Climate Pledge Arena Public Art Plan
Seattle Arena Company; Seattle, WA; 2019.
Public art has been installed in the public realm surrounding Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, based on a Public Art Plan produced by Haddad|Drugan for Oak View Group and Seattle Arena Company. Climate Pledge Arena is a redevelopment of a landmark structure built for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. The redevelopment preserved the historic roof, structure, and facades, while completely rebuilding the interior spaces and surrounding plazas. Haddad|Drugan collaborated with the design team to incorporate interactive art experiences into the plazas, with a goal of reinforcing Arena identity by evoking wonder, joy, reflection, curiosity, remembrance, and belonging. The public art is one of the first things people encounter upon arriving at an event and among the last things they experience when leaving.
View the full Climate Pledge Arena Public Art Plan.
A conceptual framework for art was derived from research about the project and place and conversations with stakeholders. (Photograph by Sunni Martini.)
The art plan identified eight permanent art opportunities of diverse scale and media, including sculpture, lighting, mosaic, mural, paving, seating, and illustrative etched panels. The artists who developed these projects are all from the Seattle region and include Haddad|Drugan, Norie Sato, Iole Alessandrini, Gerard Tsutakawa, Preston Singletary & David Franklin, Megan Kelso, and Jeffrey Veregge. Haddad|Drugan’s projects are North Light and Axis Lounge.
Goals for the art plan were developed by Haddad|Drugan through conversations with project stakeholders and the design team.
As part of the art plan, Haddad|Drugan analyzed the Arena site and its context, including how adjacencies to Arena plazas affect their character. Natural gathering areas were identified as Collecting Places.
The art plan drew inspiration from Paul Thiry’s historic “Century 21” architecture as well as the Arena’s past, present, and future as a civic gathering place, sports and entertainment venue, heart of the community, and witness to an evolving city and region.
In 2018, Haddad|Drugan hosted a booth at a public open house for the Arena development, sharing the conceptual framework of the art plan, inspirational research, and precedent examples of potential artworks.
The art plan includes detailed information about each art opportunity, including locations, program, potential media, themes, site conditions, artist qualifications, and collaborators.