On Friday Nov. 6, the first section of an ambitious mile long mural project called the Mile High Mural will officially be unveiled as a part of the Art on the River exhibit at the Art Students League.
"This is a very ambitious multi-year project that will involved hundreds, if not thousands, of young people across the state," said Emanuel Martinez, professional artist and artistic director for the project, "It will be an ongoing project to stimulate the creativity of children while creating a landmark for Denver where people can come to see the history of Colorado unfold over the course of the mile."
The idea for the Mile High Mural, which will eventually cover the walls along the Cherry Creek in Lower Downtown from Confluence Park up to Larimer Street and back again, has been in the works for over a decade.
"It is hard to see the walls down on the Cherry Creek and not imagine what they could be, " said Jolon Clark, SPREE Program Director, "It is a giant canvas waiting for a story to be told."
On Oct. 18, Martinez put the first paint on that mile long canvas, but he did not do it alone. Students from Denver's nine premier SPREE (South Platte River Environmental Education) Schools helped out as they converged at the South Platte River to celebrate a fusion of art, education, and the environment.
"We want to tell the history of Denver and of Colorado over the course of the mile, but we want to tell it from the perspective of the rivers and streams that have played such an integral part in that history," said Clark, "Who better to help create this mural and tell this story than these kids who represent the next evolution of life along the South Platte and its tributaries."
The project is being coordinated through the Greenway Foundation.
"This is another example of how you take the birthplace of Denver and enliven it artistically and historically," said Jeff Shoemaker, executive director of the Greenway Foundation. "This mural will bring people down to the confluence and help them understand the significance of our waterways."
The mural will not actually be painted on the walls of the Cherry Creek, it will first be painted on four foot by eight foot panels that will later be permanently attached to the walls.
"There is so much water that seeps through the walls, anything we painted on them would peel right off," said Martinez, "Doing it this way allows us the freedom to create the mural anywhere we want to, install it later, and it will last longer and need less maintenance."
The mile will be made up of 440 mini murals. Each mini mural consists of three of the 4x8 panels. It will take 1,320 panels to complete the mile.
Each mini mural will be a window into a different time in Colorado's history. The first mini mural depicts the dinosaurs that roamed Denver in prehistoric times.
"When you have five thousand two hundred and eighty feet to tell the history of Colorado, you have to start pretty early," said Clark.
Martinez worked closely with the Friends of Dinosaur Ridge, to make sure that the mural painted an accurate picture of prehistoric Colorado. In addition to providing support for the content of this first mini mural, the Friends of Dinosaur Ridge also provided financial backing to make the mural possible.
This first mini mural will be unveiled Friday at 5:30 pm as part of the Art on the River exhibit at the Art Students League.
"This is just the beginning," said Clark, "We have a long way to go."
There are still hurdles and logistics to work out in order to make this mural work on the walls of the Cherry Creek, an active flood channel, and creating a mile of murals will not be cheap.
Friday, however, will be a celebration a decade in the making. A chance to see dream become reality while the future of Denver begins to paint the story of its past.
The first mini-mural will be on display at the Art Students League Gallery starting Friday November 6th at 5:30 pm as a part of the Art on the River exhibit prior to being installed on the Cherry Creek. For more information about the Mile High Mural, you can contact Jolon Clark at 303-743-9720 ext 820 or jolon@spreemail.org.