I'll say it in language that Jen can't/won't: That is seriously fucked up, Amazon. You make an awful corporate neighbor, and I remember this every time I use eBay or bike to the grocery store instead of use "Amazon Fresh" or whatever it's called. I know they're there. I resist patronizing them. Just like I avoid the crazy lady who lives next door. Bad Neighbors the same.

I completely agree. These artists are important to the Seattle art community (notice I don't just say Street Art). Celebrate your roots for fuck's sake. This is particularly shameful because I know the heart and soul, the purpose of this sort of work and it's not meant to be privately held. If you want art in your building, go out and buy it like any other decent company. You wouldn't get a Chihuly for free. It's not as if the company can't afford it. You'll be getting a letter from me.

Okay, I'll pose these questions: Isn't graffiti inherently a temporary, anonymous and illegal form of art? Weren't these artists expecting these paintings to be torn down, painted over or destroyed, eventually? When it comes down to it, you can't write your name on the side of a building and expect to own that section of the building, can you?
I taught art at a High School for a short time in the late 90's and encouraged my students who were talented graffiti artists to look at their work as temporal. If you paint on the side of a building, train car or whatever, don't expect to see it the next day, and don't be surprised if you get busted.

@4 I don't think the artist involved had any illusions regarding the permanence of the work on the wall.The issue is that Amazon has chosen to take art that was placed in a public setting without the consent of the artists who created it and not compensate in any way whatsoever. You see corporations have art collections that are considered assets of the company. They contacted somebody to provide a provenance -thats artspeak for giving a history of the artwork that then provides a value to it- but refused to compensate the artists when offered the opportunity. If they saw the work on the old Con Works building they could have tried to discover who the artists were at that point and commission new works from them. They decided that they would rather leave the works uncredited than provide any sort of proper compensation to the artists. No matter how you feel about "street artists" thats just a trife way of handling this situation.

...As citizens of Seattle, we need to celebrate and compensate our street artists. They take alot of risks bringing ideas and beauty to the walls of our city. The traditions of Graffiti and Mural Art are thousands of years old. Seattle's street artists are continuing the legacy. We are very fortunate to have such talented 'messengers' amongst us. Thank you Jen for bringing this situation to the 'board room'. Hopefully, it will create an extended discussion...LONG LIVE THE HIVE!

Well, Jen, why don't you go ahead and publicize who these artists are? At least visitors of The Stranger website will know.

The logic of this article:

1. I dump a sofa on your front lawn.
2. You bring it inside.
3. Pay me for my sofa.

I don't know... as I see it, graffiti placed on a building slated for demolition…. the building owner has the right to do what they wish.... and for the record, Amazon doesn't own the buildings, they are the tenant. I agree with earlier comments about graffiti being temporary, and rather than see it trashed, it sounds to me that the building owner and tenant (Amazon) wanted to salvage parts of the neighborhood's past rather than just see everything go to the dump. I don't think what happened deserves a public flogging.

The logic of bgutz' comment:

1. Making public art = dumping old furniture.
2. Wealthy corporation = individual neighbor.
3. Paying for art = paying for garbage.

Got it. Disagree x 3.

But isn't that the beauty and the point of street art? It's fleeting, brash and inherently temporary. Street art reflects its culture-one that doesn't look to the establishment for credibility.

But isn't that the beauty and the point of street art? It's fleeting, brash and inherently temporary. Street art reflects its culture-one that doesn't look to the establishment for credibility.

Response to SeattleM+M:

1. The object was abandoned, be it art or an old sofa.

2. "Wealthy corporation" is irrelevant. The ability of someone to pay for something doesn't compel them to do so.

3. No one can force you to buy something they abandoned on your property.

Amazon could have destroyed the work, but instead saved it. That said, I would like to see the artists given credit.

If the artists have a resume and list collections they belong in, they can list the Amazon Corporate Art collection. (unwillingly and unknowingly)

Temporal art outside perhaps. Street artists run the risk of their work being destroyed, but bringing it indoors, hanging it up, and taking publicity shots with it changes everything. The minute they brought in into the office it ceased to be street art and the artists should be credited and paid.

PS: Creating a mural to be viewed on an outdoor wooden structure is not abandoning it.

@9, your argument is flawed.

1. You didn't make the sofa. You bought it. Therefore you're a consumer not an artist.

2. You put the sofa on someone's property but the artists didn't put their work on Amazon's property because Amazon didn't own the property at the time.

3. The artists put their work in an abandoned space as an intentional gift to the public not to Amazon. Amazon does not rightfully own the work until they compensate the artists.

Countries like France and Great Britain often use Amazon's tactic to unlawfully appropriate other country's cultural property. It's a douchey move no matter who does it.

As one of the artists who painted the wall of the Conworks Building and one of the pieces they kept and hung up, I don't feel the need to be compensated with money, I'm glad they like it enough to keep it and hang it up, I have them listed on my website as a corporate collection piece. Plus street art is free in my mind, as it should be in the artists minds too and to set the record straight it was a "planned" mural and most of the artists painted it during the day and talked with the neighbors and security guards. However, I it would be nice if Amazon, not sure if they have or not, would put the artists names and website next to the paintings that are hanging to give some sort of credit.