Black Lives Matter

Street in Seattle, Washington, United States

Inside: Capitol Hill

Black Lives Matter
Another Believer · CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

About

What It Is

The Black Lives Matter street mural is a large-scale public artwork painted on East Pine Street between 10th and 11th Avenues in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington [1]. The text "BLACK LIVES MATTER" spans 250 feet in length and stands 20 feet tall, with each capitalized letter filled by a distinct colorful mural contributed by a different artist [1]. The work originated in June 2020 during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP), when 16 artists completed it over three days using supplies funded by donations from protesters and passersby [1]. It has since been made a permanent public art installation through an agreement between the Vivid Matter Collective and Seattle's Office of Arts and Culture, which recognized the site's cultural significance to the Black Lives Matter movement [1].

Activities & Experiences

Visitors can walk along East Pine Street to view the full length of the mural and examine each individually designed letter up close [1]. Because each letter was created by a different artist from the Vivid Matter Collective, the mural functions as a series of distinct artworks within a unified statement, offering varied imagery and styles across its span [1]. The annual repainting event, which expanded in 2023 into a weekend of community art-making, provides an opportunity to witness or participate in the ongoing creative process connected to the mural [1].

Practical Access

The mural is located on East Pine Street between 10th and 11th Avenues in Capitol Hill, Seattle, and is accessible on foot as an outdoor street installation [1]. The Seattle Department of Transportation installed posts around the mural to prevent vehicles from driving over it and added a four-way stop sign at a nearby intersection to slow traffic, making pedestrian viewing safer [1]. No fees, reservations, or formal hours are noted in the sources, as the mural is a public street artwork viewable at any time.

Restrictions

The Seattle Department of Transportation manages maintenance and repainting in coordination with the Vivid Matter Collective; unauthorized sealing or alteration of the mural has previously caused damage and prompted intervention [1]. Modifications or work on the mural by parties outside the collective and SDOT are not sanctioned [1].

What Makes It Distinctive

Unlike most Black Lives Matter street murals painted during the 2020 protests, this one has survived long-term through an ongoing institutional partnership between the Vivid Matter Collective and the Seattle Department of Transportation, which funds and facilitates annual repainting [1]. The mural's origins are directly tied to the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, one of the most prominent protest occupations in the United States during 2020, giving it a specific historical context beyond the broader movement [1] [3]. The Vivid Matter Collective, formed by many of the original 16 artists specifically to steward this work, continues to shape its evolution, including expanding the repainting into a community art weekend as of 2023 [1].

Sources

  1. Black Lives Matter street mural (Capitol Hill, Seattle)
  2. New, Long-Term Black Lives Matter Public Art Piece Installed at Seattle City Hall – Office of the Mayor, City of Seattle
  3. History – Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County (Official)
  4. City announces new project with VividMatterCollective to recreate and properly preserve the Capitol Hill Black Lives Matter Street Mural – Seattle Office of Arts & Culture

Access & fees

Things to do

Amenities

Events & seasons

Features

Nearby

Good to know

Catalog identifier: AVIA-E9PJ-NBGXD

Photos

Black Lives Matter
Another Believer · CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Black Lives Matter
Another Believer · CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons