Seattle Culture
Backstory: Seeing the Light
The Woodworth Apartment Building now features an art display
By Rob Smith October 11, 2021
This article originally appeared in the October 2021 issue of Seattle magazine.
That huge, colorful display of art you may have noticed while passing by the intersection of 10th Avenue and East Union Street is here to stay.
The new Woodworth Apartment Building now features a rotating, 60-foot-tall projected art show curated by different artists. It will light up every night at dusk year-round. New installations will appear every two months.
Such a grandiose display of public art is the brainchild of Woodworth developer SeaLevel Properties, the Capitol Hill Arts District and Sensebellum, a Bellingham company that “creates new sensory possibilities.”
“The building design included a blank wall that would provide an opportunity for large scale artwork,” says Kyle Weeks, SeaLevel’s director of multifamily development, who notes that the canvas will be utilized by local artists for years to come. “From the beginning, we wanted this to be reserved for local artists and community creativity.”
The initial display launched this past summer and featured photographs taken during the pandemic by Seattle artist and photographer LeLeita McKill. That project was originally commissioned by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.
Capitol Hill Arts District Chairperson Terry Novak says she hopes other neighborhoods replicate the project given that new construction is rapidly changing the city’s skyline.
“The launch of this project really feels like a grand reopening of the neighborhood,” Novak says. “It’s a chance to bring the community together for the first time in a long time.”
The 60-unit Woodworth opened last year.