Celebrating 50 years of Art in Public Places and Washington's State Art Collection | |
On May 5, 1974, Governor Dan Evans signed a bill to create Washington's Art in Public Places (AIPP) program. Washington was only the second country in the nation—after Hawaii—to create a state-funded program for public art. | |
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In the decades that followed, AIPP grew from an ambitious idea into an industrious program working in every corner of Washington State. The number of artworks in the State Art Collection expanded to over 5,000 pieces across a wide range of materials, sizes, and styles.
Washington's State Art Collection is now recognized as a world-class assemblage of artworks, featuring pieces by George Tsutakawa, Jacob Lawrence, and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith—all located where people study, work, and live.
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"Art inspires deeper thought, deeper communication." | |
Senator Matt Boehnke (left) and a colleague explore Infinite Humanity (2017) by Todd Benson, located at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Washington. ArtsWA would like to thank Columbia Basin College for their generous collaboration. | |
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"[Public art] gives an opportunity to not just build buildings, but to build culture, the spirit of our community." —Sen. Matt Boehnke, 8th Legislative District
What does public art mean to the people who live and work alongside it every day? This year, we traveled across the state to speak with students, legislators, artists, and more to find out. Click the image above or this link to watch.
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Artist spotlight: Marita Dingus
"What better thing to do than to make art of things that people would be throwing away?"
Marita Dingus is an African American feminist and environmental artist who uses discarded and recycled materials. Explore Marita's work on My Public Art Portal.
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Collections: Preserving a legacy | |
Conservation lead Gabriel Brown installs Bonnie Bronson’s Metal Sculpture (1976) at Ferndale High School. | |
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The AIPP Collections team routinely collaborates to maintain and repair the 5,000 artworks that make up the State Art Collection. They combine expertise and contribute extra hands. They learn from and with each other. Our partner agencies—the K-12 schools, colleges, universities, and state agencies that host the State Art Collection—are also essential to this work. They make their campuses available, provide lifts, access to water, and even additional helping hands.
Last fiscal year, our staff worked at 61 public facilities across 16 counties. This effective team—supplemented by specialized contractors—repaired and maintained nearly 350 artworks, an increase of 40% over the prior year.
Check out just some of our projects past and present!
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Conservation lead Jonathan Hickerson cleans and applies a protective wax coating to John Buck’s Red Horse Capture (1991) at Washington State University in Pullman. | |
Students at Poulsbo Elementary celebrate the cleaning of Ken Lundemo’s Langskip Norseland Spirit (1976), the first artwork commissioned for Washington’s State Art Collection. | |
Conservation technician Alcamy Henriksen heats James Lee Hansen’s Naga Spore (1975) before applying a protective wax coating. The artwork is on permanent display at Pleasant Valley Elementary in Battle Ground. | |
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Artist spotlight: Joe Feddersen
"We all have things to share that make this a better place."
Joe Feddersen (Okanagan and Arrow Lakes) explores the complex relationship between contemporary and native symbolism. Explore Joe's work on My Public Art Portal.
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Acquisitions: New works, new voices | |
Christie Tirado fabricating Medicinal Tapestry (2024) located at the WSU Riverside Campus in Spokane, Washington. | |
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Washington State sets aside half of one percent of new building construction costs for public art. Local committees then partner with AIPP to select artworks that will be permanently displayed on their campuses or in their buildings. Through collaborative meetings, these panels select artists from the Public Artist Roster and share feedback during the design process.
We recently made updates to the Public Artist Roster to increase diversity. The results were remarkable: the representation of BIPOC artists more than doubled, with representation of Black, Native, and Hispanic artists growing at the greatest rates.
We also purchase existing artworks with help from our Curator Roster, often with a focus on acquiring new voices for the State Art Collection.
ArtsWA partners with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Schools to bring public art into new K-12 schools across the state. These artworks account for nearly 2/3 of the Collection, unusual for a state public art program. Check out some of our recent acquisitions!
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Artist spotlight: RYAN! Feddersen
"Art is how we tell ourselves who we are as a society."
RYAN! Feddersen (Okanogan and Arrow Lakes) creates site-specific installations, public artworks, murals, and more. Explore RYAN!'s work on My Public Art Portal.
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Looking forward: the next 50 years | |
Area C Projects, Entwine, 2024. Washington State University, Pullman. Photo courtesy the artists. | |
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AIPP is excited to continue building a more inclusive and representative Collection that truly reflects all Washingtonians.
One way we’re doing this is by updating the Public Artist Roster criteria to highlight artistic excellence, shifting the focus away from past public art experience. We’re also prioritizing the selection of artworks from underrepresented artists in our curated collection process.
We’re embracing fresh, innovative approaches in our acquisition practices to better serve artists and the communities that host their work. For example, we’ve invested in a new platform for the Public Artist Roster, making it easier for artists to apply and for local committees to review portfolios. And we’re focusing on saving time, travel costs, and carbon emissions by integrating remote meetings into our committee process.
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CLEARING (2015) by Jill Anholt, located at Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen, Washington. | |
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We’re also fostering collaborations with architects and contractors right from the design phase, ensuring art seamlessly integrates with architecture. Recent legislative efforts allow partner agencies to borrow 10% of anticipated artwork funds during the design stage, and we’ve seen great success with projects like Leo Saul Berk at Everett Community College and Jill Anholt at Spokane Falls Community College.
Additionally, we’re advocating to increase public art investment from ½% to 1% of the state’s construction costs for new buildings. This will enhance our public spaces, support a thriving ecosystem for artists, tradespeople, and materials suppliers, and help preserve our invaluable State Art Collection.
Let’s make the next 50 years vibrant together.
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