Location: 38th Street Underpass, Denver, CO 80205
Client: Blue Moon Brewery & RiNo Arts District
Artist’s Involved: Pat Milbery, Jason Graves, Pat McKinney & Remington Robinson
Medium: Aerosol and acrylic on concrete
Size of Surface: 20’ x 376’
Duration of Installation: 7 days
Project Goals: The 38th Street underpass in between Walnut and Larimer has long been a bit of an eyesore in the North end of RiNo. As the area expands with large projects such as the new World Trade Center and more folks use the underpass, making this a safer, well-lit and pleasant space for pedestrians, cyclists etc. has been a top priority for the city. Blue Moon Brewery recently opened a new brew house on 38th Street and, in partnership with the RiNo Arts District, the So-Gnar Creative Division and the local community, the project evolved into something larger than just another mural.
The goal of this project was to create 1-2 community opportunities where volunteers could lend a hand for a few hours and really take ownership of the art. With the aid of event platform Eventbrite, volunteers could choose from a variety of 2-4 hour shifts with about 30 – 40 people per shift. The artists felt shifts of 30-40 volunteers would be the most manageable number where they could have enough help painting but not be overwhelmed trying to instruct folks on how to paint. The artists prepped the wall in advance and created a design that could be gridded out and easy for the volunteers to follow.
It was an amazing week working with local businesses and the community. Adults and children of all ages were involved and it was a wonderful thing seeing the transformation of the underpass go from dark and scary to vibrant and a path commuters will want to use.