City of Seattle Government

CityArtist grantee Carlos Martinez opened their solo exhibition, Life by a Thousand Cuts, on Oct. 1, 2026, during First Thursday Art Walk at The Ruom in Pioneer Square. The show features a series of surrealist portraits of Martinez, their siblings, and their closest friends. Photo by Nina Dubinsky. “My exhibition Life by a Thousand Cuts is really about hope while also displaying different relationships, whether it be with community, with friends, or with siblings or with loved ones,” Martinez said.

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is celebrating 10 years of community connection, recreation, and partnerships with a special anniversary event! Join us on Friday, October 16, for Get Moving: 10 Years in Motion – An OAMR Sneaker Ball at the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI).

Public Art Boot Camp on a walking tour, photo by Nina Dubinsky. Quarterly updates from our Public Art division. Find the other posts in this series here. It’s fall. We’re rapidly losing daylight hours, and many people have returned to school. In September, the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (OAC) kicked off the 2026 Public Art Boot Camp, our training program for artists who want to break into the public art field. This year’s cohort includes 18 regional artists.

The first week of October is Digital Inclusion Week. This week raises awareness about digital equity and why inclusion matters as more of daily life moves online. Seattle and nearby communities face a deep digital divide. Many residents have strong tech skills. They can use technology to reach City services, and they have the time and resources to speak up for their needs. Other residents struggle to get the services they need.

Many Seattle residents rely on alleys for garbage, recycling, and food/yard waste collection. Vegetation like trees, branches, hedges, and bamboo grows quickly in our region and can begin to reach into the alley, limiting the space our collection trucks need to safely enter and maneuver. When that happens, service for the entire alley can be disrupted. This blog post supports Seattle Public Utilities’ proactive alley vegetation letter.

Seattle feels different, the air is a little crisper, the sun sets earlier, and the leaves are changing color. As one of the Special Events Office’s permit specialists, I’m also transitioning from the high volume of exciting summer events to a steadier rhythm of fall festivities. While I’ll miss the summer sun and its Paddle Raves and Pride Parades, I’m looking forward to welcoming fall with a host of spooky season activities.

Seattle – Housing that people can afford is essential to a city that works for everyone. The Wilson administration is committed to clearing the path and removing delays so we can build the housing Seattle needs now. Today, Mayor Katie B. Wilson announced the membership of the Housing Production Task Force (HPTF), established through Executive Order 2026-04 to accelerate production across the housing spectrum, stabilize existing affordable housing, and help anchor residents at risk of displacement.

A collage of photos from this year’s conference that emphasized the “built here” theme with LEGOS and construction hats. Every year, Seattle IT sets aside a day to step back from programming deployments, and deadlines to learn from one another. This year’s Learning Conference delivered on that promise and then some.

Seattle Parks and Recreation(SPR) will begin work on the Licton Springs Public Restroom Project as early as Monday, October 19, 2026. SPR has awarded the contract for this work to Peak Drywall. During construction the restroom and a small area adjacent to the building will closed. SPR anticipates the restroom will open to the public in spring 2027. This project replaces the Licton Springs Park restroom building that was destroyed by arson in 2021.

SEATTLE – At 12:25 p.m. on Oct. 7, the Seattle Fire Department’s Fire Alarm Center received a call reporting a carbon monoxide alarm sounding in the 100 block of Warren Ave. N. The alarm was located in a three-story apartment building with a garage. Ladder 4 arrived first on scene and found unsafe levels of carbon monoxide in the hall and in multiple apartment units on the first floor.