WSCC Addition: Entries
Create site-specific artwork for the primary entries into the new Washington State Convention Center Addition in downtown Seattle.
Steps to Apply
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About the Project
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About the Project
We acknowledge that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. The Washington State Convention Center is seeking Native American artists to create site-specific artwork for the entries into the new Addition.
Project Budget: $1,000,000 [The selection panel will determine how to allocate this overall budget to up to five individual artists. Individual budgets allocated to each selected artist will be inclusive of artist fees, materials, fabrication, on-site installation, travel and transportation, and Washington State Sales/Use Tax.]
- Eligibility: Open to invited Native American visual artists with a connection to the land of Washington State.
- Application: Submission of an online application is required for this opportunity. Applicants are required to create an individual account or log in to an existing 4Culture account to access the application.
- Deadline: Wednesday, October 30, 2019 by 4:00 PM PST
Public Art 4Culture is supporting the artist application process, on behalf of the Washington State Convention Center.
Opportunity
The Washington State Convention Center and Pine Street Group seek up to five Native American artists to create site-specific artwork for the two primary entries into the Convention Center Addition in downtown Seattle. The goal of this opportunity is to express the ancestral and contemporary presence, contributions and diversity of the Native communities and individuals in the state. We want to acknowledge that the Addition is on Indigenous land, in the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. This opportunity also seeks to acknowledge that the Native peoples of our region are composed of many nations and tribal affiliations, including the growing number of urban Native artists and communities within our state.
Location
There are two primary entries into the Addition: the SW entry on the corner of Ninth Avenue and Pine Street and the NW entry on the corner of Ninth Avenue and Olive Way. Each of these entry locations are linked within the facility by a public concourse and gathering place referred to as the Mixing Hall.
All of the possible sites for artwork within the entries areas are exterior locations, with one exception: the NW entry at Olive Way includes a large wall area that transitions from the building’s exterior façade to the interior. Potential artwork media and application are open including 2D and 3D applications as well as light and digital-based media and kinetic forms.
Site Views
Client Background
Washington State Convention Center
Washington State Convention Center Addition
For nearly 30 years, the Washington State Convention Center has been the Northwest’s premier meetings and events facility. WSCC welcomes thousands of visitors from around the globe each year, offering industry-leading service, award-winning catering, and a comprehensive range of services for event planners, exhibitors, and guests.
Following years of study and continuing demand from convention goers who prefer to meet in Seattle, the WSCC is building an additional facility.
The existing WSCC and its new Addition are located in Seattle’s downtown core at the intersection of several distinct, urban, and rapidly evolving neighborhoods. The Addition project includes two co-development sites and will transform the equivalent of four blocks of downtown streetscape. The design of the WSCC Addition and its public art program aim to create enhanced connections with the surrounding neighborhoods and promote a unique experience that embodies the essence of the Pacific Northwest.
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Timeline
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Timeline
Timeline for Selection
Invitation to apply available: Wednesday, September 17, 2019
Deadline for nominations: Monday, October 14, 2019**
Deadline for applications: Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Selection panel meeting #1: Friday, November 15, 2019 [selection of finalists]
Selection panel meeting #2: Friday, December 6 and Monday, December 9, 2019 [finalists’ interviews]*
*Applicants should be available in this timeframe to participate in an in-person or video conferencing interview if selected as a finalist. If in-person attendance is required, out-of-town finalists will be reimbursed for travel and lodging expenses to attend the interview in Seattle, Washington. If applying as a team, the allowance for travel may not fully reimburse all team members.
**Nominators are encouraged to contact artists or submit names to Cath Brunner as soon as possible to allow artists maximum time to prepare applications.
The panel reserves the right to make no selection from the submitted applications or finalist interviews.
Project Timeline
December 2019: contract issued
January 2019 – April 2020: research and conceptual development
April 21, 2020: presentation of conceptual proposal
May – September 2020: final design schedule dependent on approved concept and contractor milestones
TBD 2021: on-site implementation
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Are You Eligible?
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Are You Eligible?
Eligibility
This is an invitational opportunity, open to Native American artists nominated by a broad cross-section of the Native community including artists, curators and cultural leaders.
All artists will be evaluated on their ability to demonstrate a meaningful connection to the land area of Washington State. Artists do not have to currently reside in Washington State. Artists do not have to trace their ancestral heritage to Coast Salish tribal communities. Some, but not all, examples of eligibility include:
- The nominated artist is of Coast Salish ancestral heritage but currently lives outside of Washington State.
- The artist has a tribal affiliation/ancestral heritage to one of the other tribal communities with reservation land in Washington State.
