Photo via Vulcan/Allen Institute
Photo via Vulcan/Allen Institute

He’s known for supporting tech, music and ocean conservation, and now Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is adding one more thing to the list: A public art space in South Lake Union.

Called Pivot Art + Culture, the new space will be dedicated to “sharing art with the Seattle community at large.” It will be located in the new Allen Institute at the corner of Westlake and Mercer.

Per Vulcan’s release: “Pivot Art + Culture will curate and promote compelling art installations, programming and exhibitions and as the name suggests, it will pivot and explore a variety of cultural concepts at any given time. It will feature work from private and public collections in our community and the world at large, as well as pieces from the Allen Family Collection.”

Pivot has already tapped Ben Heywood to be director of the new space. Heywood is from Minneapolis (which has its own rocking art scene) where he was head of the performing arts venue The Soap Factory.

We reported on the construction of the Allen Institute in June, in which Vulcan has used over 2,700 pieces of terra cotta from the site’s previous auto showrooms to construct its facade. The building, slated to open soon, will also “house the Allen Institute for Brain Science and the Allen Institute for Cell Science, along with lab spaces, a data center, auditorium and atrium.”

According to Artnet News, Pivot will be a “4,000-square foot, two-room space.”

Pivot Art + Culture is set to open winter 2015. Can’t wait? Vulcan is sponsoring the Seattle Art Fair, opening this Thursday, July 30, and running through Aug. 2, at the CenturyLink Field Event Center.

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