“Animal Silhouettes” by Michiko Tanaka was installed in 2014 but painted over in 2021.
A new mural will be going up this summer on the north retaining wall of the N 63rd St underpass at Aurora Ave N near Green Lake. This site has hosted murals since the ‘90s, the most recent of which, Michiko Tanaka’s “Animal Silhouettes” was painted in 2014. A dedicated group of community members helped the artwork outlive its 5-year life expectancy, but it was eventually covered in graffiti and painted over in 2021.
Now, thanks to a grant from the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, the Phinney Neighborhood Association is heading up a project to install a new mural this summer at the location. They are looking for artists and community groups (tribes and Indian organizations, nonprofit organizations, businesses, schools, cooperatives, trade unions, cultural organizations, churches, collectives, foundations, student groups, neighborhood groups, mutual aid groups, and more) to get involved. Five artists and five community groups will be selected by a committee made up of arts professionals and community members to design and paint the new mural. Artists receive $3,000 each and community groups receive $1,000 each to maintain the mural for the next five years.
More information and the applications can be found on the PNA’s website: phinneycenter.org/63rd-st-mural/. Applications must be submitted by May 31, 2023. Email questions to Jonathan Booker, Community Programs Director for the PNA, at [email protected].
