Overview:
The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture is seeking artists to submit proposals for public art installations and exhibitions in 2026 under the theme "We Still Dream a Future." The initiative is part of Mayor Bruce Harrell's Downtown Activation Plan, which aims to support Seattle's creative workforce and expand public arts engagement. Nearly $900,000 in grant funding is available for the project, which will focus on civic and economic revitalization through artist- and community-led programming. The project will build on the Hope Corps framework, an effort to support Seattle's creative workforce and expand public arts engagement.
With nearly $900,000 in grant funding available, the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture is calling on artists to help reimagine Downtown Seattle through transformative public art installations and exhibitions in 2026 under the theme “We Still Dream a Future.”
The initiative combines two separate calls into one unified vision, inviting proposals that inspire resilience, creativity, and collective hope. Grant awards range from $10,000 to $50,000. Applications are due by June 3 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time, with multilingual guidelines and video tutorials available to support applicants.
“There is no Downtown recovery without arts recovery,” said Kate Fernandez, Downtown Activations Supervisor. “We will invest nearly $900,000 to provide free programming downtown, at King Street Station and nearby neighborhoods, throughout 2026 with this call.”
Part of Mayor Bruce Harrell’s Downtown Activation Plan, the project focuses on civic and economic revitalization through artist- and community-led programming. Locations include the Chinatown-International District, Pioneer Square, the Stadium District, and public plazas at Union Station and King Street Station, as well as exhibitions at ARTS at King Street Station.
“This is the power of art,” said James Coley, Program Lead at ARTS at King Street Station. “When we see what could be, hear it, touch it, experience it, then what we imagine becomes something more. Through art, all that is possible takes a step toward becoming real. In this spirit, we proudly declare our many rich identities; we boldly imagine our future together, even now. Especially now.”
The 2026 programming builds on the Hope Corps framework, an effort to support Seattle’s creative workforce and expand public arts engagement. A major focus will be summer activations—free outdoor events designed to attract residents and tourists during peak visitation months.
Artists and community members have already seen the power of these programs.
“Art is a big part of what we can do to move forward,” said Aaron Asis of Belltown United, a 2023–2024 Hope Corps grantee. “If [artists] are not here, and they are not supporting the cultural climate and fabric of Seattle, then we end up in a city that nobody wants to live in.”
Attendees say the events also offer meaningful emotional connection. “There was an aliveness to the evening,” said Putsata Reang, describing a past activation at King Street Station. “A sense of a space that could hold not only all of us, but all of the many emotions we have been carrying since November 2024.”
For some, it’s the realization of long-held dreams. “[ARTS at King Street Station] has allowed me to fulfill one of my dreams,” said Xavier Lopez, curator of the On the Edge International Latinx Performance Festival. “To begin to create a community of Latine/Latinx performance artists in Seattle—something that Seattle has not had before.”
The Office of Arts & Culture invites artists to imagine what’s possible—and to help make it real.
