Community-Powered Art: Broomfield Community Park Mural

Mural of a cartoon dragon flying among clouds and butterflies painted on the outside of a shed Mural of mountain creatures near a stream with mountains in the background Woman kneels painting purple flowers on a mural

This project is part of the Community-Initiated Public Art Idea Proposals program, designed to gather ideas from community members for public art projects in Broomfield. In partnership with the Arts, History and Cultural Council, these ideas are explored, vetted and prioritized each fall to guide the upcoming year’s public art project list. Community-Powered Art at Broomfield Community Park is a Community-Initiated Public Art project submitted by John Hubbard on behalf of Broomfield Bikes, a local nonprofit organization.

In early 2023, the City and County of Broomfield in partnership with the Arts, History and Cultural Council (AHCC) announced a call to artists to create work to transform the sports shed located at Broomfield Community Park on Spader Way into four interactive murals.

Following a three-week call for submissions, a diverse array of designs poured in from artists of various ages and backgrounds. From this pool of creative entries, the AHCC selected three finalists: "I Spy Colorado Wildlife" by Julie Kitzes and Samantha Pascavis, "Bloom Brightly" by Stacey Reynolds, and "Bloom" by AJ Davis. Additionally, the AHCC identified three semi-finalists: "Shoot for the Stars" by Jennifer Vasquez, "The Broomfield Dragon" by Kate Fitzpatrick, and "Wild Strawberry" by Paige Brown. These semi-finalists were then put to a two-week public vote on the Broomfield Voice page, with the piece receiving the most votes being selected as the fourth finalist. After the voting period, which garnered over 980 votes, "The Broomfield Dragon" was chosen as the fourth and final piece of the mural. The installation of all four pieces took place during the summer of 2023.

Fun facts about the installation:

All four murals were designed to be interactive pieces where the public can engage and take photos with the art work
There’s a QR code on the corner of “I Spy Colorado Wildlife” that leads to the Arts and History website with fun facts and more information about the animal and plant species in the mural