Exploring the Art in Downtown Denver

By: Labina Tasfia, Staff Writer

On the second day of my college orientation, about 11,000 miles away from home, I found myself on a bike after more than seven years. What was I thinking hopping on a bike, ready to conquer the streets of this new city I knew nothing about? Well, what better way to learn about a new place than cruising through the streets and neighborhoods, letting my senses flood with all the new stimulations. The architecture of the different neighborhoods, the open-air sitting arrangements of numerous local and chain restaurants, the parks, everything was new to me in one sense or the other. What stood out to me the most as I navigated the streets of downtown Denver was the street art. Compared to where I came from, the numerous murals and sculptures were what made downtown Denver so special to me.

Halfway through the bike ride, my brakes had stopped working and I ended up crashing into one of my fellow students. Thankfully we both were fine, but it was an extremely frightful experience. After that, it took me a while to calm down. Even though I was supposed to be observing the neighborhood, I was more focused on trying to stay calm and safe. Then I started to notice the murals drawn on the walls of some of the buildings we passed by. Those beautiful blends of colors had helped calm me down very quickly. Art, of many sorts, had always helped me with my stress and anxiety. So, the beautiful paintings had sparked my curiosity about street art in Denver. 

I wanted to know more about downtown Denver and see all the beautiful art pieces it had to offer, so some of my friends and I decided to go back. We got off near the Denver Center of Performing Arts where we were immediately welcomed by two tall bronze statues of a man and a woman right in front of the opera house. These statues were made by the Colombian artist Fernando Botero. Botero is known for making sculptures of “Fat People”, from an aesthetic point of view. The sculptures were called “The Man” and “The Woman” respectively (Egnor, 2020). The odd and exaggerated design seemed comical. I felt like the entrance of the Center for Performing arts was an appropriate spot for these two whimsical sculptures. To me, they represented the otherworldly beauty, something that is at times a bit hard to understand, of the work of art that people create with their blood, sweat, and tears inside the DCPA.

 As we kept on walking, I had the greatest honor to watch a few Broadway artists rehearse for their performance. Right next to the rehearsal was the 60 feet tall statue of two people dancing. The statue, dubbed as “Dancers” was the first installation in Denver’s Performing arts Sculpture Park. This 25-ton fiberglass duo was created by Jonathan Borofsky and was installed in 2003. The giant sculptures made me think of two people in an eternal waltz. Just like the sculptures of the Man and the Woman, this piece of art also portrayed the abstract beauty of the Art Center. I did not expect them to be that enormous, but they were also very simple, with no facial features or clothes. It was just two entities dancing, and it was hauntingly breathtaking.

 Walking towards the Colorado Convention Center, I received my biggest scare as I came face to face with a giant blue bear. It was peering into the convention center as if it was curious to see what was going on inside. After quick research, I found that it was called “I See What You Mean”. It was erected in 2005 by Lawrence Argent. The bear reached a height of almost 40 feet with a weight of almost 10,000 pounds. The bear was created by Argent to convey the curiosity pedestrians felt when they passed by the Convention Center to see what was going on inside. I felt like Lawrence Argent did a wonderful job conveying the curiosity I, along with probably everyone else, felt as we stood in front of the center. The spotlights shining on the bear from below made it seem like it was glowing from the inside, which was an astounding sight to behold.

We also went to Larimer Street, which I had heard was famous for its street art. I was beyond amazed by the numerous works of art that adorned the streets. Being a person who loved to play with paints, seeing so many bold uses of color filled me with indescribable joy. My most favorite art piece was the double-sided mural called “Two Halves of a Whole” by Jeremy Burns. It was my favorite not only because I was awestruck by how two different perspectives showed us two completely different paintings, nor because it showed us that men and women weren’t different but the same. It was because of the effort and dedication that was put into the art. Jeremy Burns was involved in a terrible accident that severely damaged his right shoulder and elbow. Even after losing fine motor control, he had decided to paint this mural, which had earned him my respect. 

In my country, street art is illegal. That is why I never had the chance to observe artists portray their thoughts and emotions so candidly in public before. After coming to Denver, I had the utmost pleasure to fill my soul with the plethora of murals and sculptures. It was not only the way the paints were used or how the art came to life, but it was also about how each of them had a piece of the artist’s soul in them, and sometimes the voices of numerous people who didn’t have the chance to speak up. It is an honor for me to be able to live in and study in such a vibrant city like Denver, where there’s art and life in everything my eyes land on. I cannot wait to explore more of this beautiful city that I have come to call home.