Each year, we work with local artists, students, non-profits, and businesses to turn our power boxes into vessels for art and storytelling. This year’s installation, Colfax Strong, celebrates the strength and resiliency of the street while amplifying the creative voices of local artists of all backgrounds and abilities.
Thank you to all of our 2020 artists – make sure you give them a follow so you can keep up with their work. The power boxes line the street from Grant to Josephine – go check them out in person, or explore them virtually here!
Artist: Mel CK
Instagram: @mel_ck_og
Location: 2331 E Colfax (Floyd's Barbershop)
From the artist: Hummingbirds have been popping up a lot in communities. They're a symbol of hope. So I would like to think this piece will bring happiness and hope to all who see it.
Artist: Marissa Gomez-Wall
Instagram: @marmezall
Location: 2019 E Colfax (Purple Haze)
From the artist: The people are what makes Colfax strong. Whenever I think of Colfax, I think of the beautiful people of all shapes and colors. Everyone knows Colfax has the most interesting people and this piece is for them. It's for the groovy and colorful. For the bigfoot and alien believers. For everyone spreading peace, love, and happiness. I think that's what will continue to keep Colfax strong. Continuing to love the colorful people of our city and state.
Artist: Kaitlin Ziesmer
Instagram: @kaitlinziesmer
Location: 1775 E Colfax (Taco Bell)
From the artist: This fierce tiger in a helmet is stark, bright, and colorful; conveying positivity and strength.
I make brightly colored, poppy paintings that typically incorporate/combine human and natural elements with nostalgia. With a light-hearted sense of humor, I approach art with a “it’s for fun” attitude.
I'm grateful to contribute to this city that I love and thrive in.
Artist: Els Bamberger
Instagram: @mymind.thevoid
Location: 1245 E Colfax (Irish Snug)
Artists: AJ & Josiah (Access Gallery)
Instagram: @accessgalleryco
Location: 1111 E Colfax (Papa John's)
Artist: Selah Ruckard
Instagram: @selah.v.art
Location: 935 E Colfax (Ogden)
From the artist: This piece is me and all of my cousins who are all Colorado natives! We have made up Colorado, helped it be great if you will 🙂 We have been protesting the past few weeks and I feel like it is important for everyone to know that we were representing those who had to stay at home (either because of Covid, or simply because their blackness made them a target). I also think it is great that we don’t have faces. Other girls can relate.
Artist: Tess Swickard
Instagram: @raritystudio_
Location: 629 E Colfax (XBar)
From the artist: This piece is recognizing the belief that in order for unity to exist there must be diversity. Portrayed are 15 faces of Denver - locals like myself who have grown up in the heart of this city, where Colfax is not just a landmark, it’s a part of our everyday lives while maintaining a sense of nostalgia. These lives hold many differences to my own yet have so many similarities; something I find so powerfully beautiful. Like the colors of the rainbow, we mesh and blend with various pigments, partaking in different roles, creating a product to be very proud of. Looking at this piece I aim to spread hope, connection, love, and the reminder that community doesn’t exist without YOU.
Artist: Javier (Access Gallery)
Instagram: @accessgalleryco
Location: 338 E Colfax (Tycoon Ramen)
From the artist: Wade Blank and nineteen activists with disabilities - The Gang of 19 -from ADAPT (then known as the American Disabled for Accessible Public Transit) held an overnight city bus "hostage" on the corner of Broadway & Colfax in Denver, Colorado. Those 19 people led by Wade put Denver front and center in disability rights history. Wade Blank founded Atlantis Community just a few years before the Gang of 19 protest. From that protest, ADAPT was formed in 1983 and is still going strong.
Artist: That 5280 Lady
Instagram: @that5280lady
Location: 616 E Colfax (Office Depot)
Artist: Zach Kotel
Instagram: @zkotel
Location: 900 E Colfax (Charlie's)
Artist: Jamie Perkins
Instagram: @jamieperkinsart
Location: 1040 E Colfax (Smiley's)
From the artist: The 15 is the people's bus. If Colfax is the spine of Denver, the 15 is the spinal cord. It carries the heart of Colfax, it's people. This will be a celebration of the people who make Colfax strong, connected by the bus. Everyone rides the 15: healthcare workers, teachers, students, activists, sinners, and artists. Each has a seat, and each makes Colfax better and stronger for having traveled along it.
Artist: That 5280 Lady
Instagram: @that5280lady
Location: 1244 E Colfax (Anytime Fitness)
Artist: Christi Palitto
Instagram: @christipalitto
Location: 1770 E Colfax (Conoco)
From the artist: I'm honored to get to contribute to a street that I love! When I think of Colfax, I think of it as the backbone of Denver. It’s central to our city and full of life and culture. I wanted to create a piece that embodies the vibe of the street while also sending a positive message, so I chose bright colors and the plum blossom since it is typically seen as a symbol of hope, strength, and resilience, which we can never have too much of.
Artist: Katrina Legans
Instagram: @kthecreativ
Location: 2000 E Colfax (Walgreens)
From the artist: I want my art to tell the story of strength and growth as a community and as a people. We all share this Earth together, it's time to grow, build and elevate together. We have to start now, love and learn. The children of the future depend on it.
Artist: Selah Ruckard
Instagram: @selah.v.art
Location: 2340 E Colfax (Chase Bank)
From the artist: See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil. I feel like these are rules we subconsciously live by if we don’t want bad energy coming our way. This is how you remain at peace, in love, out of trouble in some cases. Like a sign of good luck, keep your head down and push to your goals.