Driving down the street on your way to your favorite activity in Aurora, CO can be an exciting adventure on its own. For the art lover, the journey may be enjoyed as much as the final destination. Aurora is a community with civic pride, and in my opinion, you won’t see proof of that more than through the Art in Public Places Program. You never know where you’ll find a piece of art that will attract your attention, but I enjoy the program so much that I’m sharing some of the favorites I’ve found as I’ve been out and about.
Activities in Aurora for the Art Lover
Start enjoying the displays at the Aurora Municipal Center at 15151 East Alameda Parkway. The Dawn Fountain is located on the plaza on the west side of the center. As mist is twirled upward, the sculpture gives the imagery of ancient sun symbols.
Also on the west side of the Municipal, between that and the Aurora Central Library, is the Sun Shell, a great place to take a rest in peace as you explore the art display and before you get to the display of cast glass, mirrors and aluminum that depicts scenes of the development of Aurora from prehistoric times to modern day.
The Aurora Dawn is located at Abilene Street and Alameda Avenue. The sculpture by artist Denny Haskew of Loveland is the gateway feature at the Aurora City Center. If art depicting wildlife is more to your liking, a cast bronze sculpture at the entrance of the pottery center in Aurora shouldn’t be missed. In Hot Pursuitis a public favorite and is at the Bicentennial Art Center, 13655 East Alameda Avenue. It is another public art display by a local Colorado artist, Kurt Jungblut of Golden.
The Ghost Trolley was created by Denver artist Lawrence Argent and connects the past to the present in cast fiberglass. It’s located on the East Colfax Avenue median between Elmira and Emporia streets.
As long as you’re on East Colfax, continue to 9745 E Colfax to see the Aurora Eternal by Longmont artist Mario Miguel Echevarria. Three sculptural crowns are grouped to represent key symbolic elements of the past and present of Aurora. It is composed of neon tubes in eight colors.
I Have A Dream,inspired by the speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. is a stainless and powder coated steel sculpture by Colorado Springs artist Ivan Kosta. Don’t miss this one. It’s at the MLK, Jr. Library at the Municipal Center, 9898 E. Colfax Avenue.
If you pass by a fire station as you look for Art in Public Places, be sure to keep your eyes open or you may miss pieces of a collection of art commemorating firefighters. The same is true for the libraries in the area. Most offer sculptures or murals that are part of the program.
Police stations, recreation centers and even wide open spaces can all be appreciated as the art lover spies the offerings of the public works. Art in Public Places also rotates pieces of art among City facilities. You never know what gems you’ll see as you travel, making art discovery a popular activity in Aurora.
If You Go
The works included in this program are scattered all throughout the Aurora area, so just driving by will offer you a good opportunity to enjoy these unique displays. But, if you want to see a few pieces in particular, you can check out the interactive map found through the City of Aurora’s website to get details on where to find certain pieces: http://www.publicearth.com/collections/0db7cc46-f817-11df-bc7f-fbc2eb03fef2/widget.