Volunteers Needed to Document Durango’s Growing Public Art Scene

The Durango Creative District wants volunteers for a special mission, mapping every mural, sculpture, and installation across the city. You are watching the “Local News Network,” brought to you by M&R Plumbing and Kroegers Ace Hardware. I’m Sadie Smith. The Public Art Recon Mission seeks volunteers to map Durango’s creative landscape. Volunteers are tasked to locate and document mural sculptures, installations, and other forms of public art around town.

The last time Durango’s Public Art Master Plan was updated was in 2015, so we have this beautiful document that has all of the sculptures that are in Durango listed. However, it entirely leaves out murals. And since Lodgers’ Tax: Arts and Culture Fund was passed in 2021, we’ve had a plethora of new murals, public art, calls for public art, sculptures. All sorts of interactive installations are starting to come up and that isn’t captured anywhere.

Volunteers record where each piece is located, snap photos, and gather details, like the artist’s name and the artwork’s description. There are also scouting spots where new art could go in the future.

Public art contributes to the social, and cultural, and economic fabric of a community dramatically in areas where there’s urban blight, there’s been a lot of studies that talk about how just the presence of a mural or some hint of public art can totally transform the character of that neighborhood.

The collected information will be uploaded to Google Earth, with each public art location marked digitally for easy access.

We like to say that art is not about aesthetics. It’s not about being pretty. It’s about reflecting things that are critical and crucial, and aspects of society that, really telling of our times, and the dynamic culture that’s living and working here in Durango.

The Recon Art Mission will make public art in Durango more visible and accessible to both residents and visitors. To learn more about the Public Art Recon Mission, visit the Durango Creative District website. For more information about this and other stories, visit durangolocal.news. Thank you for watching this edition of the “Local News Network.” I’m Sadie Smith.