4Culture Public Artist Roster: 2D Design Opportunities
This roster will be used to select artists and artist teams for design-only public art opportunities. Artists will deliver original artwork and production-ready files, with fabrication and installation managed by 4Culture and/or its project partners.
Steps to apply
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About the Roster
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About the Roster
Overview & Budget
4Culture is establishing a roster of pre-qualified artists and artist teams working in two-dimensional (2D) media to be considered for design-only public art opportunities. The roster is intended both to create pathways into public art and to help 4Culture respond efficiently to a growing number of upcoming projects. It will remain active for three years following selection. Artists on the roster may be considered for projects with 4Culture and King County agency partners including, but not limited to, Harborview Medical Center, King County Parks, King County Metro, and King County Wastewater Treatment Division.
Design fees are anticipated to range from $2,000 up to $50,000, depending on the scope, scale, and requirements of each project. Fabrication, production, and installation costs will be managed separately by 4Culture and/or project partners. This is not a call for a specific project. Being selected for the roster does not guarantee a commission but qualifies artists for future design-only opportunities based on their body of work, experience, and alignment with project needs.
The roster will be used only for projects within the design-only 2D framework described above. Projects requiring a different scope of artist services, including artist-managed fabrication and implementation, large-scale sculpture, site-specific three-dimensional installations, experiential or temporary work, or other approaches outside this framework, will continue to use separate project-specific calls and selection processes.
Opportunity
4Culture is King County’s cultural services agency. Through five integrated program areas—Public Art, Heritage, Arts, Historic Preservation, and Science + Technology—4Culture supports cultural vitality and the assets that make communities vibrant, distinctive, and authentic. 4Culture Public Art commissions and supports artists to create work for and with communities throughout King County, including permanent, temporary, ephemeral, site-responsive, and socially engaged projects, and stewards the King County Public Art Collection.
Artists on the roster will be considered for projects with 4Culture in collaboration with our King County partner agencies. These commissions will take place across King County, and offer artists the opportunity to develop 2D artwork that considers site conditions, audiences, and contexts.
Design-only opportunities may take many forms, such as but not limited to artwork for architectural surfaces, banners, construction fencing, light boxes, printed material, public-facing applications, signage, transit wraps, and windows. Artists may be asked to develop artwork for a particular site, audience, format, or use, with fabrication, production, and installation managed separately by 4Culture and/or its project partners.
Past 4Culture projects illustrate some of the ways artists’ two-dimensional work and ideas can be translated into public settings and applications. Examples include limited-edition ORCA cards, artwork integrated into transit facilities and architectural environments, and designs fabricated in materials such as glass, metal, vinyl, or other durable media.
The following projects offer examples:
2026 FIFA World Cup Commemorative ORCA Card
Limited-edition artist-designed ORCA card.
Taylor Cameron, Tidepool Pathways
Artist-designed work for the Pier 50 passenger ferry terminal.
Katie Miller, Cellular Flow
Artwork developed for Harborview Medical Center.
Tommy Segundo and Toka Valu, Return on Investments
Artist-designed imagery fabricated in powder-coated aluminum at King County International Airport.
Artists are not expected to have experience with the fabrication or production methods shown in these examples. Fabrication, production, and installation will be managed separately by 4Culture and/or its project partners.
In addition to the 2D design development, artists may be asked to contribute to project interpretation and promotion. This could include providing text for plaques and websites, participating in interviews, and attending public events.
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Timeline
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Timeline
Selection Timeline*
| Application Release | Thursday, November 12, 2026 |
| Application Due Date | Thursday, January 14, 2027, 4:00 PM PST |
| Selection Panel Meeting | Week of February 8, 2027 |
| Notification of Results |
Week of February 15, 2027 |
Roster Timeline*
The roster will be used from March 2027 through March 2030.
*Schedules are subject to change.
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Are You Eligible?
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Are You Eligible?
This opportunity is open to individual artists and artist teams residing in Washington State who work primarily in two-dimensional media or whose practice is well suited to two-dimensional applications. Eligible practices may include, but are not limited to, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, illustration, graphic design, collage, pattern-based work, and other forms of 2D image-making.
Applicants should be able to develop original artwork that can be translated into fabrication-ready artwork or files for production by others. Artists do not need to have experience managing fabrication or installation.
