The Art and Architecture of Bamboo Bikes

 

Container Collective Owners Brittany & Russ Hopkins

Container Collective is in the business of bikes, yoga, and community. Owners Brittany and Russ Hopkins each bring their personal talent to a specific corner of the business, Brittany to the yoga side and Russ to the art and architecture of bikes – bamboos bikes specifically and even more specifically, building them from scratch in his 2-day workshops.

The bamboo bikes definitely qualify as functional art. They are sleek and minimalist, but also have an industrial raw look to them, the combination of bamboo, metal gears, and the black carbon fiber thread that wraps the joints.

Bamboo Bike

In speaking with Russ I can see his passion, not just for bikes, but even more for the process of teaching someone to build something from scratch. He tells me that he’s really in the business of helping people to realize that they have the skills, the talent, the tenacity to construct something from the ground up.

Russ learned the process while living and teaching in Beijing, but when he and Brittany realized that their hearts still lay in Colorado, he brought the concept here.

The workshops are designed with beginners in mind and Russ stresses that building a bamboo bike is simple, and requires no previous knowledge about materials or tools.

Bike Building in process.

One of my biggest concerns about bamboo bikes is their ability to stand up to the Colorado elements. Russ assures me that with the same level of care and love that you’d commit to any bike in Colorado (bamboo or otherwise), the bikes should last for a very long time. He tells me that the workshop utilizes several different applications, including coating the bike in epoxy, to make the frame durable. Additionally Container Collective has a lifetime warranty on each bike. If something breaks they’ll fix it for free, or allow you to build a new frame at cost.

I’m all in for anything that lets you get your hands dirty and walk away with something that will make heads stop and turn, even in a city like Lakewood/Denver.

Check out cc360denver.com for more details. Workshops generally run every other weekend and pricing depends on the type of bike.

Website: http://www.cc360denver.com | Twitter: @cc360denver | Instagram: cc360denver | Facebook: cc360denveryoga and cc360denverbikes | Pinterest: Container Collective YOGA | YouTube: Container Collective Yoga

Paint Hay While The Sun Shines!

Sky Awe, Nan Lund

Spring and sunshine have been the artist’s muse for as long as art has existed. From Monet’s water lilies to Van Gogh’s sunflowers, the outdoors enlivens and inspires. At 40 West Arts District we’re making the most of this beautiful change in weather with lots to do, both artistically and otherwise. Join us for one or (fingers-crossed) all of the events below. Take advantage of spring and paint hay while the sun shines!

FREE FAMILY FARM FIESTA
Saturday May 30^th from 1-4PM
Mountair Park Community Farm, 13^th and Depew

Bring the whole family for an afternoon of free fun at your community farm! Help paint the new mural, sample fresh foods, enjoy live music, tour the farm and more. Free kids’ activities include craft projects, seed planting, English and Spanish storytime, and face painting. The Solar Roast Coffee Truck will offer refreshments for purchase.

Sproutcityfarms.org

FARMER’S MARKET
Wednesdays All Summer from 4-7PM
Lamar Station Plaza, West Colfax Avenue between Lamar and Pierce

Check out local vendors like Everitt Farms, Miller Farms, and Colorado Fresh at this emerging farmer’s market. Broad Street Realty LLC, the development group that owns Lamar Station Plaza (where Casa Bonita makes it’s home), will start small but has a vision that includes live music and other entertainment, and local produce, jams, baked foods, and goods that stretch throughout the complex, both indoors and out. Come support the revitalization of the West Colfax corridor by attending all summer long.

Harvestmountainfarmgardens.org

WONDERS OF NATURE OPENING RECEPTION AND EXHIBITION
Friday June 5^th from 5-7PM
Exhibition through July 11
40 West Gallery, 1560 Teller Street

Join 40 West Arts for our latest exhibit Wonders of Nature, an arts exhibition celebrating the colors and textures of the natural world – from landscapes and wildlife to galactic grandeur and microscopic mysteries.

This show is part of Lakewood’s annual INSPIRE! Arts Week, a weeklong celebration of the arts in all categories, with a number of venues around town featuring discounted and free events.

40westarts.org
lakewood.org/Community_Resources/Arts_and_Culture/Performances_and_Events/INSPIRE_Arts_Week_Lakewood.aspx

Aspen Ridge, Robert Newman

Leafscape #2, Kathy Mitchell-Garton

Spaceship Aspen, Candy Vallado

Why Placemaking?

There are a lot of definitions of placemaking floating the Internet right now, but I think this one is my favorite.

