ARTS at King Street Station

About ARTS at King Street Station

ARTS at King Street Station, which incorporates a new 7,500-square-foot cultural space available to the general public, a studio for artists-in-residence, and offices for the staff of the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, was conceived to increase opportunities for people of color to generate and present their work and to reflect and foster the creativity and talents of people that continue to create the fabric of Seattle.

Over the past several years, we've listened to community feedback and continue to gather research on best practices in how to make this space welcoming.

Additional Information

Exhibitions

Current Exhibitions: The First 50 Years: Highlights from the Civic Collection, 1973-2023 and Spotted in Seattle

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) and its ARTS at King Street Station Gallery hosts two new exhibitions this spring celebrating the City of Seattle’s Civic Arts Collection and the work of artist Agustina Forest. The First 50 Years: Highlights from the Civic Collection, 1973-2023 and Spotted in Seattle celebrate the natural environment, people, and artists who call Seattle home.

Spotted in Seattle by Agustina Forest 
May 4 – July 6, 2023

Illustration of a man in all yellow surrounded by three people in gray and black clothing all looking at their phones.

Agustina Forest’s Spotted in Seattle is a collection of visual stories of the strangers she observed while exploring the streets of Seattle. For Forest, sidewalks are scenarios with stories constantly unfolding in front of us. Spotted in Seattle features 30 artworks including epoxy resin sculptures, pencil sketches, and oil pastel pieces. The exhibition is a vibrant collection of stories and characters, that Forest has encountered in various neighborhoods since she moved to Seattle in 2018. 

The First 50 Years: Highlights from the Civic Collection, 1973-2023 
May 4 – September 7, 2023

Photographic artwork in pink, red, and yellow hues depitcting a city with a sign that says "A City Makes Herself"

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and its 1% for 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 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.    

Learn More


Images:
Olive Way, Agustina Forest, Gouache on paper, 2023 
A City Makes Herself
, Kristen Ramirez, photographic images on Inkjet 100% fiber paper, 2007; Purchased with Seattle City Light 1% for Art funds.

2023 Exhibitions Calendar

February 2 – April 6, 2023

digital indigiqueer: a showcase of trans transmedia
Hexe Fey

Happy Room - Mosaic Collage
Naoko Morisawa 

Learn More

May 4 - July 6, 2023

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

Spotted in Seattle 
Agustina Forest

Learn More

August 3 - October 5, 2023 

Space Cowrie 
Le'Ecia Farmer

Perceiver/Perception 
Eymah Nuzhat

Learn More

October 5 - 7, 2023

On the Edge: 2nd International Latinx Performance Art Festival

Learn More

November 2 - January 4, 2024

Places Between 
Tammie Dupuis 

Make it. Make Sense. 
Antoine Fougere

Learn More


For full details on 2023 exhibitions, visit our blog.

Visit ARTS at King Street Station

Hours

Wednesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
On First Thursdays, the gallery is open until 8 p.m.

Construction Updates: May 1 – October 1, 2023

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) offices and ARTS at King Street Station gallery are both open during the construction of Station Space on the 2nd floor of King Street Station. To access ARTS on the third floor, please enter King Street Station via the Amtrak entrance off King Street and take the elevator to the 3rd floor.

COVID Safety

In accordance with King County Public Health guidelines, ARTS at King Street Station will no longer require visitors to show proof of vaccination or wear face masks when visiting.  We ask that you stay home if you feel sick and remain mindful of our community’s varying levels of comfort as we go through this transition.

ARTS Administrative Office Hours

Monday -  Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Getting Here

Construction Updates: May 1 – October 1, 2023

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) offices and ARTS at King Street Station gallery are both open during the construction of Station Space on the 2nd floor of King Street Station. To access ARTS on the third floor, please enter King Street Station via the Amtrak entrance off King Street and take the elevator to the 3rd floor.


Plan your trip and don't forget to check the traffic conditions at Seattle Traffic

King Street Station is located at 303 S Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98104. The station is conveniently located where the Downtown Central Business District, Pioneer Square, and the Chinatown / International District all meet (on Jackson Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues South).

There are multiple options for reaching the station using public transit:

  • The Sounder regional commuter train stops at the station, as do all of Amtrak's national and international lines.
  • The Link Light Rail stops at the International District Station, one block east of the station.
  • Many King County Metro Bus lines pass within a block of the station, including 1, 7, 36, 14.

Where do I park? There are multiple paid garages and parking lots in the neighborhood, as well as street parking. You can view the Seattle Parking Map here.

Accessibility

King Street Station has an ADA-compliant elevator that services every level of the station. Access it via the Amtrak level (1st Floor), which is on King Street. The plaze entrance is on Jackson Street and is the 2nd Floor.

ARTS at King Street Station also has ADA-compliant, all-gender restrooms. We have two wheelchairs available in the gallery, and folding stools you can use if you'd like to sit in front of an artwork.

Do Something at ARTS at King Street Station - apply for exhibitions and events

King Street Station call for art and events

Gallery inside ARTS at King Street Station
ARTS at King Street Station gallery, photo by Benjamin Benschneider

Applications for ARTS at King Street Station are currently on pause.

Please follow us on social (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) or sign up for email updates and announcements of the reopening of the application and ARTS at King Street Station.

Studio Residency Award

Artist studio at ARTS at King Street Station

ARTS at King Street Station Studio Residency, photo by Benjamin Benschneider

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS), is offering a Studio Residency at ARTS at King Street Station. The Studio Residency offers creatives of all disciplines, at all stages in their careers, time and space in the onsite studio to encourage growth in their practices.

