Images courtesy Dominic Nieri 
@wiseknave
THE SODO TRACK
The SODO Track was produced by 4Culture in collaboration with Gage Hamilton and Urban ArtWorks, and in partnership with the SODO BIA, King County Metro, and Sound Transit. Photos by Wiseknave.
The SODO Track is truly an iconic project and has transformed the portal to Downtown Seattle – a two-mile transit corridor traveled by over 50,000 daily – into an imaginative raceway of art in motion. The SODO Track is the first mural project to commission over 60 artists from a vast array of backgrounds and with many different artistic styles to explore one theme – motion – and for that theme to reflect the in-motion viewing experience of its bus and light rail-riding viewers. Local, national, and international artists – invited by curator Gage Hamilton and artists who self-submitted to 4Culture’s Muralist Roster, were selected by a panel – to paint side-by-side. Together over the course of three summers (2016, 2017, and 2018), they created what is known as the longest mural corridor in the world – as of 2018.
The SODO Track covers 5th Ave South between Royal Brougham Way and Spokane Street and includes a total of 51 murals, spanning over 14 properties. The murals are visible from Sound Transit’s Link light rail line between the Stadium Station and the Beacon Hill Station. They are also visible from the Metro Transit buses 150 and 594. Twenty paintings can be experienced by pedestrians on foot or cycle via the SODO Trail, which extends along Royal Brougham Way to South Forest St.
Erin Goodman, the Executive Director of the SODO BIA, represents SODO’s property and business owners. The BIA endorsed the Public Art Plan for the SODO Track and is a financial contributor to the project.
Check Out the Interactive Map!
PRESENTING SPONSOR: The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation
PATRON SPONSORS: Gull Industries, The Harold E. Stack Family, 9th and Thomas
CULINARY SPONSORS: Huxley Wallace Collective, Jones Soda, Ethan Stowell, Brendan McGill, Caffe Vita
FRIEND: Leavitt Capital
Team
GAGE HAMILTON
Gage is an artist, curator and the co-organizer of Forest For The Trees, a nonprofit public art project in Portland, OR. Commissioned by 4Culture, Gage developed a Public Art Plan for the SODO Track and is curating its first two summer festivals.
TAMAR BENZIKRY
Tamar manages public art projects for 4Culture. Her partner portfolio includes King County Metro and Sound Transit, which invest % for Art in the production of contemporary art for shared public space. She is the project manager for SODO Track.
DOMINIC NIERI
Dominic, a fine art documentarian and creative producer, is the SODO Track photographer and production assistant. See more of his work by following wiseknave.
KATHLEEN WARREN
Kathleen is the director of Urban ArtWorks, a Seattle nonprofit that provides opportunities for underserved youth and contemporary artists to work together. UA youth participate in SODO Track Artist-led workshops and help maintain the project’s “black line.”