From The Art of Placemaking, “You know that line from The Field of Dreams that says, “If you build it, they will come?” It’s the same with public spaces. If you make a space for people to stop their busy life and just spend time enjoying each other and the space, they will take advantage of it.”
https://placemaking.wordpress.com/2008/10/16/what-is-placemaking/

Placemaking is a big thing these days in design and city planning but why? Why does it matter and why spend time and money on it? Kristin Cypher from C+B Design spoke to a public crowd on March 25^th about just that.

40 West Arts shines at night.

Kristin, who is working with 40 West Arts District on placemaking components, highlighted the importance of creating a place that feels tangible, that is “obvious to people coming into 40 West so they can understand that it’s a place to stop, not just a place to pass through. Currently, it’s not always apparent that the creative district is here.”

The idea of placemaking does just that, creating signs, markers, and way-finding components that promote the idea of place, and show people both where they are right now, and other physical spaces nearby that they might walk, bike, or drive to. Kristin commented that placemaking “does the important thing of actually revealing destinations and assets and allowing people to know that you’ve got them. It also encourages exploration, so that people feel reassured that they can take this path, that they will come to something that feels important to them, a park, a restroom. We want to make that exploration part of the experience of 40 West.”

“This is especially important in places like Lamar Station,” Kristin articulated. “You have a light rail stop, you have a lot of people coming off of that stop, that are maybe going directly to their home or directly to a place that they know. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they understood at that point that they were entering into an arts district, here’s a map that shows you where to go, the routes, the destinations, and it evokes a sense of place that the district has.”

Kristin spoke about signage design specifically (see attached PDF presentation for visuals), telling the crowd that the use of circles was intentional, because circles “imply movement, creativity, wholeness.” She also touched on some of the signage details including written times for both walking and biking, map kiosks where viewers will see a large version of the district map and also an area for announcements, and finally gateways, which are signs stationed over major roadways like Colfax Avenue and serve to showcase that you’re in the district, and also represent the character and style of the district itself.

Kristin summed placemaking up in just a few words. “We’re building on character and identity, finding and revealing. A lot of what we’re doing is actually just unveiling. Unveiling for people who come into the district, where it is, and how to get there.”

For more information on 40 West Arts District placemaking initiatives, the full presentation including graphics is attached here – 40W Placemaking Presentation.

Also please join us for a 40 West Placemaking Tactical Urbanism workshop, to be held on Tuesday April 14^th from 3-5pm at Lamar Station Crossing, 6150 W. 13^th Avenue. We’ll be brainstorming about quick-win, low-cost projects to implement in 40 West.

Sculpture Artist Highlights Health and Wellness

Installation and sculpture artist Laura Phelps Rogers recently completed a piece titled Walk to Improve Your Outlook on the stairwell at Lamar Station Crossing apartments. The interactive piece contains a motion censor component so large neon words light up as the viewer (or stairwell walker) gets close to the installation itself. We speak to Laura about this piece and her work in general.

Walk to Improve Your Outlook, Laura Phelps Rogers

Artist Laura Phelps Rogers stands in front of her piece.

Walk to Improve Your Outlook, Laura Phelps Rogers

Walk to Improve Your Outlook, Laura Phelps Rogers

Tell us the premise behind the piece.

I was really interested in creating an environment. I went over to the space and spent some time contemplating how I could create a dynamic backdrop for residents. A good portion of my work is installation work, small and large scale, and I always try to run from a site-specific perspective.

What does site-specific mean to you?

It means that you go to a space and consider it as a whole, how are people using it, the location of it, the background of it, the history of it. When you think about the history of the space, what was the dominant industry? How did people fashion themselves here?

Even the color scheme for the piece was site-specific. The housing department already had a color scheme and they’d put a lot of work into developing the palette. When I interviewed them, it seemed to me that it was important to them. I enjoy doing primary colors anyway but I wanted to develop a piece that coordinated with the organization itself.

The words Walk to Improve Your Outlook work together but also have a bold meaning when they stand alone. How did the specific word choice come together?

The phrase ‘walk to improve your health’ was already there, and pretty common but it felt to me like it had been drilled into people already. The word outlook is similar but also embraces the journey toward upward mobility that Lamar Station Crossing provides. This is an apartment complex that allows people to lead a life that feels free.

What other themes encapsulate this work for you? 

Artist Model Showing the Installation and Stairwell.

I think it’s about changing people’s lives through art. Art has the power to do that. That someone would want to hang out in a stairwell, that’s a pretty big accomplishment for me.

