Since 1973, the city of Seattle has maintained an active art-in-public-places program that commissions new work or purchases existing artworks by contemporary artists. More than 800 artworks have been added to the city's collection in the past decade, with funding supplied from the city's One Percent for Art ordinance, the National Endowment for the Arts Art in Public Places grants, and private donations. Both temporary and permanent projects have been explored, as well as partnerships with downtown businesses and with other government agencies.

. . . Seattle's experience has included some unique projects for nontraditional sites. These efforts have explored specifically urban sites as well as the possibilities for collaborative design of public facilities. This experimentation shares the stage with the traditions of purchasing artists work from the studio or commissioning sculpture for parks and plazas. (p. 17)