ARTS is looking for up to six artists/artist teams for the residency award. Each residency period is approximately two months long and will take place March 2020 - March 2021. Each residency will received a $2,000 stipend. Artists from historically under-represented communities, including communities of color, immigrant, and refugee communities are encouraged to apply. 

Eligibility

This call is open to individuals or groups. Creatives working in any medium and at any stage of their career are welcome. Applicants must be 15 and over, but youth under 18 must include an adult contact. Applicants should be interested in working in a public setting.

Budget

Each selected Studio Residency will receive a $2,000 stipend.

Deadline

6 p.m. Pacific, Friday, November 15, 2019. Please allow ample time to complete your application. Do not wait until the last minute. Applications submitted after the 6 p.m. deadline will not be accepted. 

Office Hours

For more information or help on your application please contact or drop in during ARTS at King Street Station programming office hours, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. on the Third Wednesday and Third Saturday of each month EXCEPT December.

Info

Contact us at arts.culture@seattle.gov or call (206) 684-7171.

APPLY

2020 Studio Residency Award Guidelines

2020 Studio Residency Application

2020 Studio Residency Award Work Sample document

ARTS at King Street Station Studio Facility Information

Rental and Meeting Space

Outside rentals and meeting space booking is not currently available for ARTS at King Street Station.

Special Exhibition and Event Calls

Special opportunties for ARTS at King Street Station coming soon!

Open Date
Now
Close Date
Ongoing
Eligible
Organization
Business
Individual
Youth

ARTS at King Street Station Advisors

About ARTS at King Street Station Advisors

ARTS at King Street Station Advisors is a newly formed group of community leaders and arts/culture enthusiasts who will work with ARTS staff to ensure that the programming at ARTS at King Street Station centers racial equity, represents and welcomes diverse communities, and showcases many creative disciplines. Advisors will serve a two-year term beginning November 2018 and ending October 2020.

ARTS at King Street Station Advisors

To come

Resources

ARTS engaged in an inclusive, city-wide outreach effort in order to hear from the community about their needs (check the #ARTSaboard hashtag on Twitter). Below are reports that capture the feedback and the plans created to address community needs.

ARTS' intention with the new space is to increase opportunities for communities of color to present their work. The dedicated cultural space will provide public access to presentation and creative spaces, ARTS staff and resources, space for city convenings, and professional development and other services that were requested through the outreach process. This is an innovative plan that utilizes an underused city resource to address issues of affordability and livability while preserving the unique creative economy that drives Seattle.

AFrican performers at King Street Station during Create City 2016. Photo by Sunita Martini.

King Street Station Programming Plan (pdf)

ARTS staff worked with the University of Washington Evans School Consulting Lab to produce a research report, "Reimagining King Street Station through a Racial Equity Lens" (May 2018), which is an aspirational document about best practices in cultural space programming.  

Watercolor of King Street Station by Tina Kayoma.

Reimagining King Street Station through a Racial Equity and Social Justice Lens, UW Evans School of Public Policy & Governance
PDF

 2018 King Street Station Community Feedback Report 

King Street Station Community Feedback Report 
PDF (5 MB)

About King Street Station

Historic image of King Street Station

King Street Station is a public asset that is an important part of Seattle's history. For over one hundred years it has improved connections, serving as a gateway for millions of travelers coming into Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. The station has spurred economic growth and helped establish Seattle as a major metropolitan city.

King Street Station first opened to the public in May 1906. Reed and Stem, the architectural firm responsible for New York City's historic Grand Central Terminal, designed the station. The San Marco bell tower of Venice, Italy, served as the model for the building's familiar clock tower. The structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Interior King Street StationKing Street Station, located on Jackson Street between Third and Fourth Avenue S., is a brick and granite three-story building with a twelve-story clock tower. The ground floor, accessed from King Street, is clad in granite. The walls of the second and third floors, as well as the clock tower, are faced in pressed brick with decorative terra cotta elements such as cornices and window lintels.

While much of the exterior of King Street Station has remained intact since the building was constructed in 1906, parts of the interior have been substantially altered and others have suffered neglect. Similarly, while nearly half of the facility's original finishes remain intact, most of the significant finishes in the lower portion of the station have been removed. In March 2008 the City of Seattle purchased the landmark building from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway Company.

Under city ownership, King Street Station underwent a $50 million renovation that achieved the following goals:

Exterior King Steet Station

  • Restore the building's historic character and grandeur
  • Upgrade facilities to meet present and future needs of rail and transit users
  • Enhance passenger safety and security
  • Promote sustainable design with a LEED building certification
  • Support efforts to transform the station into a modern transit hub
  • The station is served by Amtrak Cascades, Coast Starlight and Empire Builder long distance rail lines and Amtrak intercity buses. It includes convenient connections to Sound Transit commuter rail, local and regional buses, Sound Transit Link light rail, and the First Hill Seattle Streetcar.
  • The restoration of King Street Station ensures it remains a critical transportation hub and gateway into Seattle for the next hundred years.

Arts & Culture

royal alley-barnes, Interim Director
Address: 303 S. Jackson Street, Top Floor, Seattle, WA , 98104
Mailing Address: PO Box 94748, Seattle, WA , 98124-4748
Phone: (206) 684-7171
Fax: (206) 684-7172
arts.culture@seattle.gov

Newsletter Updates

Subscribe

Sign up for the latest updates from Arts & Culture

The Office of Arts & Culture promotes the value of arts and culture in, and of, communities throughout Seattle. It strives to ensure that a wide range of high-quality artistic experiences are available to everyone, encourage artist-friendly arts and cultural policy.