You can see Laura’s work Walk to Improve Your Outlook at Lamar Station Crossing apartments, located at 6150 W 13^th Avenue, Lakewood, CO 80214.

http://www.mwhsolutions.org/lamar-station-crossing.html

See Laura’s full biography, artist statement, and work at, http://www.lauraphelpsrogers.com, or connect with her via Facebook using her full name, Laura Phelps Rogers.

40 West Artist Spotlight: Caley Bovee

Caley Bovee is a photographer in Lakewood, CO and a member of 40 West Arts District. I had an opportunity to chat with her recently about her craft.

How did you become interested in photography?

It really started in about 2001. I’d always been artistically inclined, doing different things most of my life – embroidery, just stuff like that, basket weaving, I just couldn’t help it. I was looking at the computer a lot then because it was sort of a new medium. Looking at the computer you could see all these pictures. I was always interested in photography. So for Christmas my husband cleverly got me a Kodak camera, a digital camera. And it was one of the first ones they made. And I just became completely obsessed with photography. Because you know, you could do it on the computer and you didn’t have to pay for the prints or anything like that. It was technology that helped bring me into photography, because it was free.

When did you really begin to see yourself as a ‘photographer’?

Digital Photography, Caley Bovee

I had my camera with me all the time. It was obnoxious. I thank my family for their patience with me, because I was always taking pictures. Then I thought to myself, I wonder if I can enter a contest. I struggled and struggled and struggled and struggled and struggled. I entered photo contests for 7 to 9 months. I finally won a photo of the week contest. It was one of my favorite photos that I’d ever taken. It’s a picture of my friend, who was a very close friend. I worked with him in a restaurant. He was black, and he was huge, and he was the sweetest sweetest person. He lost his dog and he got a new one. It was a tiny little fuzzy white puppy. I asked him to take his shirt off and he did, he actually did. So it was this little teeny tiny dog with this big man, big hands.

What inspires you as a photographer?

I like to take pictures of flowers. I like organic life, earthy things. I like old things that are in a state of decay. My philosophy is that, no matter where you go, if you have your camera with you, you can find something to take a picture of. One of the most interesting things you can take pictures of are people. They are fascinating, different. Pictures are a form of communication.

Digital Photography, Caley Bovee

How did you become involved with 40 West Arts District?

I was there for the first show, the grand opening. I was very excited; I invited my whole family to the opening of 40 West. I had pieces at the opening, and they put a red dot on pieces when they sell. One of the most exciting things for me ever, my family saw me as they put a dot next to my photo, my piece was the first piece to sell. It was the first work to sell when 40 West Arts District opened. It was just so exciting. I was so flattered.

What would you tell artists entering this field?

In many ways art is so subjective. If somebody doesn’t like your work, or your picture, then it’s okay. You don’t need to be offended or have your feelings hurt. The main thing is that you like it. Right. You need to like what you do and think that it’s good.

 

See more of Caley’s work at:http://caley.smugmug.com/

Digital Photography, Caley Bovee

Digital Photography, Caley Bovee

Digital Photography, Caley Bovee

Digital Photography, Caley Bovee

Digital Photography, Caley Bovee

Digital Photography, Caley Bovee

Digital Photography, Caley Bovee

Digital Photography, Caley Bovee

Throw Paint on Walls, Repeat.

Wandering the streets of West Colfax is hardly a colorless experience, what with all those neon signs, cruising automobiles, and oddball but interesting characters (and trust me, I’m one of them). If you’ve wandered recently though, you’ve noticed new creative endeavors on the sides of buildings, beautifying both your physical and your creative path, and setting your wandering mind to well, wandering.

We speak to Business Improvement District Executive Director Bill Marino about the medium of art titled – The Mural.

Why murals?

COLorFAX Debut Mural, Johanna Parker

The first thing anyone needs to know when we start talking about murals is the COLorFAX program. That was a joint conversation between WCCA (West Colfax Community Association) and 40W Arts. It’s all about [bringing] color and noticeable difference to the corridor, and we can do that through art, large-scale art. The big strategy is, if we create enough murals, that it becomes an outdoor art gallery; it pulls people here to see them, just because they’re here. In a few years, we could have 15-20, even 30, 40 murals. How cool is that? You can ride your bike, take a walk, drive, and come enjoy an outdoor art gallery.

Murals are seen and shared by an entire community. How do you pick a successful design?

We wanted to speak to the community in some way, and connect with the community in some way. Our creative briefs say that, but allow for the [artist] interpretation of being bold or subtle. We are looking to inspire, uplift, and entertain. We’re not looking yet, to push up against the limits or challenge.

Tell me about the first COLorFAX project.

