How to find a mural-style or outdoor-art artist in Seattle?

April 30, 2021 9:41 AM

Would like to commission a large (approx 4'x4') outdoor artwork to put on the outside of our house, preferably a painting on (outdoor-safe) board, but open to other options too. (Ideally, would prefer a BIPOC artist and/or someone with deep roots in the Seattle area who is interested in executing their own vision.) Where could I start looking for such an artist?
posted by splitpeasoup to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

Best answer: Well, henry is the classic option (he does the trippy wizards and sasquatches you see all over the city, both on garage doors and on light poles, been working for over 20 years) but if you're looking to branch out a bit more I recommend taking a walk around Capitol Hill, specifically the Pike/Pine corridor between Harvard and 14th, and browse the large scale art that's been installed since the pandemic. A lot is still there, even though places aren't as boarded up, and most have a hashtag, website or at least artist name visible.

Another option is to check out the list of artists who contributed to the BLM street mural on Pine (there's 16, if i recall correctly!) You're sure to find people who are in marginalized groups, are experienced with large scale public art, are local and are likely willing to at least quote a price.
posted by Grim Fridge at 9:56 AM on April 30, 2021

Best answer: How about asking Wa Na Wari?

Sited in a fifth-generation, Black-owned home, Wa Na Wari is an immersive community art project that reclaims Black cultural space and makes a statement about the importance of Black land ownership in gentrified communities. Our mission is to create space for ​Black ownership, possibility, and belonging ​through art, historic preservation, and connection.

Zahyr Lauren did a lovely mural in the CHOP/CHAZ...
Profile on Wa Na Wari site
Artist site
posted by umber vowel at 10:38 AM on April 30, 2021 [2 favorites]

Instagram? I don't mean to be cheeky, but if you check #Seattlepublicart #BLMSeattle or similar tags, you are bound to go down a bit of a rabbit hole AND find samples of work you might like.
posted by Juniper Toast at 11:43 AM on April 30, 2021

Best answer: Contact the Duwamish tribe for artists featured in their spring market? Look at the circle of artists for NW Folklife this year? May 25-28 there's the Circle of Indigenous Peoples Celebration, if you reach out to folks when you go there or contact some of the organizers that might bear fruit.

There are also the artists selected for The Signal Box Project in Burien last year. Contact information and galleries for each artist are available at the link.
posted by VelveteenBabbitt at 1:37 PM on April 30, 2021

Best answer: Desmond Hansen has been painting signal boxes with musicians and community leaders, etc. for quite a few years in West Seattle and branched out elsewhere. He's not BIPOC but he frequently paints people who are, and seems like a pretty good egg.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 12:19 PM on May 1, 2021