Denver Public Art Calls For Qualified Artists For New 39th Avenue Greenway And Open Channel Project
By: A.A. Cristi Oct. 16, 2018
Denver's Public Art Program, now in its 30th year, seeks to commission an artist or team of artists to create multiple artworks for the 39th Avenue Greenway and Open Channel Public Art Project.
Applications will be accepted at CallforEntry.org through Monday, Nov. 12, 11:59 p.m. The budget for this project is $400,000 and the commission is open to all local, national or International Artists.
The selection panel is seeking one-of-a-kind two- and three-dimensional artwork(s) in any media, materials and formats including interactive art, environmental art, sound art and/or landscape art. The artwork will be located in the new 12-acre recreational greenway between Franklin and Steele streets which will serve as a safe community gathering space as well as reduce flood risks to nearby homes and businesses.
The artwork should celebrate the Clayton and Cole neighborhoods and help instill a sense of continuity throughout the Greenway by providing a progression or a narrative to unify the public spaces.
More information on this RFQ can be found at DenverPublicArt.org.
Denver Arts & Venues' mission is to amplify Denver's quality of life and economic vitality through premier public venues, arts and entertainment opportunities. Arts & Venues is the City and County of Denver agency responsible for operating some of the region's most renowned facilities, including Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, the Denver Performing Arts Complex, Colorado Convention Center, Denver Coliseum and McNichols Civic Center Building. Arts & Venues also oversees the Denver Public Art Program, Create Denver, SCFD Tier III granting process, Arts Education Fund and other entertainment and cultural events such as the Five Points Jazz Festival, Urban Arts Fund, P.S. You Are Here and implementation of IMAGINE 2020: Denver's Cultural Plan. Denver Arts & Venues is committed to diversity, equity and inclusiveness in all our programs, initiatives and decision-making processes.
About 39th Avenue Greenway and Open Channel Public Art Project
The historic Montclair basin is the largest in Denver with no natural drainage. Instead of floodwater flowing through the historic Montclair creek, which was built in the early 1900s, water runs through neighborhood streets. This project will replace the city's aging infrastructure with green infrastructure that can better control storm water and improve public safety and water quality. The Greenway will stay mostly dry, and convey water only in storm events. In addition to protecting neighborhoods from damaging floodwaters, the Greenway will provide other neighborhood benefits that will be enjoyed year-round including: a multi-use path, gathering spaces and community gardens.
www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/platte-to-park-hill/39th-avenue.html
About Clayton and Cole neighborhoods
The Clayton neighborhood is primarily residential with some large industrial sites along the greenway. The neighborhood is named for the historic former George W. Clayton Trust and College located on the northwest corner of Martin Luther King Blvd. and Colorado Blvd. The college is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Cole neighborhood is largely residential with industrial sites, several which have been redeveloped, or are slated for redevelopment, into mixed-use centers. Most of the neighborhood consists of single-family housing units. The neighborhood became part of Denver in 1874. It is named for Carlos M. Cole, a former superintendent of Denver Public Schools.
The Cole and Clayton neighborhoods, since the early 1900s, has had a rich multicultural history. The African American, Mexican American, Japanese American and Irish American communities have made the neighborhoods their home. The Japanese community moved in after their release from the Colorado internment camps after the Second World War. The Irish, along with other immigrants, worked for the railroads. The Cole neighborhood was the home to the Tramway Building and Denver Rock Drill Company, who manufactured driving/steering parts for the railcars, which give Cole a strong transportation history.
Videos
