The Vision Zero Community Art Project, led by by the Denver Vision Zero Coalition, brings together the community along Denver’s Colfax corridor to create public art installations that raise awareness of traffic safety and Denver’s commitment to end traffic fatalities and serious injuries as a Vision Zero city. This artwork supports a dialogue among residents, city officials, advocacy groups, and artists about our community values, and how we design our neighborhoods and streets to reflect those values.
The Vision Zero Community Art Project is truly a community-led effort. Our partners include community members, neighborhood associations, Denver artist Pat Milbery, East High School, Colfax Avenue Business Improvement Districts, and the City and County of Denver. The project is made possible by an Arts in Society grant administered by the RedLine Gallery and a PS You Are Here grant from Denver Arts & Venues.
On April 14, 2018, a team of WalkDenver volunteers, East High School students, and local artist Pat Milbery and the So-Gnar Collective got together to install artwork on fourteen utility boxes along East Colfax. Each utility box features the story of a person killed in a traffic crash with visuals created by Milbery and East High School art students. We’ve put lots of photos of the artwork up on the Denver Vision Zero Coalition’s Facebook page! Want to check it out in person? Here’s a map of where each box is located and take a walk along Colfax Ave!
On September 28, 2018, work began on a large Vision Zero-themed mural at 701 E Colfax Ave. To celebrate, we hosted a mural “watch party” across the street on Tuesday, October 2 so community members could watch as the three-story mural was filled in. (Many thanks to the Colfax Ave BID for buying pizza!) After some minor weather delays, the mural was finally completed on October 10. The photo above shows the finished design, which Milbery designed with input from the East High students. Make sure to stop by the corner of Colfax and Washington to take a look!
On March 9, 2019, the Denver Vision Zero Coalition celebrated the installation of the final Vision Zero art project on Colfax Avenue, an eye-catching mural on a the side of Los Mesones Restaurant at the corner of West Colfax Ave and Meade Street. The mural is based on the same theme as the “Slow the Funk Down” yard signs.