- The artist has a tribal/cultural affiliation outside of Washington State but lives and works in the state.
Artists do not have to demonstrate previous public art experience. Artists who work in materials that are not necessarily suitable for exterior locations will be provided support and technical expertise to help them translate their artwork into materials that will be suitable.
We are seeking up to five visual artists.
The selection panel will select up to five artists and determine how the $1,000,000 budget will be divided between the selected artists. The selected artists will be expected to work with each other and with the Addition design team during design development to share ideas and maximize the collective experience at each of the entries.
WSCC and Pine Street Group employees and board members, 4Culture employees, selection panel members, WSCC Art Advisory Committee members, project personnel including design consultants, and immediate family members of all of the above are not eligible to apply.
Selection Criteria
Finalists will be selected on the basis of the following criteria:
- Quality and strength of past work as demonstrated in the submitted application materials.
- Perceived ability and interest in creating site-specific artwork.
- Meaningful connection to the land of Washington State as expressed in the application materials and, if selected as a finalist, during finalists’ interviews.
- Perceived ability and interest in working collaboratively within the Native artist cohort selected for this opportunity.
- Availability to begin proposal development work immediately.
Selection Process
A majority of the six-person artist selection panel members are Native American. The selection panel will review the applications received by the deadline and select up to 15 finalists for interviews. The panel will reconvene to interview the finalists and select up to five artists for the commissions. The panel may elect to choose fewer than five artists. The panel will have the responsibility to allocate the overall $1,000,000 budget between the selected artists. There is no expectation that the panel will divide the budget evenly between the artists, but they may choose to do so.
Finalists will be encouraged to provide documentation of social and familial ties to an Indigenous community, which will be used to determine artist eligibility. Examples of documentation include: Certificate of Indian Blood card, tribal enrollment card, letter from a federally recognized Alaska Native village or tribe identifying the applicant as a member, a letter from a federally recognized tribal enrollment office identifying the applicant as a descendant, documentation from a tribe denied federal recognition but socially and historically acknowledged, or self-attestation with verification in another form.
We know this is a complicated issue. If you are selected as a finalist, please feel welcome to discuss alternative ways to verify Native ancestry.
The panel reserves the right to make no selection from the submitted applications or finalists’ interviews. The panel’s recommendations are subject to approval by the WSCC Board.
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How to Apply
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How to Apply
INVITED ARTISTS MUST SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING MATERIALS VIA ONLINE APPLICATION. PLEASE FEEL WELCOME TO CONTACT US WITH QUESTIONS OR FOR HELP DURING THE APPLICATION PROCESS.
Applicants are required to create an individual account or log in to an existing 4Culture account to access the application.
Profile
Contact information for yourself.
Statement of Interest
Tell us about yourself and your artistic work. Write a statement (350 words or less) that answers two questions:
- Why are you are interested in this opportunity and why do you think you are ready to do this?
- What is your connection to the land of Washington State?
Applicants are NOT asked to submit a proposal as part of the application.
Tribal Affiliation
Please use the provided text box.
Bio or Résumé
Please include a simple one-two paragraph bio document, or if you have a current professional résumé, you can include a two-page (maximum) document. Keep the formatting as simple as possible. PDF is preferred; text (.txt) files will also be accepted.
Work Samples
You must submit at least 5 work samples to be eligible for consideration, but 10 total work samples are preferred. We encourage you to submit work samples that best illustrate your qualifications for this opportunity. You may submit a combination of digital images and/or sound or video samples. Please follow the directions for work sample categories.
- Digital Images: submit up to 10 digital images (no composites) of past work. Upload JPG files only; images must be under 2 MB in size, 1920 pixels on the longest side, and at least 72 dpi. If you need help sizing your images, please contact us and we can help.
- Audio/Video: submit up to five (5) audio or video samples if these media relate to your art practice (i.e., to show kinetic artwork, gradations of light, sound or media-based art, etc.). Audio samples must be submitted via SoundCloud with the specific URL (e.g., soundcloud.com/29523) noted on the Work Sample Upload page. Video samples must be submitted via Vimeo or YouTube, with the specific URL (e.g., vimeo.com/2992575) noted on the Work Sample Upload page. All submissions must be publicly accessible (password protected files will not be accepted). Timed excerpts are preferred, but longer samples may be submitted with notation in the description field of specific start and stop time for a cumulative run time of up to 5 minutes. Please include the start and stop times for excerpted audio/video samples at the beginning of the descriptive text.
Work samples require a brief description (75 words or less). Descriptions should additional include the following additional information if applicable: project location, commissioning agency, project partners, budget, photographer and copyright.