Project: Western State Hospital – First floor interior walls, New Forensic Hospital Deadline: Tuesday, April 30th, 2024 at 4pm Pacific Time

Budget: $800,000 (up to 3 artworks, inclusive of design, fabrication, installation & tax)

Description: This is an exciting opportunity for one or more artists/artist teams to create artwork for the first-floor interior of Western State Hospital’s new forensic hospital, located in Lakewood, WA. The art selection committee seeks works that are calm, soothing and convey an uplifting message of hope and resilience. Artists with lived experience with mental illness are especially encouraged to apply.

Questions? Contact Adetola Abatan, Art in Public Places Project Manager, 360-468-0889, [email protected]

Project Overview

Washington state’s vision of transforming behavioral health includes constructing a therapeutically designed hospital on the Western State Hospital campus with 350 beds to care for forensic patients in a modern facility. The hospital will also serve as a Forensic Center of Excellence and focus on providing state-of-the-art care for forensic patients, since the new forensic hospital will serve patients who enter care through the criminal court system. The new hospital will operate in an environment of care that supports safety, the delivery of evidence based proven practices, and working hand in hand with local academic institutions to support research and innovation.

The new forensic hospital is designed to have three zones by level:

• Home: upper four floors, patient units/residences. Designed with soft and subtle colors.
• Neighborhood: these sectors are attached to the home units and include dining, classrooms, and treatment rooms
• Downtown: patients gain access to this area over time. It is designed to encourage normalized behavior, and includes amenity spaces like a gym, movement rooms for yoga, a library, a barber shop, non-denominational chapel, a café, and visitation areas.

The ‘downtown’ area presents an opportunity for one to three, multi-story wall mounted artwork(s) that extend along the downtown corridor. Design features include natural Douglas Fir wall and ceiling treatments, polished concrete, and shades of green that align with the design theme of an urban park, while also honoring the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest. The schematic below shows the potential art locations.

Please see commission document for full project information and application instructions.