HistoryLink Tours

The Pioneer Square neighborhood is, in many ways, the heart of Seattle. It was important to the indigenous communities who have inhabited this place for thousands of years, and also for the non-Native settlers who arrived in the mid-nineteenth century. Pioneer Square is not only the oldest neighborhood in the city, but also the place where galleries and artist studios first took hold and where the nation’s first monthly Art Walk was established. This neighborhood is abundant in many forms of art—important structures and architectural elements, as well as state, county, city, and private artworks that span well over one hundred years.

Through this walking tour, we’ll focus on works in the City of Seattle’s civic art collection sited in the Pioneer Square neighborhood and environs. We will encounter traditional and modern art forms: figural works from different cultures to more conceptual and abstract works that emulate the artists’ ideas or ask that you consider your own. You will be introduced to art inspired by Seattle’s history, the people and functions of particular industries, and the characteristics of the surrounding neighborhood and its residents. Some works will have connections to one another while others are uniquely unconnected. All in all, this tour will provide a brief look at the diversity of the City of Seattle’s public art collection, demonstrating the commitment to art shown by a city that was one of the first in the country to enact a public art ordinance. Let’s get walking.