About This Tour

 

Jolon was elected to the Denver City Council in 2015 to represent Lucky District 7. Prior to his  time on Council, Jolon worked for the Greenway Foundation, helping kids learn through outdoor education and coordinating beautification projects in our city. Jolon led the installation of the first murals along the Cherry Creek trail by fundraising, coordinating the installation and collaborating with multiple city agencies. The now 10-year program is part of the Urban Arts Fund and has grown to many pieces of street art along the iconic bike trail. Among other initiatives, Jolon spearheaded legislation to double the investment in public art through the Urban Arts Fund to help reduce graffiti, provide opportunities for local artists, and engage communities and social change. The now permanent fund helps transforms dilapidated areas into active and colorful community gathering spaces.

Follow along Councilman Clark’s Public Art Tour, which includes pieces from the Public Art Collection, special programs like IMAGINE 2020 District Challenge and other pieces in his district. Councilman Clark’s comments are in italics.

1. “Sun Spot”
   Artists: Haddad | Drugan, 2011; Location: Denver Animal Shelter; Program: Denver Public Art Collection
   “The giant dog sculpture is made out of 90,000 pet tags and grows every year, thanks to generous pet owners’ willingness to adopt and care for a shelter pet. Every time a pet is adopted from the shelter the new owner is given the opportunity to have a pet tag engraved with the name of the pet and date of the adoption, and then attached the art piece. The Denver Animal Shelter is also the only LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) animal shelter in the country!”
2. “Crossroads / Encrucijada”
   Artist: Anthony Garcia, 2018; Location: 6th Avenue and Federal Boulevard; Program: Denver Public Art Collection
   “We love that this art piece incorporates environmentally friendly materials, using LED lights and solar panels to light up the entrance to the west side on Federal/6th.”
3. “Sky Song”
   Artists: Nick Geurts, Ryan Elmendorf, 2017; Location: Levitt Pavillion; Program: Denver Public Art Collection
   “Ruby Hill Park, the bike park and Levitt Pavilion are active places so it only makes sense that there would be interactive art piece, inviting people to activate lights during concerts and bells during quiet times at this art piece.”
   
4. “South Pearl Street Fairy Doors”
   Artists: various, 2017 & 2019, Location: South Pearl Street; Program: IMAGINE 2020 District Challenge
   “In 2017, tiny, exquisite fairy doors were installed at businesses and homes along S. Pearl. In 2019, the fairies expanded to other areas of the district! We hosted a community fairy door workshop so that neighbors could design and install their own fairy door at a special location of their choice.”
5. “Articulated Wall”
   Artist: Herbert Bayer, 1986; Location: Denver Design District
   “Although iconic on Denver’s I-25, the original yellow sculpture was designed for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Denver wanted to build the sculpture exactly like the original, only taller! The Denver sculpture stands 85-feet tall, 25 feet taller than the one in Mexico City. Step it up, Mexico City.”
6. “Broadway Rainbow Crosswalk”
   Location: Broadway and Irvington Place
   “We were proud to work with businesses and neighbors to raise $25,000 to install a rainbow crosswalk along Broadway, representing the neighborhood’s spirit of inclusiveness and support for the LGBTQIA+ community. ​The crosswalk now serves as a runway for the annual crosswalk walk off to celebrate the kickoff of Pride in Denver!”
7. “From the Inside Out”
   Artist: Michele Brown, 2017; Location: 1855 S. Pearl St.
   “This mural is one of my favorites! The 80’ wide mural shows what life was like on trolley along S. Pearl in the 1930s. Take a picture in front of it and step back in time.”
8. “S. Federal Electrical Boxes”
   Artists: Various, 2018; Program: IMAGINE 2020 District Challenge
   “Federal has long been a neglected area of city investment. Our office worked with three local artists to reflect the culture of Federal by painting colorful murals on electrical boxes that frequently received complaints of graffiti. Since the installation, the boxes have had minimal graffiti and serve as symbol of increased and future safety and beautification projects on Federal.”