Some of the murals and tiles in Denver’s new, $378 million justice center may be homegrown – coming from the jail’s inmates themselves.
Under a proposal by the Denver Sheriff Department, inmates would provide some of the $2.2 million in public art for the center – with their commissions going to pay court costs, child support and restitution.
“It’s a new approach for how we spend money on public art,” said William Lovingier, Denver corrections director.
It’s an idea proposed to a citizen art selection committee by Maj. Marie Kielar, the justice center project manager for the Denver Sheriff Department and also a member of the art committee.
Denver’s so-called 1 percent-for-art ordinance, passed in 1991, requires 1 percent of the construction costs for all public projects of $1 million or more be set aside for art purchases.
The ordinance gave the city the big blue bear peering into the Colorado Convention Center and “Dancers,” the 60-foot semi-abstract dancing figures next to the Denver Performing Arts Complex.
The new justice complex, in downtown Denver, will be just west of the U.S. Mint.
The inmates hope to get a chunk of the $2.2 million designated for art at the downtown justice center.
The complex, slated to be completed in 2009, will include a courthouse, detention center and post office.
“We have some tremendous artists who happen to be in jail,” Lovingier said.
“We can use some of those funds to develop and enhance skills that might benefit some of the inmates as they move from jail back into the community,” he said.
Some of the funding would pay for the inmate art program – supplies, materials and an artist in residence.
Inmates would submit their proposals to the Public Evaluation Panel, a committee of artists and community members.
If the inmates’ proposals are accepted, their commissions would be applied to court-imposed debts, Kielar said.
The inmates’ contributions, for example, could include hand-painted tiles in the detention facility or murals in the day room, Kielar said.
“It’s an idea that’s just been discussed and would be up to our citizen panel on how it would work,” said Erin Trapp, director of the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs, which oversees the public-art selection process.
Staff writer Dave Curtin can be reached at 303-820-1276 or dcurtin@denverpost.com.
