Organizer Information
WALK DONT RUN is a large-scale, community-driven public art initiative based in Seattle. The event is produced by Friends of Walk Don’t Run in collaboration with the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, an institution known for supporting public art, cultural programming, and artist-led urban interventions across the city.
The initiative positions itself within the framework of temporary urban activation, transforming everyday infrastructure—sidewalks, plazas, storefronts, and transit corridors—into a distributed exhibition and performance environment. Rather than a centralized festival model, WALK DONT RUN adopts a linear, pedestrian-based format, encouraging audiences to physically move through the city while encountering multidisciplinary artistic practices.
This model aligns with contemporary curatorial strategies that prioritize accessibility, site-responsiveness, and public engagement, making it particularly relevant for artists interested in socially engaged practices, performative interventions, and non-traditional exhibition formats.
Title & Description
WALK DONT RUN: Artist Call 2026
WALK DONT RUN is an open call for artists to participate in a 20-block public art walking event taking place across downtown Seattle on September 19, 2026 (10:00 AM – 6:00 PM). The event route stretches from Westlake Park to Occidental Square, activating a continuous urban corridor with artistic interventions.
Selected artists will present work in outdoor and semi-public environments, including parks, plazas, sidewalks, steps, and vacant commercial spaces. The program emphasizes direct audience interaction, encouraging artists to develop projects that respond to movement, public space, and spontaneous engagement.
Proposals may include live performance, installations, sound-based work, or hybrid formats, with flexibility in duration and spatial configuration. Artists are encouraged to consider how their work adapts to an open-air, weather-dependent context and how it interacts with diverse, non-specialist audiences.
The curatorial team will assemble a balanced program across disciplines, focusing on variety, accessibility, and spatial distribution along the walking route.
Categories
- Visual Art
- Performance (dance, theatre, performance art, circus, etc.)
- Music
- Interdisciplinary / Other
Eligibility
- Open to local, national, and international artists
- Open to individual artists, collectives, and organizations
- No explicit age restriction mentioned
- Artists working across all career stages (emerging to established) are eligible
- Applicants must be able to execute work in an outdoor, public-space context
- Proposals should be feasible within logistical constraints (space, power, setup time)
While not explicitly restricted, the event’s infrastructure and contracting process suggest a preference for artists who can legally receive payment (W-9 or W-8 submission required).
Program Benefits & Awards
- Artist Fees: Typically between $300 – $1,000 per project
- Maximum compensation can reach up to $2,500, depending on scale and duration
- Opportunity to present work within a high-visibility public art event
- Exposure to large, diverse audiences in a central urban setting
- Inclusion in a curated multidisciplinary program
- Potential access to local resource networks (production or logistical support, depending on availability)
Payments are issued as a single post-event check, contingent upon successful participation and completion.
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- Artist Name (public/professional name)
- Legal Name (for contracting)
- Contact Information (phone and email)
- Primary portfolio link (website or platform such as Vimeo, Instagram, etc.)
- Optional secondary/collaborator link
- Number of participants/contributors
- Art-making location (ZIP code)
- Title of the work (optional)
- Project description (clear, concise concept)
- Audience participation strategy
- Preferred location type(s)
- Duration of presentation
Logistical Information:
- Location preference along the route
- Spatial footprint
- Power requirements
- Set-up and strike time
- Additional technical or infrastructural needs
Optional:
- Supporting materials (via Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.)
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 15 May 2026
- Notification of Results: 10 July 2026
- Contract Distribution: July 10 – July 25, 2026
- Event Date: 19 September 2026
Location
Seattle, Washington, United States
Additional Details
- Event occurs rain or shine, requiring weather-resilient proposals
- Electricity access is extremely limited; low-tech or self-powered works are encouraged
- Artists may be assigned locations at the discretion of the curatorial team, regardless of preference
- Projects can be stationary or roam along the route
- Emphasis on audience interaction and accessibility
- Artists must sign a contract with KIRA BURGE LLC dba WALK DONT RUN and associated partners
- Payment is processed after event completion, not in advance
This opportunity is particularly suitable for artists working in:
- Public art
- Social practice
- Participatory performance
- Urban intervention
- Experimental and hybrid formats