Previous public art experience is not required. Artists interested in expanding their studio practice into the public realm are encouraged to apply.
Individuals with potential conflicts of interest, including King County employees; 4Culture staff, Board, and Public Art Advisory Committee (PAAC) members; and their immediate family members or business partners, are not eligible to apply.
Selection Criteria
Artists will be selected for the roster based on the following criteria:
• An original body of work demonstrating a two-dimensional artistic practice, or an artistic practice well suited to two-dimensional applications across a range of formats and scales.
• Ability to develop original artwork responsive to a project’s context, audience, purpose, and/or themes.
• Interest in collaborating with 4Culture and King County partner agencies on public art projects and openness to feedback throughout the design and production process.
• Ability to envision how existing artistic approaches and ideas may translate into new public-facing applications and materials.
• Readiness to work within a design-only model in which fabrication and installation are managed separately by 4Culture and/or its project partners, with opportunities for artist review and approval during production as appropriate.
Selection Process
A five-person selection panel comprised of artists, arts professionals, community members, and King County staff will review submitted application materials and identify artists for the roster, which will remain active for three years, from March 2027 – March 2030.
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How to Apply
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How to Apply
Submission of an online application is required for this opportunity.
Please contact us with any questions—we encourage you to begin your application early.
Account Set-up
4Culture’s application system will be used for this process. You may be required to create a new account. Once you submit your account request, a 4Culture staff member will manually activate it during office hours, Mondays –Fridays 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM. You will receive a follow-up email within 2 business days with your username and a temporary password. We appreciate your patience and ask that you keep an eye out for this confirmation.
Demographic Information
Your applicant profile must be updated with current demographic information. This helps us understand how well we’re reaching all communities.
Profile
Contact information for yourself or, if applying as a team, all team members.
Statement of Interest
A written statement (500 words or less) describing your artistic practice, your interest in this roster, and how you see your ideas translating to design-only public art opportunities. Share the methods, perspectives, or themes that shape your work, along with any experience or interest in adapting your approach to different public-facing formats, applications, or contexts. If applying as an artist team, briefly describe your collaborative practice. If AI is part of your workflow or work samples, please briefly describe how you use it.
Previous public art experience is not required. Please do not submit proposals as part of your application.
Résumé
Upload a current professional résumé (maximum two pages). Keep the formatting simple. PDFs are preferred; .txt files are also accepted. Artist teams should upload one file containing résumés of no more than two pages per team member.
Some suggested items to include in your artist résumé:
• Contact information: At the top of each page, include your name, address, phone number, email address and web URL.
• Team applications: If you are part of a team, please list your contact information as well as information for the rest of the team.
• Experience: Please list experience that is relevant to your art practice and applicable to this opportunity such as exhibitions, commissions, residencies, awards, education, professional experience, and other activities.
References
Attach one page to your résumé that lists the name, email address, and phone number of up to three references who can speak to your professional experience. Teams should include no more than three references combined.
Work Samples
Submit 10 total digital image samples of past work that best represent your practice and qualifications for this opportunity. If applying as a team, the 10 work samples should showcase your collaboration.
Digital Images—Upload JPG files only; 1920 pixels on the longest side (suggested), at least 72 dpi, and less than 2 MB in size. Composite images that combine multiple views, stages, or projects in one file are not accepted.
List the title, date of completion, medium, and dimensions (H” x W” x D”), along with descriptive text (up to 75 words) for each work sample. If applying as a team, note specific contributions. If AI was used in creating the work, please briefly describe how it was used.
DUE DATE
Applications must be received no later than 4:00 P.M. PST on Thursday, January 14, 2027. Please allow ample time to complete and upload your application; submissions will not be accepted after the deadline.
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Helping You Succeed
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Helping You Succeed
Virtual Info Session
We recorded a virtual info session. This video is a great resource to get your questions answered before applying! If you have any trouble accessing this video, please contact Fiona Dang (see below).
Contact Us
Please reach out to us with any questions.
Technical questions regarding the application:
Fiona Dang
Fiona.Dang@4Culture.org
206.848.0215
Questions regarding the roster:
Jordan Freeman
Jordan.Freeman@4culture.org
206.263.2518
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