Job security + $10 grand: Artist sought to cover light rail construction wall with art

Guess I’ll catch the next one… Photo: JHallgren

While we were covering Thursday night’s Sound Transit light rail construction meeting, we got a note from the agency’s art program manager Barbara Luecke about an interesting job opening for an area artist.

Sound Transit is looking for somebody to organize the effort to display art on the huge plywood walls that will surround the work site for the next six years. ST has a $10,000 budget for the project.

Given how many times we’ll walk by it, we need to help them find somebody of highest quality. We’re talking Chihuly-esque, here. Also given how long it’s going to take to complete the construction — 2016! — this might one of the most secure art jobs… ever.

LEAD ARTIST DUTIES:

The lead artist will:

• Participate in selecting additional artists for the project through a selection panel process, as well

as encouraging artists to apply to the opportunity;

• Oversee the placement and development of projects and elements that will be attached to the wall

to ensure aesthetic appeal during the next five years:

o temporary artworks,

o Sound Transit and construction contractor signage, and

o a neighborhood identification project that should involve the public in its creation;

• Contribute to shaping as well as placing the neighborhood identification material;

• Collaborate with Sound Transit in making sure any weight, material and technical issues are met;

• Create a framework for further capturing and conveying stories from Capitol Hill that was begun

with previous art site work.

The lead artist is eligible to create his or her own temporary artwork for the Construction Wall project.