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New Year, New Art: Announcing Our Recent Portable Purchase

DebiLynn Fendley. Almost Legend, 2016. Graphite and ink on paper. 16 x 20 inches. King County Public Art Collection.

Did you know that King County has an art collection? We’re proud to be its caretakers, and thrilled to announce that it just got bigger!

Of the more than 2,300 works in the collection, about 1,700 are considered “portable.” This means they can be easily moved and installed in publicly accessible areas of county facilities. Last summer, we put out a call for photographs and works on paper—drawings, paintings, prints, mixed media, and more. It was our first opportunity to purchase new portable art for the collection since 2013, and over 300 artists responded. A panel of arts professionals and county representatives reviewed the submissions, and in late 2018 we acquired 82 original artworks by the following artists:

Humaira Abid Linda Emmerman Janet Marcavage
Michael Acker DebiLynn Fendley Kelda Martensen
David Adams Natalie Fobes Dorothy McGuinness
John Armstrong Joseph Freeman, Jr. Leleita Mckill
Cynthia Back Karen Hackenberg Katie Miller
Jessixa Bagley Sharon Lee Hart Marilyn Montufar
Sean Barton Colleen Hayward Saya Moriyasu
Deanne Belinoff David Hytone Paul Newman
Louisiana Bendolph Etsuko Ichikawa Cory Peeke
Mary Lee Bendolph Eirik Johnson Mary Ann Peters
Elizabeth Bennett Iskra Johnson Peter Rand
Gala Bent Caroline Kapp Ann Chadwick Reid
Amanda L. Burnham Michael  Kenna Glenn Rudolph
Romson Regarde Bustillo Dave Kennedy Juliet Shen
Dawn Cerny Thendara Kida-Gee Akio Takamori
MalPina Chan Amanda Knowles Jennifer Timmer Trail
Timothy Cross Paul Komada Kimberly Trowbridge
Pat De Caro Dianne Kornberg Thuy-Van Vu
Peter de Lory Nancy Goodman Lawrence Sadie Wechsler
Cecelia DeLeon Fulgencio Lazo Jingzi Zhao
Michele Domingo Hung Liu Jennifer Zwick
Tallmadge Doyle Alejandro Macias
Phil Eidenberg-Noppe Victor Maldonado

 

Formally accessioned, framed, and accompanied by interpretive text, the pieces are now ready to install. Collection Curator Jordan Howland and Preparator Guy Merrill are busy helping King County staff select new work to enliven their spaces.

We thank everyone who applied for this opportunity, and welcome these incredible artists into the King County Public Art Collection!