The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), are looking for an artist to design a site-specific artwork along the Mercer Street underpass at Aurora Avenue, as part of the Mercer West street improvement project.
The selected artist will develop artwork for a two-block area on Mercer Street that includes the underpass at Aurora Avenue/Highway 99 and the adjacent approaches east and west of the underpass. The Office seeks an artist whose work will treat the underpass as an architectural environment and transform the underpass into a space to experience.
The artwork will be located in the Mercer Street underpass and along the adjacent concrete walls. The selected artist will work with SDOT and SDOT consultants from design through construction of the new underpass. The artwork design will be complete in early 2012. Construction of the Mercer West project, including the installation of the artwork, will begin mid-2012.
Any professional artist living in the United States is welcome to apply. SDOT and the Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs has a $335,000 budget for the project, including travel expenses, taxes and other project costs.
Artist applications are due by 11 p.m. on Wednesday, August 25. For more information on the project guidelines, to contact a representative, or apply, click here.
Updated 7/21: This story originally read that the Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs and SDOT were looking for mural artists. In fact, they are looking for alternative art, not murals, which they say would not be a suitable solution for the Mercer underpass.
Painted murals or other paint treatments are not feasible and will not be accepted for this project. We seek art strategies that transform the concrete walls of the space with light or material applications.