Federal Way seeks local artists to contribute sculptures for a temporary downtown park.
Slated for a grassy parcel near the Federal Way Transit Center, the future park will feature four to six sculptures for outdoor display.
The park will be located at the corner of 21st Avenue South and South 316th Street. A sign will mark the park’s entrance, with small signs identifying the artists and sculptures. The city will also build a wheelchair-accessible trail.
The park will stay open until that city-owned land is redeveloped. For now, the city is committed to doing two six-month cycles, said spokesman Chris Carrel. This means another set of sculptures will be sought six months after the park opens.
“This interim sculpture park came about as one way to create some culture and a different flavor for the downtown that encourages people to be out and about in downtown,” Carrel said. “We’re trying to do this in a very cost-effective way.”
Applications are being accepted through Oct. 28, with the park set to open in early 2012. The project is sponsored by the Federal Way Arts Commission and 4Culture, the cultural services agency for King County. Selected artists will receive a $250 honorarium for their works.
“Our target artist is someone who has a piece made and is looking to showcase it,” said Alexa Heidrich, planning intern with the city. Heidrich said the competition is open to artists throughout the region, although Federal Way artists would be ideal.
“We’re offering a way to enliven the space,” she said, adding that the idea was inspired by the Burien Interim Art Space and the Bellevue Sculpture Exhibition. Launched in 1992, the Bellevue exhibition incorporates a few dozen sculptures — both indoors and outdoors — and draws thousands of visitors to the city’s downtown area, according to reports. The Burien project opened in 2009, turning a vacant construction site into a public gathering spot for what was dubbed by organizers as a “year-long experiment.”
Learn more
To request an application contact Alexa Heidrich at (253) 835-2622 or alexa.heidrich@cityoffederalway.com. Also visit www.cityoffederalway.com/sculptureAPP.
