Everyone loves to be outdoors in the summer, and nobody can argue that Mother Nature is the world’s greatest artist.
However, it’s also soothing to surround yourself with original, creative masterpieces humans make.
Several towns in Colorado prioritize outdoor artwork.
Loveland, Grand Junction, and Aspen are among the top destinations for outdoor galleries, housing original artwork in museum-like quantities amid the fresh air.
Loveland
Venture to this small city north of Denver to discover one of the highest concentrations of outdoor artwork in America, with not one but two sprawling sculpture gardens.
Launched in 1985, Benson Sculpture Garden is a Narnia-like wonderland of 183 stone and bronze figures, each occupying a special corner of a manicured 10-acre park.
Take them in via a network of wheelchair-accessible paths and trails sprinkled throughout with rest areas and benches.
Each sculpture is designed and created by Colorado-based artists, as well as many nationally and internationally renowned artists.
As a small sample of what you’ll encounter, there’s artist Rosie Sandifer’s inspiring “Freedom of Youth,” inspired by her daughter swinging on a rope on a backyard tree.
There’s Mary Zimmerman’s “Green Pastures,” a realistic pair of sheep grazing on the park’s grass, and Tim Cherry’s “Roundbottomus Hippopotomus,” a life-sized hippo designed to look partially submerged in one of the park’s ponds.
A prime time to visit the garden is Aug. 8-10 for the 41st annual Sculpture in the Park, America’s largest outdoor juried sculpture show.
Chapungu Sculpture Park spans 26 acres of lush, green outdoor space on the other side of town.
The park, launched in 2007, is home to 82 monumental stone sculptures by Zimbabwean artists.
Each piece sits in its natural oasis. Viewing every sculpture could take all day, but you can see several on a quick stroll along the park’s accessible trails.
Bring your blanket, camp chair, and picnic by night as Chapungu transforms into a community gathering spot for its long-running summer concert series.
Although 67 percent of Loveland’s public art was donated, the city allocates one percent of funds from new construction to its Art in Public Places program.
“In addition to Loveland’s two dedicated sculpture parks, you’ll find outdoor art in spaces you wouldn’t expect it. It’s a wonderful place to fully interact with art, and we want people to touch and feel the sculpture,” says Jade Windell, co-director of Loveland High Plains Arts.
Beyond the sculptures, look for vibrant, hand-painted murals gracing the walls and alleys of downtown Loveland.
Download Loveland’s new self-guided public art tour using the Otocast app to find in-town artwork.
The tour walks you through notable downtown sculptures, including art at the Civic Center, Foundry, and East Fourth Street.
Grand Junction
Downtown Grand Junction has always been a pleasant place to stroll, with its historic Western buildings, buzzy restaurant patios, and independently owned boutique shops. Still, the most aesthetically fascinating downtown features sit on the corners.
Celebrating 40 years back in the 1980s, Grand Junction’s Art on the Corner became America’s first outdoor sculpture program.
Over the years, the program has displayed nearly 900 original sculptures from 285 artists. The 128 permanent pieces, known as the lasting gems, are located downtown, surrounding the Mesa County Central Library, the Art Center of Western Colorado, the Grand Junction Visitors Center, and within the Western Colorado Botanical Gardens.
The artist’s subject matter and creativity run the gamut, ranging from tributes to area history and recreation–like a bus-sized mountain bike—to a handful of equine-themed pieces.
Fruita artist Jeff Bates’ imaginative “Self Reflection,” featuring the large head and neck of a horse made of chains and various recycled steel pieces from ranch and farm equipment, recently won second place in Art on the Corner’s annual exhibition.
The city adds new sculptures annually, all by Colorado artists, each with a story.
Colorful murals also abound in Grand Junction, significantly brightening otherwise drab areas of town. The aRT program, for example, Art on the Riverfront Trail, transforms “bleak underpasses” along the 28-mile Riverfront Trail into vibrant murals depicting desert landscapes, running horses, rock formations, and Colorado wildlife.
The annually changing throng of mural artists also ensures that the concrete wall of the Downtown Parking Garage is filled with dreamy, eye-catching scenes.
Even Grand Junction’s traffic signals feature hand-painted works of art.
Lastly, if you can peer into the bowls of local skateparks, you will see that they, too, are filled with mesmerizing murals. A recently completed piece at Westlake Skate Park transformed the expansive concrete pool into a landscape reminiscent of the nearby Colorado National Monument, with vibrant orange rock waves and cliffs, plus a large bull skull as its centerpiece.
Check out Grand Junction’s interactive art map to locate and learn about artwork around town, including along the Riverfront Trail and a few random, unexpected places.
Aspen
Speaking of Art in Unexpected Places, Aspen has an actual program.
Celebrating its 20th year, ArtUP has hosted the rotating work of world-famous artists at the base of local ski resorts, on the slopes, and even on lift tickets.
In more obvious places, long-time local artist Travis Fulton helped launch Snowmass Village’s Anderson Ranch Arts Center in 1969 and 1980, co-designing and creating Colorado’s first computerized dancing fountain.
The fountain remains downtown Aspen’s most popular interactive art piece (especially among giggling, splashing children). A close second, though not designed to be interactive, is Bill Secunda’s nail bear (with no official name) on downtown’s pedestrian mall. It’s a quadruple-sized brown bear crafted from 50,000 nails, which, oddly, every other passerby feels compelled to hug.
Of course, the Aspen Art Museum is the centerpiece of creative masterpieces in Aspen. Its original incarnation sprang up in 1976, leading the town’s ever-growing art scene until it landed in its current downtown location in 2014. The only one of its kind in a ski town, the 33,000-square-foot, four-story museum is home to six galleries and changing exhibitions that rival big cities.
Thanks to generous donations, admission is free. As for outdoor offerings, the museum always offers an innovative outdoor installation and hypnotizing live performances.
Keep an eye on the museum’s calendar for what’s to come.