UPDATE

Our tour of the projects of our fellow Colorado Artplace awardees, Wonderbound Junction Box and Oh Heck Yeah, left us with an appreciation for the creativity, energy and commitment it takes to encourage our communities to think and act across a broad and inclusive spectrum. Spending time sharing our stories and brainstorming for how to amplify the places we are all creating was a huge boost for the Arts @ the Feed & Grain team.

The Sculpture Games, July 12 and 13, blasted off to the flash of lightning as well as welding torches, reminding us that some things are under our control – and some must rely on serendipity! 10 teams of artists and craftspeople kept working through the winds and the rain and hardy souls came out from the community to watch art being created in front of them! Saturday’s sunshine brought crowds who mingled and sometimes cheered as artworks emerged from the piles of junk donated by Uncle Benny’s Building Supplies. Proceeds of Saturday’s silent auction of artwork went to benefit the resident scholarship fund for the Housing Authority of the City of Loveland to help a resident pursue a career in the creative sector.

RECENT WINS

This week in Loveland five national finalists unveiled their proposals for an entry way sculptural piece that will be placed at the eastern edge of Loveland to welcome visitors to Loveland as they come off Interstate I-25. This substantial commission, a collaboration between the Visual Arts Commission of Loveland and the Colorado Department of Transportation, is intended to reinforce the vision of the Art Town Loveland has become.

NEW INSIGHT

This week’s insight reminded us of the power of unlikely coalitions: watching the ten teams of artists collecting their “junk” materials, putting heads together to design the art that would emerge from those piles of junk, then working together through the rains and the lightning as well-oiled (and sometimes squeaky) machines, we realized that creative placemaking is all about letting people envision their own projects, then work together to craft new visions, new artwork out of pieces and in places which had once been abandoned. Powerful stuff!

Here’s a taste of the Games, mud and all: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.536979756355587.1073741826.257311320989100&type=1