Art in Public Spaces
There’s art all around Kenmore if you know where to look for it!
AOK plays a vital role supporting public art installations through project management under the AOK Umbrella program.
Kenmore City Hall Gallery
The Kenmore City Hall Gallery is a building design feature at City Hall to promote the City’s goal of supporting local Arts & Culture for the benefit of our citizens.
The City contracts AOK to curate a rotation of exhibits annually highlighting Fine Arts and cultural diversity representing our community.
City Gallery engages 9,700 visitors annually to variety of genre and themes traditional and experimental in Recycled Textiles, Latino Arte, Street Art, Kenmore Heritage Society artifacts, and Kenmore public school’s music and literacy programs.
Kenmore City Hall. 18120 68th Ave NE, Kenmore WA 98028.
Open to the public M-F 9am-5pm. Free guided tours available upon request.
2024 Schedule
June 5-June 20, 2024: Kenmore Middle School art student showcase.
Celebrate the end of the year with this colorful display of student artwork.
July 8-August 30, 2024: Maren Oates
Printmaking and Mixed Media
September-October 2024: Selections from the Alan Riley art collection.Alan Riley was a prolific Kenmore educator and artist. After his passing, his artwork was donated to the Arts of Kenmore by his estate. A selection of the hundreds of pieces will be up for the public to enjoy.
URBAN PRIDE Mural Art Project 2023 — FAQ
What does the project entail?
The Downtown Interactive Urban Art Installation seeks to paint a mural of the nationally recognized Chevron PRIDE flag onto the front steps at Kenmore City Hall to raise awareness and support LGBTQ+ persons and send a general message that all diversity, equity and inclusivity is welcome & supported in Kenmore.
When is the Community Paint Day?
August 5 & 6
Who proposed this idea?
Spearheaded by a group of residents, the Urban PRIDE Committee (Committee) formed to contract under the Arts of Kenmore 501(c)3 Fiscal Umbrella Initiative. This resident-driven project is produced by AOK in compliance with the City’s Public Art Policy. AOK Umbrella provides fiscal oversight, EIN access for tax-deductible donations, IRS reporting, liability coverage, and project facilitation.
How is this being funded?
Funding for supplies is provided by private donations raised by the Committee. Labor is provided by the Arts of Kenmore and the Committee and community volunteers. The City’s Public Works dept managed power washing the steps prior to painting and applying anti-graffiti coating after completion.
Why is it at City Hall?
A rainbow crosswalk was originally proposed, but given maintenance issues, staff workload, and engineering concerns, staff proposed several other alternatives, including the steps at City Hall. The Committee chose the steps idea, further developed it, and AOK presented it to the City Council on May 22, 2023, on behalf of the Committee.
Was the public notified and able to comment before the City Council approved the proposal?
AOK submitted the final presentation to the City on May 2 and again on May 18 when it published in the City Council’s agenda for the May 22, 2023 meeting. Unfortunately, due to communications mixup the proposal in detail was not published on the agenda until the afternoon of the May 22 meeting. The City Council approved the installation 6 to 1 during the May 22, 2023, meeting and subsequently held a public special meeting on June 5 to further discuss the project at which time no votes were changed and the project was given the go-ahead.
It is important to inform the public that privately funded art installations such as the Pride Steps, the native design art panels and bridge medallion at Tl’awh-ah-dees Park, or the Veterans Memorial bench on City Hall’s veranda, and even the City’s utility box wraps are non-infrastructural installations in compliance with the City’s Public Art Policy and not subject to public comment.
What art projects are next?
Over raised funds and supplies from this installation will be appropriated to an “Intersectionality” project in 2024. AOK will partner with the City to commission four culturally appropriated artists to design and paint the sidewalk corners at the main intersection leading into Town Square. This extension project is inline with our DEIA goals to better serve disenfranchised community.
AOK continues to partner with the City as a leader in arts industry best practices. This project has brought to the forefront a need to redress the City’s Public Art Policy, created in 2013, and update appropriations going forward.
