Local Art by BIPOC Creatives Leads the Way in This Tech Office

An online marketplace catering to arts-and-crafters hired NBBJ’s Seattle studio to oversee the environmental graphic program of its new five-story workplace, introducing wayfinding elements in prominent locations. The firm collaborated with a roster of female and BIPOC artists, many local to the region, to create nature-themed installations, rendered in different craft mediums, from pottery to mosaics, on each floor. The team, spearheaded by principal Eric LeVine and environmental graphic design lead Mara Stokke, conceived elevator lobbies as galleries for signature pieces in the Redmond, Washington office.

A whole-cloth quilt by Shannon Schlosser with leaf-patterned stitching marks level two; a forest-esque macramé by Amy Zwikel graces level four (where more knot-work, by Nossè, distinguishes the kitchenette); and, on five, a cluster of 30-plus embroidery hoops depicts a lakeside scene, designed by NBBJ and executed by Cloth Tattoo. In collaboration areas on all floors, pen-and-ink illustrations by James Taylor Gray depict Pacific Northwest scenes, integrated with subtle references to the client’s brand. “The heart and soul of the project,” Stokke concludes, “is about showcasing the diverse works of these artists to tell the building’s unified story.”

See Local Art on Display Throughout the 5-Floor Office