The First 50 Years Exhibition: Highlights from the Civic Collection, 1973-2023

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and its 1% for Public Art Program has been at the forefront of commissions with diverse artists to create Public Artworks and works for the City’s Civic Collection. Since the inception of the 1% for Public Art ordinance in 1973, the Seattle Civic Collection has grown to include 4,112 artworks, 3,674 of which are displayed throughout city buildings in city offices and public areas. The remaining 438 works are permanently sited in neighborhoods, parks, public buildings, and along roadways all throughout the city. The current exhibition at ARTS at King Street Station includes over 150 artworks that highlight the breadth and depth of the civic collection and regional artistry. Artists in the exhibition include renowned artists Jacob Lawrence, Sherry Markowitz, Marita Dingus, Susan Point, Akio Takamori, and Jeffry Mitchell. Newer artists’ works from the civic collection include Humaira Abid, Robert "Running Fisher" Upham, Natalie Ball, and Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas.

The 1% for Public Art program specifies that 1% of eligible city capital improvement project funds be set aside for the commission, purchase, and installation of artworks in a variety of public settings. By providing opportunities for people to encounter art in parks, libraries, community centers, on roadways, bridges, and other public venues, we simultaneously enrich their daily lives and give voice to artists. The Civic Collection is an amazing living visual history focused mainly on artists in the Pacific Northwest region. It offers a snapshot of the area’s artistic output over the past 50 years.