Maritime Innovation Center at Fisherman’s Terminal – call for public art and update on progress

Calling all local artists.

The Port of Seattle’s Public Art Program is seeking artists to submit artwork(s) to be sited within Fishermen’s Terminal Maritime Innovation Center building. The artwork will focus on fishing in the Pacific Northwest and North Pacific, exploring ideas within the realm of history, culture, and heritage of fishing in the Pacific Northwest. The work must consider the aesthetic of the facility and redevelopment design. Proposed artworks must also be thoughtful regarding long-term maintenance and conservation.

The Port of Seattle’s Fisherman’s Terminal, located in the NE Quadrant of Magnolia’s light manufacturing and industrial district, will soon be home to the Maritime Innovation Center. The center will help the region’s maritime industry adopt advanced technologies and stimulate innovative entrepreneurship. Promoting knowledge transfer, business incubation, and workforce development are significant needs to successfully address maritime innovation challenges and opportunities. The innovation center will help sustain maritime industries, support blue tech start-ups and entrepreneurs, and help the Port modernize operations and key lines of business. 

The historic Ship Supply Building will be restored and modernized into a LEED-certified and environmentally friendly facility. It will include 15,000 total square feet with a mix of working space for incubators, accelerators, and anchor tenants along with fabrication and event space. The facility will be a “Living Building” with advanced sustainability and resiliency features.

This center will benefit Magnolia, the Ballard-Interbay Manufacturing and Industrial Center, and our region’s maritime community in several ways:

  • Job creation. Creating new employment opportunities for local residents and youth in the participating startups
  • Enhanced image. Building the region’s reputation as an economic center of excellence for growth in the sustainable blue economy 
  • Increased entrepreneurialism. Elevating awareness of entrepreneurs and stimulating confidence in the maritime industry to create new technologies, products and services 
  • Business development. Sparking new opportunities for established area businesses to develop relationships with early-stage companies
  • Increased tax revenue. Generating a larger, more diverse tax base to support public services and contribute to livability and health
  • Workforce development. Nurturing the next generation of diverse, inclusive, and representative maritime workforce with technological expertise and access to clean, healthy, living-wage jobs

Home of the Innovation Accelerator

New ideas in one of the most traditional industrial sectors in Washington are critical for a thriving economy while decarbonizing the environment. The Maritime Innovation Center will become the home base for the Accelerator Program that’s managed by Washington Maritime Blue, a developing cluster dedicated to supporting a sustainable and diverse maritime industry, and the Port of Seattle. It is expected the Center will generate a net positive operating income after the first year and a critical element of the budding Maritime Blue cluster development.