Public Art Plan

The City of Burien and Burien Arts Commission are developing a long-range public art plan for Burien. The five to ten-year plan will help guide how Burien’s public art funding is used and the type and location of new public art.

Get Involved

The community is invited to take a survey and provide feedback on the priorities that should guide the development of the final public art plan. The survey is open through December 31, 2021.

Drafts of the plan will be discussed during Arts Commission meetings where the public is invited to comment during the public comment period. Meetings occur during the fourth Tuesday of the month, 6:30–8 p.m., on Zoom.

Project Timeline

  • Community feedback gathered - October through December - 2021
  • Evaluation of community feedback and plan development - 2022
  • Plan goes to Burien City Council - by end of 2022

Project Background

The Arts Commission is required by Resolution 399 to prepare an annual Public Arts Fund Plan that is presented to the City Council for adoption. The plan dictates how Art in Public Places funding is allocated for public art projects.

In 2020, the Arts Commission recommended that a long-range public art plan be developed to help guide the annual public art planning process.

According to Americans for the Arts, “American cities and towns aspire to be places where people want to live and want to visit. Having a particular community identity, especially in terms of what our towns look like, is becoming even more important in a world where every place tends to look like everyplace else. Places with strong public art expressions break the trend of blandness and sameness, and give communities a stronger sense of place and identity.”

How to Look at Public Art: A Six-Year-Old Explains (KQED Art School)

Background Documents

You are also encouraged to explore existing permanent public artworks, installed throughout Burien, as well as rotating exhibits in the storefront galleries in Burien’s downtown. Use the City of Burien’s new public art map to plan your next creative walking tour!

Questions about the public art plan or survey? Please email [email protected].

Updated October 15, 2021