Hear the Train A Humming, Bobby MaGee Lopez

The first design on King’s Rest Motel was volunteer-driven, modest money. Artist Johanna Parker penciled in the design the day before, and 18 or 19 people showed up, followed her sketch, and then she and [artist] Lonnie Hanzon did the detail work. The cost was modest because it was all volunteer, we had paint donated by Kwal Paints, and some of the other cost was donated by the BID (Business Improvement District) as an investment in improving the corridor.

What about the mural ‘Hear the Train A Humming’ by Bobby MaGee Lopez?

Astro Supply Building [where the mural is located] was executed with CGBD funds; those are federal funds that are allocated to cities to accomplish certain things, grants in place for community development. This was specifically a graffiti-mitigation strategy. That wall gets tagged all the time, and we’ve had great success where we’ve put up murals, they’ve never been touched. So we got a certain allocation from the city and there was a Call for Artists. And when we do a call, [artists] come in with their concepts, they present their concepts, and the committee makes a decision.

What additional projects are currently in progress?

Action Center Mural (in progress), Martha Pinkard-Williams

We also have a mural project underway at The Action Center [a non-profit human services agency]. The Call for Artists reads ‘The Action Center is expanding its headquarters, and this mural project is designed to create an iconic ‘landmark’ mural for the community, while embodying [our] mission of providing an immediate response to human needs and promoting pathways to self-sufficiency.”

 

 

 

 

Check out additional pictures and relevant links below!

Sketch of Action Center Mural, Martha Pinkard-Williams

Action Center Mural, Martha Pinkard-Williams

Action Center Mural, Martha Pinkard-Williams

Action Center Mural, Martha Pinkard-Williams

Action Center Mural, Martha Pinkard-Williams

Action Center Mural, Martha Pinkard-Williams

 

Hear the Train A Humming, Bobby MaGee Lopez

Hear the Train A Humming, Bobby MaGee Lopez

Hear the Train A Humming, Bobby MaGee Lopez

Hear the Train A Humming, Bobby MaGee Lopez

Hear the Train A Humming, Bobby MaGee Lopez

Hear the Train A Humming, Bobby MaGee Lopez

Artist Johanna Parker: http://www.johannaparkerdesign.com

Artist Bobby MaGee Lopez: http://www.bobbymageelopez.com

Artist Martha Pinkard-Williams: https://www.facebook.com/martha.pinkardwilliams

Photography Richard Eversley (Action Center Mural), 40W Arts District (King’s Rest and Astro Supply Building)

Food As Art

“Food, in the end, in our own tradition, is something holy. It’s not about nutrients and calories. It’s about sharing. It’s about honesty. It’s about identity.”
– Louise Fresco

My husband and I, like any healthy American couple, love to eat out together. It’s our time together (notwithstanding my occasional reminder for him to put away Clash of Clans and look up from his iPhone) and it has produced some of the loudest laughter, most dynamic storytelling, and keenest insights about our relationship and our future together.

Tonight (October 22) 40W Arts District hosts the opening reception for its current exhibition, Farm to Table. The party takes place from 5:30-7:30pm and I’m certain that great art, great conversation, and great libations will all abound.

And in that vein, of celebrating food as love, art, and communal stomping ground, my husband and I decided to hit the streets of West Colfax for one full day of eating out. I ordered the food, he took the pictures, and we both chowed down.

Breakfast

Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters
1619 Reed Street, Lakewood, CO
http://sweetbloomcoffee.com

Coffee As Art, Sweet Bloom Coffee

Coffee As Art, Sweet Bloom Coffee

Coffee As Art, Sweet Bloom Coffee

 

Lunch

Five Star Bakery
8440 W Colfax Avenue, Lakewood, CO

Sandwich As Art, Five Star Bakery

Sandwich As Art, Five Star Bakery

Sandwich As Art, Five Star Bakery

 

Dinner

Kazoku Sushi
10665 W Colfax Avenue, Lakewood, CO
http://www.kazokusushicolorado.com

Sushi As Art, Kazoku Sushi

Sushi As Art, Kazoku Sushi

Sushi As Art, Kazoku Sushi

Don’t forget to head to 40W Arts District from October 20 – November 22 for the Farm to Table art exhibition. Take a friend, and share a meal afterwards.

“I like to use ‘I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter’ on my toast in the morning, because sometimes when I eat breakfast, I like to be incredulous. How was breakfast? Unbelievable.
– Demetri Martin

For additional awesome food quotes, click here .

Photography: Steven Haire

40W Artist Documentary Series: Greg Wasil

My sincerest thanks to my co-conspirator Melanie Stover, artist and sculptor Greg Wasil, and artist and video artist Robert Evans for their dedication, commitment, and energy to this project.

