Fort Collins Celebrates 30 Years of Public Art Program with Community Event
Fort Collins will mark three decades of the Art in Public Places program with a free public celebration November 8 at 6 p.m. at The Center for Creativity.
The event commemorates a program that has installed more than 350 public artworks throughout Fort Collins since its establishment in 1995, according to Fort Collins government sources. The anniversary celebration will feature presentations from local artists, projection mapping on the Historic Carnegie Library building, and recognition of community members who have shaped the program.
Program Built on 1% Funding Model
The Art in Public Places program was created under City Ordinance No. 20, 1995, and requires city construction projects with budgets over $250,000 to allocate 1% of project costs for public art, administration and maintenance, according to City of Fort Collins budget documents.
The program operates under policies codified in Fort Collins City Code, Chapter 23, Article XII. A council-appointed board oversees artist selection and artwork maintenance.
The original City Council proclamation establishing the program stated that public art "transforms ordinary spaces into meaningful places, thereby enhancing the city's appearance, quality of life, and civic pride," according to official council records from April 1995.
Fort Collins Cultural Services manages the program alongside other city arts initiatives including the Lincoln Center performing arts venue and partnerships with the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery.
Artists to Present Lightning Talks
The November 8 event will include five-minute presentations from local artists who have participated in Art in Public Places projects over the past 30 years. Denver Projection Mapping will create a special projection artwork on the Historic Carnegie Library building for the evening.
The celebration will begin with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by a welcome presentation. The event runs through 8:30 p.m.
The program commissions dozens of local artists annually for recurring projects including transformer cabinet murals, Pianos About Town installations, and pedestrian paver designs, according to city budget narratives. Each year between 12 and 25 local artists receive payment for these community-focused projects.
Public artworks supported by the program appear throughout Fort Collins in parks, civic buildings, downtown streets, transit corridors and neighborhood gateways. The transformer cabinet murals on utility boxes have become particularly visible markers of the program's reach across the city.
Event Details
The 30th anniversary celebration takes place at The Center for Creativity, 200 Mathews Street. Admission is free and open to the public.
The Center for Creativity is a city-owned facility operated by Fort Collins' Cultural Services Department. The venue provides exhibition space, workshops and community gathering areas designed to support local artists and make cultural resources accessible to residents, according to Fort Collins cultural planning documents.
For more information, contact Ellen Martin, Visual Arts Administrator, at 970-416-2789 or [email protected].