Seattle City Light is joining with the Office of Arts and Culture to create new artworks across Seattle that will highlight the uses and benefits of renewable solar energy. The premier component will be a Capitol Hill Gateway Kiosk project. The goal is to have the new work in place on the Hill in a yet to be announced location by the sunny summer of 2015.

“The Capitol Hill Gateway Kiosk will serve two main purposes. It will be a gateway/informational kiosk to the newly formed Capitol Hill Arts District which will be publicly announced on November 15, and it will also be a stand-alone artwork that uses or demonstrates solar power,” Calandra Childers of the Office of Arts and Culture told CHS.

The call for artists began in late September. Artists are encouraged to apply by November 5, 2014. Any Washington resident may apply.

The Capitol Hill Project is seeking an artist who will work with photovoltaic panels activated by solar power. Three selected finalists will each receive $1,500 to come up with a concept proposal. The selected proposal has a total budget of $70,000. The Capitol Hill Project is being funded jointly by Seattle City Light and the Office of Arts and Culture.

Once selected, the artist will work with the Seattle City Light and the Office of Arts and Culture to develop and install the photovoltaic artwork on Capitol Hill. “The artwork will be most likely placed in street right of way or a park on Capitol Hill,” the call for artists on the project reads. “The city partners will work to identify viable locations.”

As far as creativity is concerned, the project is very much dependent on the ideas put forward by the artists. “The selected artists will be able to determine how they want to incorporate solar power into their artwork,” Childers said. “We rely on them to bring ideas and proposals.”

Childers said the project’s goal is to help Capitol Hill build its recognition as an art district. It will also serve to educate the public by incorporating messages about solar energy, its conservation and sustainability.

Despite Seattle’s reputation for clouds and rain, Capitol Hill’s solar creativity has a significant base to start with. In 2013, the super green Bullitt Center office building opened on E Madison’s slope where it generated 252,560 kWh of clean energy in its first year thanks to the building’s massive photovoltaic roof panels. Also ready to light it up is Capitol Hill Housing’s Holiday Apartments community solar project. The plan to install community funded solar panels atop the affordable apartments is planned as one of the first big projects for the Capitol Hill Ecodistrict.

Meanwhile, the city is also looking for six more artists to help create similar proposals for two more solar projects for other parts of the city.

You can apply for any and all of the projects here.