Robert Tammany Evans grew up in Wyoming, Colorado, and Idaho, making art at an early age. He recently graduated from Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design with an emphasis in video. Robert uses modern digital technology as well as a combination of traditional artistic practices including drawing, photography, and music. See more of his work: roberttammanyevans.tumblr.com or contact him here: rte1023@gmail.com

Greg Wasil learned early to love the world of metal and machines. His father was a welder and passed to Greg the pleasures of making, shaping, getting dirty, and working with his hands. Greg transforms metal and other materials to craft large and small sculptures. You can read his full artist statement and look at more of his work here: www.justsomethingdifferent.com

It’s Gift Season in Lakewood! RTD Boxes Get Wrapped … with Artwork.

The city of Lakewood recently acquired funding from RTD Public Transit to wrap electrical boxes along the West Colfax Corridor. The city, along with 40W Arts District, worked to find a variety of graphic designers who would capture and highlight key aspects of this diverse and historical neighborhood. Multiple boxes are already complete with more to come! Check them out on the W Line Light Rail or by using the adjacent bike/walk path.

Below, 40W artist Johanna Parker invites us into her artistic process through pictures and visuals. Also check out the full list of artists, and accompanying pictures for the already completed boxes.

 

Unwrapping the Creative Process with Artist Johanna Parker:

Depew Street Box: “Together We Grow”
Lamar Street Box: “Buzzing with Color”

Concept for Lamar Street Box

Concept for Depew Street Box

The Artist Standing at Depew Box

Lamar Box Close Up

Lamar Box Close Up 2

Lamar Box

You can see more of Johanna’s work as a whimsical folk artist and illustrator at: http://www.johannaparkerdesign.com

 

The Full List:

Pierce Street Box: Michelle Wolins
Teller Street Box: Michelle Wolins
Harlan Street Box: Tim Stortz
Depew Street Box: Johanna Parker
Lamar Street Box: Johanna Parker
Please note that all boxes are adjacent to the W Line Light Rail.

Pierce Street Box, Michelle Wolins

Teller Street Box, Michelle Wolins

Harlan Street Box, Tim Stortz

Depew Street Box, Johanna Parker

Lamar Street Box, Johanna Parker

Thanks to the artists, the city of Lakewood, RTD, and 40W Arts District for inspiring creativity and imagination through urban art.

 

How did he do that? Artist Greg Wasil explains his process.

Guest blogger Greg Wasil walks us through his artistic process for his recent work “Lug Nut” in our Rolling Route 40: The Hubcap Art Show.

CONTEMPLATION:

I have been saving stuff for many years.
Mostly car stuff, but really anything interesting.
Then I heard about the hubcap show at 40 West Arts District.
I had a big box of hubcaps and knew I could do this.
It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.
I just started putting hubcaps on the floor and rearranging them until it looked good.
I had two matching caps and put them down as eyes.
Now I had the eyes, but how would I make a nose, a mouth?
I just kept trying different caps in place to look like a face, but it did not seem complete laying on the floor.
After many attempts I had something that looked good, but it still needed more.
I can see things in my head but I have a hard time drawing them, but I got a pencil and paper and scratched out an outline of a face, drew in the hubcaps, and had what I wanted.

ACTION:

I got some plywood, drew out my shape, and cut it with my reciprocating saw.
Then some sand paper to smooth the edges and it was time to put the hubcaps on.
I put the caps on, but it did not look right, so a little sanding and playing with different things and I had my face.
It still needed something.
I got some stain for the plywood, put in some red pearl paint I use for auto work, and stained the face.
Much better.
Now I had to make all the hubcaps stay on.
First I tried to glue them, but when I picked it up and the plywood started to bend, they all fell off.
Now that was not going to work, so on to plan two, screw them on.
I did not want screws showing so I had to screw them on from the back.
Easier said than done.
I had to measure where I wanted everything, drill holes, and screw it together.
It looked good, but was still missing something, hair.
Off I go looking for hair.
In the corner I had a bucket of lug nuts and after several try’s, had what I needed, but how to put them on?
I got screws, put them in from the front, and glued the lug nuts to them.
It only took me about ten hours to complete, but it took me weeks to plan and make “Lug Nut” look like I wanted it to.

Greg Wasil
WAZ
justsomethingdifferent.com

Greg Wasil learned early to love the world of metal and machines. His father was a welder and passed to Greg the pleasures of making, shaping, getting dirty, and working with his hands. Greg transforms metal and other materials to craft large and small sculptures. You can read his full artist statement and look at more of his work here: www.justsomethingdifferent.com