Paint the Town: Some of Our Favorite New Murals in Denver

The “Colorful Colorado” slogan may refer to the state’s vibrant mountain views and foliage, but in Denver, the city’s walls are saturated with that color. This summer, artists all over the metro area used brick and concrete canvases to paint the town with new murals, from Wall Fest artwork created along Cherry Creek Trail to one muralist’s “Spraycation” stop in the Mile High.

And the paint hasn’t dried yet. Friday, October 17, through Sunday, October 19, is the inaugural KissFist Mural Fest, a deaf-centered celebration at RiNo Art Park that will feature ten artists from the community creating murals over three days. The event was launched by Kate Fitzpatrick, an artist and Child of Deaf Adults, after becoming frustrated with the lack of accessibility she observed at other festivals.

“I’ve had a lot of experiences where I’ve approached hearing organizations and asked, ‘Can you put captioning on your videos?’ or ‘Can you provide interpreters?’ and they often say, ‘Oh, it’s too hard. We will someday.’ It’s always someday,” says Fitzpatrick. “Enough of that. I wanted to set up a fun, welcoming, accessible festival that celebrates deaf culture.”

The KissFist murals are sure to add to colorful Denver, but for now, here are some of our favorite murals that popped up around the city this year:

“Tribute to the Westside”
MSU Department of Music Studio, 800 Kalamath Street

Earlier this fall, MSU Denver unveiled “Tribute to the Westside,” a piece that pays homage to the culture of Denver’s Westside neighborhood, telling stories of resilience, displacement and artistic presence. Students, high school interns, faculty and other members of the community collaborated on the mural, which was designed by Mid-Brow Collective. The massive mural wraps around the exterior of the building and depicts Chicano and Indigenous imagery, including a boxer, horses and a child in a headdress.

Cherry Creek Trail Wall Fest Murals
Cherry Creek Trail, between First and Sixth avenues and Downing Street

Last month, seventeen artists painted murals along Cherry Creek Trail during the inaugural Cherry Creek Trail Wall Fest, a Denver Parks & Recreation project designed to liven up blank spaces in the city. “It’s such an amazing gallery in itself, and not one that people would think of as a gallery,” says Zaida Sever, one of the artists selected for the project.

“Rooted in Tradition”
Pacific Mercantile, 1925 Lawrence Street

In May, Sakura Square received a $10,000 Community Benefit Sponsorship for two new murals by local Japanese American artist Casey Kawaguchi, who’d previously created a mural at Sakura Square, “The Seeds We Sow.” The first of the new murals, “Rooted in Tradition,” was completed over the summer at Pacific Mercantile, the eighty-year-old, fourth-generation-owned Japanese market. “Rooted in Tradition” honors the legacy of George Inai, who founded Pacific Mercantile.

Spraycation Tour
Fever Dream Vintage & Modern, 2903 East Colfax Avenue

In July, artist Zuzu Perkal brought her national “Spraycation” mural tour to Denver’s Fever Dream Vintage & Modern after falling in love with the space and getting permission from store owner Veronica Desangles and her landlord to paint a mural. The result is a pink, blue and cosmic design depicting the message “You Are Magic.” Desangles told Westword at the mural’s unveiling: “I can sense that the neighborhood is blooming. And it’s just a really cool piece of artwork for the neighborhood. She did a great job.”

“Fun in the Denver Sun”
Writer Square, facing 16th and Lawrence streets

This summer, several artists activated vacant spaces around 16th Street with immersive art installations tributing various Denver neighborhoods. OhHeckYeah took a more macro-approach, taking inspiration from our love of the sun and outdoors for its project, “Fun in the Denver Sun.” In addition to sculptures and two interactive video games, the space features bright yellow, pink and blue murals of clouds, suns, ice cream and watermelon painted by artist George Bangs.