In early April, staff from Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) and the county’s Facilities Management Division (FMD) toured the future RASKC shelter location in Kent with 4Culture, King County’s cultural funding agency.

4Culture’s mission is to fund, support, and advocate for culture to enhance the quality of life in King County, with a focus on racial equity. The agency helps source artwork for King County’s capital projects through the “1% for Art” initiative, which mandates that all eligible county capital projects set aside 1% of the approved project funding to be used for artwork.

“We want the new facility to be a place in which our community feels seen, heard, and supported. Having artwork that reflects the community we serve, and the pets they love, plays a big part in that,” said Alex Ropes, Animal Shelter Manager. “We’re fortunate to have 4Culture’s help in placing artworks from the county’s public art collection to celebrate the human-animal bond.”

4Culture helped source the artwork at the current shelter location and is working with RASKC and FMD to relocate those pieces to the new site. They will also assist with finding additional pieces to supplement RASKC’s current inventory.

The new RASKC facility is expected to open in 2027.