Public Art Project: Denver Performing Arts Complex
Budget: Approximately $900,000 US
Eligibility: Artists or Artist Teams residing in the United States and internationally
DEADLINE: Monday, April 13, 11:59 PM MST
Pre-Application Meeting: Thursday, March 26 at 5:30 PM MST

Goals: 

The selection panel seeks suspended sculptural artworks that are active both day and night and that span and activate the steel-and-glass-enclosed Galleria at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. The artwork should celebrate Denver’s performing arts and introduce an unexpected presence that is dynamic and compelling both day and night.

• Welcome and inclusion: The artwork should feel inviting and accessible to a broad range of audiences and communities.
• Enhance the Arts Complex experience: The work should enrich the arrival, circulation, and gathering experience for both ticketed patrons and daily users, extending the energy of performances into shared public space through light, motion, and/or atmosphere.
• Strong day and night presence: The artwork should read as a sculptural work in daylight and shift after dark through illumination, remaining legible and engaging throughout the day and evening.
• Rooted in Denver: Artists are encouraged to respond to Denver’s character and the downtown arts ecosystem, considering how the Arts Complex connects to the city’s cultural life and the surrounding public realm.
• Completion deadline: The artwork must be fully installed and operational by the end of 2027.

Public Art Project: City of Denver: Buchtel Boulevard
Budget: Approximately $120,000 USD
Eligibility: Open to artists or artist teams residing in the United States
DEADLINE: Thursday, March 19, 2026, 11:59 pm MST
Pre-Application Meeting: Watch the recording here

Goals: 

The selection panel encourages artists to propose creative responses that feel authentic to their practice and meaningful to the site. Rather than prescribing a single theme or approach, the panel is interested in artwork that thoughtfully engages with the corridor and its users. 

In general, the panel is interested in artwork that: 

• Enhances and beautifies the Buchtel Boulevard streetscape, contributing to a more inviting and visually engaging environment

• Encourages people to walk and bike along the corridor, helping to reinforce the goals of the Safer Streets improvements

• Responds to the site’s role as a place of movement, transition, and connection

• Is welcoming and accessible to a broad and diverse public, including neighbors, commuters, students, and visitors

• May draw inspiration from the history of transportation and connectivity in the area, while remaining contemporary and forward-looking

Have you ever looked at the Big Blue Bear or the blue Mustang at the airport and wondered, “Who decided to put that there?” Answer: a selection panel made up of community members just like you!

The Public Art Program is seeking interested community members, artists, and arts professionals who live or work in Denver to be involved in this exciting process*.

Each Selection Panel is comprised of a minimum of eight voting members with additional members added depending on the scope of the project. It is the role of the voting panelists to make decisions as a group concerning the final selection of the artist or artist team.

Denver Arts & Venues is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in all our programs, initiatives, and processes. For this reason, we request demographic information as it is important that we ensure a diversity of voices are represented in our programs and decision-making committees. We value your time and offer an honorarium to our participants (excluding City employees and representatives from the Commission on Cultural Affairs). Thank you for sharing information about yourself.

*Participation in this survey does not guarantee you will be asked to serve on a selection panel.

• Sample Artist Contract
• Sample Art Budget
• Prevailing Wage Overview
• Helpful Websites for Artists
• Funding Sources for Individual Artists
• Public Art Program Guidelines for City Managers