Little Free Library & Pantry at Mary’s Place
Kenmore Elementary PTA’s Racial and Educational Justice committee and Mary’s Place Northshore collaborated to install a Free Little Library and Pantry within the theme of “Community.” The perfect blend of public art serving a purpose: adding beauty to the neighborhood and bringing community together by supporting food insecurity and literacy with our neighbors. Elisabeth Lepine lead the project management, and design concepts were created by Isabel Vannoy (KE 5th grader) and Carmen Huerta Garcia (Spain au pair). Mary’s Place Northshore offers shelter and services for families experiencing homelessness in King County. We are Kenmore!
Popup Storywalk
Promoting children’s literacy, health, and art appreciation through deconstructed storybooks in outdoor community spaces. PopUp StoryWalk is driven by local powerhouse mom’s Elisabeth, Jasmin and Beth, and empowered by the AOK Umbrella program. #GetOutdoors #GetReading
Kenmore Mural Project at St Vincent de Paul
A visual story of the people and places that have made Kenmore a destination since 1901.
The mural was designed and created by local artists A. Gaul Culley and Staci Adman in the summer of 2016. Located on the west-facing exterior wall of the building along 73rd Avenue NE, is 188ft long by 12 feet tall and considered to be the longest mural in King County, and one of the longest murals in the state of Washington.
“This mural is a significant contribution to Kenmore’s 20-year vision of “a community that is inclusive and family friendly, with a small town feeling that fosters a sense of belonging and pride and supports local arts, culture and history.” – A. Gaul Culley and Staci Adman
Kenmore community rallied support with a City Gallery exhibition of the original drawings, special coloring books at Snapdoodle Toys, a gala at the Inglemoor Country Club hosted by auctioneer Bob Hensel of James G. Murphy, a .01 FunRun at the 192 Brewing Co, and an official ribbon-cutting event dedicating the mural to the City.
The City of Kenmore and the KMP artists were featured in The Association of Washington Cities’ City Vision magazine July 2016, examining how the “Labors of Love” transform and industrial space into a sense of place and belonging.
Legends Bench
A gathering place at Rhododendron Park, overlooking the playgrounds and adding to the beauty of the park.
Legends Bench is a memorial to Sarah Paulson and Caleb Shoop, whom tragically lost their lives to pedestrian/auto accidents in March 2014. Commissioned by their families, the structure is designed to reflect their outstanding characters: durable, creative, adventurous, curious. The moniker, Legends Live Forever, is an amalgam of quotes from the Legend of Zelda and Babe Ruth, “Heroes may die, but legends live forever.”
Created by stone artist Woody Morris, the permanent art installation is 3 tons of basalt boulders flanking two slate benches purposefully assembled in an ‘S’ shape facing sunrise and sunset. Inscriptions carved into the structure represent Sarah’s lasting spirit and Caleb’s favorite poem by Shannon Alder, “The Voyager.”
I am in the moon, the wind, and the whale’s evening song
A smile takes just a moment, but the memory of her smile will last forever.
Legends Bench project was dedicated on June 2, 2019, and gifted by the families to the City of Kenmore.
Let’s Beautify This!
SR522 Beautification Projects
How an innocent vision became one of the most unique, if not infamous, temporary art installations in Kenmore history.
The SR522 Beautification Projects, a.k.a. Let’s Beautify This!, was born from the City’s For the Love of Kenmore workshop in 2015. Dennis Mendrey and Kent Sturgis were just two fellas attending the event and imagined the CalPortland concrete plant tanks painted with a fun design. When they won the Best Idea vote and $500 seed money, they contracted under the AOK Fiscal Umbrella program to make it happen.
The artwork, “Heron’s View” by Joe Wuts, was selected from 366 ballots cast by the general public at a City Gallery art competition. The image was printed onto 32-foot by 47-foot vinyl mesh canvas by Lang Media Graphics, and brilliantly installed, and uninstalled, by the CalPortland facility engineers.
The temporary installation was removed in 2021 and banner materials were upcycled into tote bags to keep waste out of landfill. Ecologic Designs in Boulder, CO, contracts cottage industry across the U.S. so our totes were manufactured locally in Burien! Totes are available as your gift for supporting AOK $45 donation – it’s like owning a piece of Kenmore art history!
The City’s For the Love of Kenmore initiative was initially directed by Peter Kageyama, author, urban planner and city activist.