Local artists wanted to design limited-edition ORCA Cards

Applications due by 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 5.

4Culture and King County Metro Transit are searching for three local artists to design limited-edition ORCA Cards to celebrate new RapidRide lines in the region.

The limited-edition One Regional Card for All (ORCA) Cards will be used to inaugurate new lines of the RapidRide Expansion project and will include original artwork from the selected artists.

A local emerging artist between the ages of 16-25 will be selected for each of the three new RapidRide lines.

The three artists will be part of a cohort advised by a mentoring artist, selected by 4Culture, to help guide thought and creation processes of the original artwork through technical requirements and reviews by 4Culture Public Art Advisory Committee (PAAC) and other county partners.

Artists are allocated a $2,000 budget. The project runs from June through September.

Visual or graphic artists ages 16-25 from King, Kitsap, Mason, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston and Whatcom counties are welcome to apply. Those with non-traditional and out-of-school training are encouraged to apply, according to 4Culture.

4Culture also hopes to recruit artists with personal connections to the places, contexts and culture specific to each RapidRide line.

To be considered, applicants must share a portfolio of six work samples from within the past three years and should indicate if and why they have interest in creating artwork for a specific line, or state general interest in any of the three lines.

The limited-edition ORCA cards will be utilized across all Metro routes, though the commissioned artwork will be inspired by unique features of the three newest RapidRide lines: H Line connecting Burien, Westwood Village and Seattle (Delridge); G Line connecting Madison and Seattle (via Madison Street); and I Line connecting Renton, Kent and Auburn.

Two upcoming, informal drop-in workshops via Zoom are available for interested applicants to meet 4Culture staff and receive insight on the application process.

The first workshop is from 5-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 21, and the second workshop is from noon to 1:30 p.m. Friday, April 23. To register, visit 4culture.org.

The deadline for ORCA Card design applications is 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 5. To complete an application or for more information, visit apply.4culture.org.