EDMONDS – Artists have been asked to consider the aesthetic possibilities of one stretch of Highway 99 in Edmonds.
The area was designated as the Edmonds International District in 2004, said Edmonds Cultural Services Manager Frances White Chapin. Early this year, the city won a Transportation Enhancement Grant worth $316,000 to “brand” the area so that it is easily identifiable as an international district.
Nearly one-third of that money will be used for artwork to be installed along the corridor.
“This will give a more visible identity to an area that clearly is a cluster of international and ethnic businesses,” Chapin said.
Artists are asked to submit proof of their qualifications for the project by July 20. Artists with experience in public projects, particularly those who have created art for transit areas, are preferred, Chapin said.
Up to three artists will be awarded a $1,000 honorarium to create proposals for artwork. The honorariums will be provided by the Edmonds Arts Commission and the Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation.
The designs must fulfill state and local highway requirements in terms of safety and visibility, Chapin said. The finished product can be one piece of art, or a series of pieces designed to stretch throughout the district.
One artist will be selected in October for the project.
“Whatever they design, they need to show us why it’s worth $100,000,” Chapin said.
The money will be used for supplies and installation, as well as payment to the artist. The artwork will be installed by late next year.
The remaining $216,000 from the Transportation Enhancement Grant will be used for landscaping and new streetlights.
The Edmonds International District stretches between 238th Street and 224th Street on State Route 99. The area is home to a handful of Asian grocery stores and retailers, including the sprawling 99 Ranch Market, a Chinese-owned grocery superstore, and Boo Han Plaza Oriental Market, a Korean-owned strip mall.
Shops and services owned and staffed by immigrants from around the world fill in the spaces between the two plazas.
Such stores can be found all along the highway, not just in Edmonds, said Boo Han Plaza owner Jae Han. From Tacoma to Everett, travelers pass hundreds of stores offering goods from around the world.
“It’s difficult for newer immigrants to find certain locations, but when it’s highway 99, everyone knows where it is,” Han said.
Signs identifying the Edmonds International District and pedestrian-friendly sidewalks will draw Americans as well as the Asian immigrants who already frequent his stores.
“When you’re in one area, it’s a lot easier to shop, especially when people can walk from plaza to plaza,” he said.
Reporter Krista J. Kapralos: 425-339-3422 or kkapralos@heraldnet.com.
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