Hot Rat Summer is the unofficial name given to a guerrillamosaic public artwork installed in Cal Anderson Park in Capitol Hill, Seattle in 2024. It is located within one of the north-facing arcs of the historic Capitol Hill Gatehouse.[1] The mosaic became the subject of local controversy after repeated removals by the city and subsequent grassroots restoration efforts. Widely interpreted as a symbol of queer and trans resilience, the mosaic gained cult status and sparked broader discussions around public art, graffiti policy, and civic engagement; eventually gaining the support of city council members Alexis Mercedes Rinck[2] and Joy Hollingsworth to express support and participate in a community clean-up event restoring the mosaic.[3][4]
The artwork is a small tile-and-glass mosaic installed on the side of a utility gatehouse in Cal Anderson Park, in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. It features a rat in a devotional pose, surrounded by a gold halo and adorned with a red sacred heart. The mosaic includes a small trans pride flag embedded in the lower right corner. Seattle University art history professor Ken Allan told The Stranger that the piece "refers to Byzantine mosaic tradition in a fun way" and "the use of architecture nicely echoes this".[5]
History
Bottom of the artwork with various items left on the shelf below, 2025
The mosaic is believed to have been installed during the summer of 2024. The artist or collective responsible has not been publicly identified. Its presence was not widely noted until early 2025, when public interest in the piece began to spread via social media and local online forums. The mosaic has a nickname, "Saint Rat."[3][4]
The City of Seattle initially classified the mosaic as graffiti. Between late 2024 and mid-2025, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) crews reportedly painted over the mosaic at least four times. The concealment prompted swift backlash from community members, who stripped away the paint to reveal and restore the artwork.[1]
During this time, the city also moved to increase fines for graffiti and tagging violations, passing an ordinance in July 2025 that raised penalties up to $1,500 per incident.[6] Critics noted the irony of the city's intensified anti-graffiti stance coinciding with public support for the mosaic and the involvement of two council members in its preservation.[7]
The restoration was widely covered in local media, and the city subsequently allowed the mosaic to remain intact. The city has tried to contact the anonymous artist, in hopes they will agree to maintain the mosaic and potentially create new artwork for the gatehouse.[8] Absent such an agreement, community members have emerged as stewards for the artwork, with one "unofficial janitor" visiting daily to clear trash and scrub dirt away from the tiles.[9]
In mid October 2025, two additional mosaics were installed in the adjacent alcoves on the gatehouse. "Hot Rat Mother" depicts a rat in a blue garment, shedding a tear with a halo around her head. A crow flies down towards her. The other unnamed piece has a pigeon carrying a rose down from the sky over a field of three rats staring up at the bird. [10]
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