MANITOU SPRINGS — About an hour before dawn today, Manitou Springs will be the site of the largest artwork in the history of the Pikes Peak region.
By then, artist Sean O’Meallie and the Manitou Chair Project will have closed Manitou Avenue from South Path to Park Avenue. And a cast of many Manitou locals will fill the streets, lining up a planned 1,000 local chairs in a single file down the middle of Manitou Avenue.
“The artwork — images of the line of empty chairs in an empty streetscape — is about the confluence of humans and nature and time,” O’Meallie said. “There’s a bit more to it, but the central concept is completely wrapped in Manitou. You know, like an idea burrito.”
At 9 a.m., onlookers can wander the site and even sit in the chairs. Entertainment continues throughout the day. The chairs will be removed at 9:30 a.m., although singers and other artists will perform throughout the day. Tracy Mobley-Martinez, The Gazette
