initial design phase has a budget of $25,000, inclusive of design, travel, fees, taxes, and other project-related costs. This is intended to lead to a major commission for fabrication and installation of the project, with an expected budget of between $250,000 and $500,000. Artwork design is funded by 1% for Art funds generated by the design of Waterfront Seattle. Fabrication and installation will be separately funded by 1% for Art funds generated by Waterfront Seattle's construction. The selected artist or artist team will collaborate with the project design team, including james corner field operations, to create art related to play. The commissioned art may be in any medium and may result in a stand-alone play area or structure, be integrated into a designed area or structure, or contribute possibilities for play in a dispersed manner throughout the project area.

Sites for artwork must fall within the project area. Certain areas of the design call for play structures or areas, including a site along the public promenade at the base of Union Street currently slated to hold a dedicated play area, new public space on Seneca Street, the Overlook Walk connecting the Pike Place Market to the waterfront, and a new park in the Belltown neighborhood. The artist will join the Waterfront Seattle team by September 2014. The initial contract will cover siting and concept design only. The concept design will be presented to the city's Public Art Advisory Committee for review. The application deadline is 11 p.m., Tuesday, July 8, 2014 (Pacific Daylight Time).