Art for the Burke

Remember when that art project popped up along the Burke near Dunn Lumber? And then a few weeks later, it disappeared? What up with that?

Well, the city is trying to get more art to pop up along the Burke, and you could the be the artist. Without further ado, we bring you their press release:

The Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), seeks an artist or artist team to develop a permanent, multi-site outdoor artwork at two to five select points along the Burke-Gilman Trail. Each part of the installation will enliven its location on the trail and collectively create a larger cohesive artwork.

The artwork will identify the trail as a connector through the city and add an element of discovery to peoples’ experience on the trail. The artist will coordinate with staff at SDOT, Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation and the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs to select sites and develop the artwork.

The call is open to artists residing in Washington state. All members of an artist team must reside in Washington. The budget is $80,000, inclusive of all costs to design, fabricate and install artwork. The application deadline is 11 p.m., Monday, Aug. 1. A link to the online application is available at www.seattle.gov/arts.

Developed on the site of the former Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway, the Burke-Gilman Trail was one of the first “rail trails” developed in the United States. The original 12.1 miles of the trail were dedicated in 1978. At 13.9 miles within the city today, The Burke-Gilman Trail is a popular corridor used for both recreational and commuter purposes. More than 3,000 cyclists per day have been counted on the trail during the warm-weather months.

$80,000 people! That’s a lot of opportunity to enliven the location and add an element of discovery to peoples’ experience on the trail, ain’t it?

(Photo of Art by Cobalt123)