Denver Arts & Venues Invites The Community To “Color In” An Urban Arts Fund Mural

Denver Arts & Venues and artist Markus Puskar invites the public to help turn an Urban Arts Fund mural located on Cherry Creek Trail between Lincoln Street and Broadway into a giant coloring book page on Sept. 7, 5-7 p.m.

"Even though the paint is dried, the mural is still a work in progress," explains Puskar. "I am excited to invite the community to come down to Cherry Creek to fill in the painting with chalk and see what we can come up with together. By coloring the mural, we will bring its pattern to life."

The recently painted mural was commissioned through the Urban Arts Fund (UAF), a graffiti prevention and youth development program funded through Denver Arts & Venues. The UAF is managed by the Denver Public Art program and facilitates the creation of new murals in perpetually vandalized areas throughout the City and County of Denver.

In part, Puskar was motivated to paint his mural in black and white because of his recently released pay-what-you-want online coloring book. The mural mimics natural movement to create a pattern that (as he puts it) "rhymes more than it repeats." Biking past the area to and from work daily, the Cherry Creek location was especially appealing to Puskar because it could serve as a place where his neighbors and the community could gather together to color the mural.

The chalk color will be a temporary addition to the mural and the artwork will be cleaned on Sept. 11.

The public is invited to the free, family-friendly coloring party. Chalk and light refreshments will be provided. Attendees may RSVP on Eventbrite.com.