Can a $2.2 Million Art Project Make BRT’s Colfax Arches Less Ugly?

More than a year into the East Colfax Bus Rapid Transit project, Denver’s most iconic street is still jammed with traffic cones, gates, fences and irritated drivers navigating questionable makeshift lanes. The unsightly white station arches springing up along the middle of the road aren’t much cause for comfort, but at least a few of those arches will become public works of art.

Thanks to a 1988 executive order that was issued by then-Mayor Federico Peña and enacted into ordinance by Denver City Council in 1991, 1 percent of any capital improvement project over $1 million undertaken by Denver must be set aside for the inclusion of art, according to Megan Deffner with Denver Arts & Venues. With a nearly $300 million budget, the BRT project more than meets that requirement, and $2.2 million of that budget was allocated to art.

Denver’s Department of Transportation & Infrastructure partnered with DAV to choose the art installations along the BRT line. The initial phase of the project, which is still in progress, starts at a stretch of East Colfax that runs from Broadway to Williams Street. The first BRT canopy art, a nighttime mountain scene created by Golden-based artist Lui Ferreyra, was recently installed at the westbound Pennsylvania Street station; a daytime version will be installed at the eastbound station.

On an overcast day, the artwork, which is located on the underside of the station canopies, is a little hard to spot, what with all the fences and barriers. But on a sunny day, it has the potential to glow like stained glass. Deffner says the city went with art on the underside of the canopies because “the narrow width of the corridor is challenging and the environmental conditions would make it more difficult to maintain artwork long-term.”

A digital in-glass printing technique that uses inorganic ceramic inks fused into the glass when tempered allows for enhanced detail and color combinations that are extremely durable and customizable, Deffner adds.

The DAV commissioned five artist teams/organizations to create artwork for three stations each: Ferreyra, Access Gallery, Koco Collaborations, Denver artist Justin DeCou and Arizona artist Janelle Stanley. Artwork will be installed at fifteen stations (comprising thirty arches) along Colfax in Denver, plus an additional station (two arches) in Aurora. Jasmine Holmes was selected as the artist for the Aurora artwork.

The artists were chosen through the city’s public art selection process after applying to a national call, and 265 artists or teams applied. “A unique selection panel made up of community representatives, artists, arts professionals and civic leaders reviewed and scored the applications, and recommended the artists/teams that were selected,” says Ben Heinemann, DAV program manager, venue marketing and public relations representative.

Additional installations will pick up in March and roll through the spring and summer, according to DOTI’s Cyndi Karvaski.

The selected proposals have no specific theme, but artists were encouraged to research and spend time along the corridor and “highlight the history, diversity and spirit” of the stretch. “For example, Colorado Station features iconic buildings and neon signage that can be found (or that were once found) along the corridor,” Deffner notes.

The East Colfax BRT project team is planning to host a series of Meet the Artist events at small businesses along Colfax; according to Karvaski, the first one will be in March, and feature Ferreyra.

To learn about future events, check the Colfax Events Calendar or follow We Back the Fax on social media.