Street Art. Downtown Denver, Colorado
Denver has a vibrant art scene due in part to the enlightened city government which has promoted public sculptures but also due to an excellent museum and the number of artists who live in Denver. Denver also has an impressive number of excellent large format paintings on the sides of buildings, particularly in the RiNo district of Denver. North of downtown Denver, you will find the River North Art District, which goes by the catchy nickname “RiNo” . The district has even adopted a rhino design for its official insignia. RiNo is rapidly becoming the hotspot for artsy types in Denver, with a remarkable array of creative businesses, including architects, art galleries, designers, furniture makers, illustrators, painters, media artists, photographers, sculptors, art studios and a wealth of street art. Artists have challenged art by situating it in non-art contexts. Street artists do not aspire to change the definition of an artwork, but rather to question the existing environment with its own language. The motivations and objectives that drive street artists are as varied as the artists themselves. Street artists attempt to have their work communicate with everyday people about socially relevant themes in ways that are informed by esthetic values without being imprisoned by them. There is a strong current of activism and subversion in urban art. Street art can be a powerful platform for reaching the public and a potent form of political expression for the oppressed, or people with little resources to create change.