This September ten Artists will gather to add four new murals to the East Colfax Community as part of the Fourth Annual Colfax Canvas Festival.
Now in its fourth year, Colfax Canvas and their team had the intensely difficult job selecting only 10 artists of the many applicants, to collaborate on four large-scale murals in the East Colfax neighborhood in Aurora, bringing the festival’s total neighborhood mural count to 33. The goals of this initiative are to preserve and beautify historic buildings, offer artists paid opportunities to showcase their work, and give residents a sense of pride and place. This area of the city is home to many immigrants and refugees; the murals also help create a shared identity for a culturally diverse and transient population.
Colfax Canvas was originally created to bring the community together in a safe and meaningful way, with the first event taking place in 2020 amidst the uncertainty and isolation of the pandemic. Since its launch, the now annual event has added nearly 30 world-class murals to the East Colfax neighborhood over three years, representing the work of 60+ artists. It has created a visual boundary for the neighborhood and drawn people to visit and explore, with the art on the walls acting as a reflection of the people and culture that make up the community.
“Everyone deserves art – the murals build community among artists, business owners and residents by giving them something beautiful to interact with every day,” said Aaron Vega, event producer, and talented artist in his own right. “We are telling the story of the neighborhood and showing people that East Colfax is colorful, vibrant and full of life. The murals we’re adding are evergreen, so people can walk by and experience beautiful art every day. It gives people here a sense of pride and identity. There’s a lot of economic development happening in the area and it’s so important that the residents feel seen and heard throughout that process. We’re working to empower the neighborhood to discover and use its voice. I’m always thinking about how to bring artists into the economy. There’s no glory in being a starving artist – so I try to help everyone see them as entrepreneurs worthy of recognition, funding and support.”
This year’s artist cohort includes eight from Colorado and two from out-of-state (Virginia and Florida) who were chosen from nearly a hundred applicants. The selection process is led by a DEI-focused committee made up of residents, building/business owners and sponsors, all with a vested interest in the community. Heritage is prioritized over aesthetics or experience, with the final mix featuring both seasoned and emerging artists who can collaborate with and learn from each other.
Koko Bayer, a favorite of ours and cover artist of our fourth issue, nearly seven years ago, will be among the selected artists. You have no doubt become familiar with her Project Spread Hope (pictured here in the center). She pasted hearts all over Colorado when we were isolated during the pandemic and feeling uncertain about the future. Her art literally lifted the spirits of locals from Denver to Aspen. Koko is the granddaughter to Herbert Bayer, and grew up in Denver and loved the architecture and character of the East Colfax neighborhood. This was her first opportunity to make her artistic mark in Aurora. She said, “Murals can transform the intended use of a neighborhood and make more people want to be a part of what’s happening there.”
Four murals will be painted between September 2-16:
Florence Square Apartments (9801 E. Colfax Ave.)
Artists: Koko Bayer, and WEYMNKY
Florence Street (1593, 1571 & 1561 Florence St.)
Artists: Johnny Draco, Nico Cathcart, Alexandrea Pangburn, and David Swartz
Mango House (10180 E. Colfax Ave.) – two murals / front and back of building
Artists: Brutus, Jannah Farooque, Sandra Fettingis, Tessa Fuqua
The Mango House is a shared space for resettled refugees in the Denver area. Built by CU School of Medicine alumnus, P.J. Palmer originally as a way to provide affordable health care to Denver’s refugees, has turned into a home. Inside the walls of the Mango House is a medical clinic, dental clinic, a pharmacy, an international grocery store, a Nepalese boutique, and six refugee-run food stalls serving authentic quisine from Syria, Ethiopia, Sudan, Nepal, Burma and more. The Mango House, a center focused on community and bridging cultures, couldn’t be a more perfect location for these two murals.
Jannah Farooque will be one of the four muralists to grace the Mango House with her art. As a black, muslim mother of five, born and raised in Denver, Jannah highlights these many perspectives throughout her work. Also a spoken word artist and activist, her writings are focused on social justice and inward reality. Her art will without a doubt offer a sense of peace and perspective for the community.
Sandra Fettingis will also be collaborating on these two murals for the Mango House. She is a Denver artist well-known for her iconic, abstract geometric style, creating timeless, site-specific patterns for public art. Her elegant, harmonious works thoughtfully integrate art with the surrounding buildings and natural environments. She combines a careful study of a location and its social fabric with creative problem solving to generate meditative yet dynamic patterns often nodding to plant life with keen attention to detail and craftsmanship.
Her work is pictured above on the right side, along side the work of Charlo (far left) and Chelsea Lewinski in the center. Both of whom were previous Colfax Canvas artists.
The Mural Festival will culminate in a culture-rich neighborhood block party September 16, from 12 – 5 p.m. on Fletcher Plaza in Aurora. The event will embrace all that makes the East Colfax community unique, featuring DJed music, cultural dance performances, Aurora Sister City activations, family-friendly activities, a beer garden comprising all five area breweries, and food vendors representing global cuisines.
More information is available at www.ColfaxCanvas.com.