Ribbon Cutting for the Cherry Creek Path Mural
The Arts & Beautification Committee officially dedicated its first commissioned mural situated along the Cherry Creek Path access ramp off of Speer, between Stout and Colfax. As we have reported before, the mural is the work of emerging artists, Sarah Iverson (Instagram: @chiefchillybeans) and Conner Choi (Instagram: @connerchoi). We encourage you to take a walk over to the path and check it out.
On Monday, December 9, 2024, we had an informal dedication and ribbon cutting for the mural. In attendance were Councilman Chris Hinds, City Council Representative for District 10 (which includes most of the UpDoNA footprint), Sterling Simms, the Mayor’s neighborhood liaison that includes District 10, Lisa Pope, President of UpDoNA, Sal Tripodi, Chair of the Arts & Beautification Committee, and about 15 UpDoNA members. Here are some pictures of the event.
Ribbon cutting. Councilman Hinds is holding the scissors. From left to right: Lisa Pope, Sterling Simms, Sarah Iverson, Chris Hinds, Sterling Simms, and Sal Tripodi.
Photograph by Leo Marcé.
Depicted in the background is the centerpiece of the mural – a whimsical representation of Downtown Denver, with a rainbow representing the colors of the Colorado flag.
Update on our Green Space Project
We have had exciting developments on our Green Space Project located at the corner of 19th and Welton. The Arts & Beautification Committee sees this space as an outstanding opportunity to transform a neglected area in Downtown Denver into an educational setting providing an outdoor hands-on and project-based experience for K-12 students to be involved, motivated, and engaged in their learning process at various grade levels throughout the year. The photograph of the Green Space was taken by Sal Tripodi, Chair of the Arts & Beautification Committee.
This area is located two blocks from the Downtown Denver Expeditionary School (K-5), and the Emily Griffith Technical School for middle and high school students. We believe the project aligns with the school’s mission to use Downtown Denver as their campus and is a perfect match with their interdisciplinary, project-based, and hands-on curriculum.
One of the primary goals for this project is to bring the rich indigenous history and culture, together with plants and green foliage to ensure resiliency, sustainability, water conservation, and a habitat for urban pollinators. This will allow younger students to engage in an educational setting beginning with its design, creation, and implementation of a learning space that will continue to be used as a resource for years to come and will provide them with a sense of pride and citizenship and an awareness of art education at a significant point in their lives. For older students, the space will allow them to better understand and address green credentials through a science-math-art-based curriculum. All students, to include historically marginalized and minoritized youth, can learn by working with experts to implement designs for the space and gain hands-on experience from the construction of an educational setting´s urban features. These opportunities give all students real world experience that prepares them for careers that are integral to the city ́s workforce pool all the while providing an impact in the community in general.
One of the potential obstacles in realizing a project like this is that the adjacent property owner, who is responsible for sidewalk maintenance, must support the project before we can apply for the necessary City permits. Recently, the adjacent property was sold to NAI Shames Makovsky, a local firm with substantial investments in Downtown Denver properties. Project leaders, Silvia Fernandez and Brent Strausbaugh, members of the Arts & Beautification Executive Committee, UpDoNA members, and residents of One Lincoln Park (which overlooks this space), along with Sal Tripodi and Lisa Pope, met with representatives of Shames Makovsky. It was a very productive meeting and they are supporting us in this endeavor. Next steps are securing City permitting and funding. Along the funding lines, we have filed a Letter of Intent with Think Arts 360 for a grant to cover the costs. We should hear by January 19 whether they accept our Letter of Intent and give us the green light to submit a formal proposal. We’ll keep the community posted.
What’s In Store for 2025?
We hope 2025 brings us more opportunities to participate in publicly available Arts projects for Upper Downtown, including an Upper Downtown Murals Initiative. And, of course, we’ll need to focus on fundraising. Our Executive Committee will be setting goals in the first quarter of 2025. Our General Committee members will be participating on specific projects of their choosing.
Please Consider Joining Us
We could always use more volunteers for our Committee’s work. If you are interested, please visit our Volunteer Page at the UpDoNA website.
