The River North Art District will debut the new Denver Walls mural festival in September to replace its Art RiNo mural event — itself a substitution for the embattled Crush Walls.
Denver is the 25th city to join the global World Wide Walls mural event, and will “put our city on the map as the next major art Mecca of the United States,” according to a statement from Denver artist Ally Grimm (a.k.a. A.L. Grime), who is spearheading the event.
The festival will feature between 15 and 18 local and international artists painting across 12 to 15 walls in and around the RiNo Art District. Painting and mural installations will begin Sept. 22, with most of the public events taking place over the weekend of Sept. 29-31.
The addition of the 10-day, nonprofit festival, which runs Sept. 22 through Oct. 3, 2023, follows the appointment of new RiNo executive director Charity Von Guinness, who amicably took over for district co-founder Tracy Weil last year. RiNo Art District is the event’s sponsor and creative partner, she said.
“Denver is increasingly drawing an incredible concentration of diverse creative talent, and RiNo is the epicenter of that artistic community,” Von Guinness said in a statement. “(RiNo and Denver Walls) share a desire to elevate conversation around the power and purpose of public realm art — as a vehicle for substantive change and political action.”
Denver Walls replaces the Art RiNo mural festival, which lasted a mere year after it was launched in 2022 to replace the district’s former hosting of the Crush Walls festival. Crush Walls parted ways with RiNo after a Denverite investigation that included allegations of sexual assault by founder Robin Munro. Munro has denied the allegations. RiNo has also been criticized for allegedly not supporting diverse artists, including women, in its sanctioned events.
Festivals such as Babe Walls, Black Love Mural Fest and others have taken up that mantle in recent years, both complementing and evolving Denver’s existing, highly visible mural scene.
Denver Walls will push it forward with large-scale murals from local and international artists, according to Grimm, but also augmented reality (AR) installations and meet-and-greet opportunities with artists.
“Digital opportunities at this year’s festival will include an (AR) scavenger hunt where participants can find POAPs (Proof of Attendance Protocol tokens) to serve as mementos of their Denver Walls experience” organizers wrote, “a virtual sculpture garden that can be accessed via a web-based platform, and exclusive global merchandise drops featuring designs from participating artists.”
“Denver is home to a vibrant street art scene, but we also have such a strong entrepreneurial tech culture, so this felt like the most authentic way to our story on a global stage,” Grimm said.
“Street art has never been defined by a single medium or form of expression – it’s graffiti, murals, photography, fashion, culture and so much more. We see that definition expanding to include art in the digital space, and we’re excited for people to explore the possibilities at Denver Walls.”
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