Courtesy of Creative Alliance Manitou Springs
Surely you’ve noticed some not-so-subtle changes to the Manitou Springs public art collection during the past year.
Creative Alliance Manitou Springs has been making that happen throughout 2022, in honor of the city’s 2022 Sesquicentennial Celebration of “City Life and Who We Are.” CRANE doubled the usual number of curated works installed in a single year, and for the first time added a new mural to make a total of eight new installations.
To celebrate the newcomers to Art on the Avenue, CRANE is conducting an online vote to honor the public’s favorite new installation with the People’s Choice Award. The winning selection’s artist will receive a Creative Alliance cash price of $1,500 funded as part of a grant for the project from the Manitou Arts, Culture and Heritage (MACH) tax initiative.
CRANE’s Public Art Committee also will honor one of the new installations, making a $2,500 artistic excellence cash prize to an artist based on levels of visual impact, craftsmanship, emotional impact and thought-provoking.
“Our mission for CRANE is to support and uplift artists while enhancing our community,” said Audrey Gray, chair of the Public Art Committee and CRANE vice-chair. “To highlight our portion of Manitou’s Sesquicentennial Celebration, we will put more money into artists’ hands and engage our stakeholders by celebrating the art we have installed in the community over the past year.”
To vote or to learn more about Art on the Avenue, visit tiny.cc/artontheave and submit your vote by Dec. 12. The winners will be announced later that week.
Residents and visitors can take a walking tour of the latest installations by starting at the city’s Mobility Hub at 10 Old Man’s Trail, adjacent to Memorial Park. From there, stroll through Memorial Park and 7 Minute Spring Park, then head west through downtown.
The works range in material from stone to steel, wood to cast iron, and include paint, acrylic and tile, to complete the wide array of media.
The eight new installations, from east to west, are:
- “The Dance of TAVA” mural by K8e Orr and Joel Newmiller, Mobility Hub at Hiawatha Gardens;
- “The Serpent Waver” by Mel Whitcomb, 7 Minute Spring Park;
- “Revivification” by Zach Tabb, 7 Minute Spring Park;
- “Spiral Dance Flourish” by Harold Linke, 7 Minute Spring Park;
- “Sandstorm” by Justin Deister, 735 Manitou Ave.;
- “Magnify” by Kirk Seese, Shoshone Spring Park;
- “Germination” by Gregory Fields, 934 Manitou Ave.;
- “Comforting Melody” by Antonio Flaminio, 962 Manitou Ave.
“This was an ambitious undertaking for CRANE, and we’re proud of how all of these works enhance Manitou Springs,” said Ralph Routon, CRANE board chair. “I’d like to recognize our executive director, Becca Sickbert, for her leadership role in the entire project. We also give our deep thanks to the city staff for their cooperation and work in making the installations happen.”