AURORA —An eight-story mural of an opalescent aurora borealis dotted with cascading stars, a statue of Martin Luther King Jr., near-finished plans for eight signature art pieces at each of the future light-rail stations and dozens of sculptures and installations in between have made this year among the busiest for Aurora’s public art programs.
“There’s not just one piece or one installation that happened this year that stands out among the rest,” said Glenna Hale, chairwoman of the city’s Art in Public Places Commission. “It’s truly been a year of collaborative efforts for everything in the city … We’ve been busy.”
Creating and unveiling new pieces for the city’s rapidly growing art collection is not all the commission has done this year. Maintenance, a clear necessity for the outdoor treasures, was ramped up after older pieces in the city’s cultural arts district on Colfax Avenue were damaged or needed restoration work.
A lighting project called “Spotlight Aurora” by Susan Cooper that was developed to light up the tops of several buildings was damaged by a hailstorm. The piece has six control units coordinated along different blocks in the district.
“The neon lighting Colfax piece was damaged by a storm that came though, and we’re now working on dealing with an insurance claim for the damage,” Hale said. “We’re also looking at the technology that was used to do the lighting. The electrical components … need updating.”
The bid to fix the project is more than $450,000, city officials said. The project itself cost $250,000.
“The artist is looking at it and evaluating whether or not it can be repaired,” Hale said.
The public art program is funded by a city ordinance that dedicates 1 percent of funds used for construction and remodeling projects with budgets of $100,000 or more. An upswing in construction has helped to reinforce the art budget, making maintenance and new pieces the focus this year.
“The increased (construction) activity this year and next year is related to more available funds generated from those capital improvements as well as a one-time infusion of funds from City Council,” said Roberta Bloom, the city’s public art coordinator. “The budget has been higher this year than recent years.”
She said 25 percent of the money received from construction projects goes toward administrative costs and maintenance of the city’s art collection, which includes about 240 pieces of public art that has a total value of about $3 million.
Another arm of the program is Art 2 C on Havana, which was developed five years ago by Gayle Jetchick, executive director of the Havana Street Business Improvement District.
Art 2 C gives 10 to 13 industrial sculpture artists a yearlong exhibition in front of select businesses along the corridor, supported with fees collected within the district. The was installed two weeks ago in front of businesses spread along Havana Street from East First Avenue to just beyond East Yale Avenue.
“Our mission with Art 2 C is to try and improve the business district’s general feel and look,” Jetchick said. “I’ve seen that public art is treated like an economic development tool that made both the residents and the businesses enjoy being in the area more.”
“It also helps increase the property values of the properties that have art on display,” she said. “Our sales tax revenue has gone up, and the value of the properties has gone up as well because of this program.”
The 13 new pieces were chosen from more than 80 initial entries by a panel of made up of business owners, neighbors and the Art In Public Places commissioners.
The commission is planning signature art pieces for all eight of the future Regional Transportation District’s 10.5 mile R Line light rail through Aurora, which will be installed around this time next year.
“The city wanted to enhance the art that will be seen at these stations, so they added funding for all of the projects,” Bloom said. “At two of the stations, the city has put up all of the money.”
But sooner than that, the commission plans to have its hands in multiple developments and grand openings, enhancing building projects and park development with art that adds character and value.
“In January, they’re going to dedicate and roll out the new police and fire training center,” Hale said. “They’re doing what they call a history wall, but done with artistic pieces. We have even more work planned for next year — it’s going to be a whirlwind.”
Megan Mitchell: 303-954-2650, mmitchell@denverpost.com or @Mmitchelldp
