The weather is warming up and the days are getting longer, which means more time to explore all the hidden gems in our town. One of the greatest parts about living here is the vibrancy. Boulder consistently ranks among the highest cities for arts and culture, including public funding for the arts. The Boulder Public Art Program emphasizes this by getting our community involved to bring art to places you wouldn’t expect, from underpasses to parks to alleys and more.
The number one thing we love about this program is how much it engages our community. We all have the opportunity to be more than just connoisseurs of our local creatives. Your business or home can host a mural, you can submit a proposal for a mural, serve on the panel that selects art for display, or volunteer to help keep our public art clean. It is truly a public art program that encompasses the best aspects of Boulder: the creativity and generosity of its population.
Right now, you can visit Disperson’s installation Spires in Central Park. The best part of this installation is that we can manipulate the lights ourselves. Viewers are encouraged to touch the spires in order to change the color and pattern of the LEDs, so this will be a big hit for families looking to get outdoors.
We also love that the program tells you where new murals are popping up and gives background information on the incredible artists adding some extra love and flair to our city’s surfaces.
For bright pops of color and an exploration of both natural form and geometry, head over to the 9th Street Underpass for a mural by Michelle Miller and Madeleine Tonzi.
Martin Acres has its own enhancement grants for public art. For some soothing pastel landscape, check out the Martin Drive underpass mural by Katherine Rutter, a dreamy mural of an underwater scene. And for a combination of the bright pops of the 9th Street work and the landscape of Martin Drive, be sure to stop by David Polka’s bold, blue mural on the Moorehead Drive underpass.
All in all, the Boulder Public Arts Program is fundamentally a cooperative program that asks residents to engage with artists and help our town become even more beautiful. What’s not to love about that?