“Love This City” Mural Campaign
What started as a two mural campaign with VISIT Denver to celebrate the 10th anniversary of “Denver Arts Week” in 2016 has blossomed into a life of its own, with six murals in different neighborhoods around the city…and more on the horizon.
The first, a mural on the side of El Noa Noa Restaurant in the Santa Fe Arts District, was an iteration of a concept Milbery had been kicking around for awhile - a large-scale piece of art that would express his love for Denver.
Taking on these projects required coordination with the neighborhoods and associated arts councils as well as private property owners who were willing to donate space on their buildings. Milbery went through several design iterations and color schemes to make sure the murals aligned with each neighborhood’s respective character.
Although each mural is different, they all contain the words, “Love This City.” Each piece gives a nod to the sunshine that lifts Milbery’s spirits on a daily basis, the mountains close by and a strong, city-wide support for public art. While the meaning behind “Love This City” is straightforward enough, the murals also contain heart and bird symbols that require a bit more elaboration. The heart, being geometric, represents the many layers of love, from joy to pain.
“The different tones of color express the different stages of being in love and the feeling of when you love, your heart can project. Love is a very simple concept, yet can become very complex and layered,” Milbery says.
In other words, the hearts represent the city’s loving energy. But Milbery adds a philosophical caveat: “If you are open to feeling it.”
As far as the birds are concerned, Milbery had something a tad loftier in mind.
“Nature reigns supreme! The birds symbolize freedom of expression and a reminder for all of us to reach for the sky with our ideas, creativity and energy. Birds are free-flowing, gliding creatures of the sky who have the ability to spread our message higher than most throughout our beautiful blue, one-of-a-kind Colorado skies. Sometimes we need nature to help teach us to respect the evolution of our planet and fly high through love,” he says.
These murals, specifically the 5 Points/RiNo “Denver” piece, have quickly become some of the most photographed pieces of public art in Denver and Milbery’s hope is to bring different versions of the “Love This City” concept to other cities around the country and the world.
Credits
“Love This City” - Santa Fe Arts District
Painted by - Pat Milbery, Pat McKinney, Jason Graves
“Love This City” - 5 Points/RiNo
Painted by - Pat Milbery, Pat McKinney, Jason Graves, Remington Robinson
“Love This City” - Golden Triangle
Painted by - Pat Milbery
“Love This City” - Congress Park
Painted by - Pat Milbery, Pat McKinney, Josh Deitchman and Lee New
“Love This City” - LoHi
Painted by - Pat Milbery, Josh Deitchman and Lee New
“Love This City” - Bear Creek
Painted by - Pat Milbery, Pat McKinney, Josh Deitchman and Lee New