Art in Public Places - State Art Collection

All of the artworks acquired under the Art in Public Places program are viewed collectively as the State Art Collection. The State Art Collection is a public collection of artwork: it is publicly owned, publicly sited and publicly selected. It currently holds over 4,500 works, with an acquisition value of over $17 million, making Washington home to not only one of the oldest state public art collections, but also one of the largest.

Cappy Thompson, I Imagine Us as a Holy Family Engaging in the Great Work of Increasing the Light, installed in the Library of the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. Photo by Stacey McRae.

The program strives to shape the State Art Collection in an inclusive manner to represent the diversity of contemporary artistic production. Notable local, regional, and national artists are represented in the collection holdings.

The Art in Public Places program works with the sites where the artwork is located to teach them to be responsible stewards.