Denver Public Art Welcomes Three New Additions to its Collection

Denver Arts & Venues has announced the completion of three new pieces in the Denver Public Art collection - two at Denver Public Libraries, "A Life Cycle Story" at the Smiley Branch, and "Time is a Friend of the Future, Not an Enemy of the Past" at the Byers Branch. The third, "Que Viva Paco," is installed at Paco Sanchez Park.

"We love our Denver Public Library system and can't wait for all branches to reopen. These two new additions, plus the fantastic and fitting tribute to Paco Sanchez by Carlos Frésquez, are perfectly suited to each site and I'm excited for residents to discover them," said Public Art Program Manager Michael Chavez.

Established in 1988, Denver's Public Art Program directs that 1% of any capital improvement project over $1 million undertaken by the City, be set aside for the inclusion of new public art. With more than 60 ongoing public art projects, Denver Public Art remains committed to providing opportunities for Denver residents and visitors to experience art in public places and 2021 shows no signs of slowing down.

A Life Cycle Story

"A Life Cycle Story" by Maureen Hearty (Joes, CO) is an interactive sculpture of steel screen panels located near the south facing exterior of Denver's Smiley Branch Library. Steel panels contain cut-outs of dandelion imagery that reflect a playful storyline of dandelions and small birds. The six sculptural screens are linked together by aluminum pipes which act as an interactive sound component. Visitors may borrow a hand mallet from the main library desk to "play" the sculpture.

Time is a Friend of the Future, Not an Enemy of the Past

"Time is a Friend of the Future, Not an Enemy of the Past" by Valerie Savarie (Denver, CO) is a large functional clock created from a vintage encyclopedia set that has been installed over a fireplace mantel at Byers Public Library. The artist chose participants from the community of various ages, genders, and ethnicities to cut out silhouette profiles on each cover of the encyclopedias. She then creates a three-dimensional sculpture from each book using layers of exposed pages and collage. Each individual book represents a number on the clock.

Que Viva Paco

Artist Carlos Frésquez (Denver, CO) created an artwork titled "Que Viva Paco" honoring Francisco "Paco" Sanchez, who in 1954 launched Denver's first Spanish language radio station. The artwork consists of three stainless-steel disks, approximately five feet in diameter, painted in the colors of the United States and Mexican flags. The disks represent the Mexican and Latin music Paco would "spin" over the local airwaves. The sculpture is located at Paco Sanchez Park, 1290 Knox Ct. in Denver.

For more information on these projects and to view other artwork in the Denver Public Art collection, please visit http://www.DenverPublicArt.org.

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