Let’s start with the new mural on the west wall of the Denver Zoo’s storage complex that borders Duck Lake. This area was City Park land set aside for the Denver Zoo’s gasification project, a plan to use animal waste and human trash to generate clean energy to power the zoo. The project was abandoned in 2015 due to concerns about costs and environmental issues but mainly technical failures. The system didn’t work.
Instead of reverting the area back to City Park natural uses for the public to enjoy, the Zoo retained the area for storage purposes. In 2017, the Denver Zoo sought to commission an artist or team of artists to create an original work of art on “the Zoo’s property.” Funds for the project came from the City of Denver’s Art Ordinance. Denver’s art ordinance, established in 1991, requires that 1% of the budget for capital improvement projects over $1 million be set aside for art.
A panel was selected. Based on the presentations, John Pugh, an Oregon-based artist renowned for his trompe-l’oeil murals that create the illusion of three-dimensional scenes, was selected for the commission. Pugh has completed “over 250 public and private commissions across the United States and internationally,” according to Rudi Cerri, Denver Arts & Venues Public Art Program Manager. On his website, Art of John Pugh, https://artofjohnpugh.com/, Pugh describes his artistic mission:With a clear intention to create public art attractions, I strive to design each project to avoid becoming a commonplace mural. Often, this illusion includes creating an iconic, dynamic anomaly. The passerby is much more apt to engage with an uncommon architectural event while they unconsciously survey the urban landscape.
As an artist, I must create a “sense of place.” I research the area and its community, formulating concepts based on historical, environmental, and cultural viewpoints. If the mural can serve to educate about the culture and heritage of a place, it will deepen roots and create a pride of place.
Ultimately, the goal of any mural is to conjure fresh feelings and perceptions, evoking a sense of connectivity with the mural, within us, and with the world around us.
