Nine outdoor art projects made their way to 16th Street Mall on Saturday as part of an experiment to see what the public will do.
Pedestrians couldn’t help but interact with the city’s inaugural Prototyping Festival and spin bicycle tires on the Wheels Go Round by Kate Davis Studio. Children ran through the “Summer Snowfall” diorama with its thin strips of fabric hanging from a white wooden ceiling.
The experiment, located on the mall between Champa and Curtis streets, is sponsored by the Downtown Denver Partnership and Denver Business Improvement District, which put the call out in April for art. Thirty four projects were submitted but there was only enough funding for nine. Each received up to $2,500 for materials.
“We brought to life as many as we could and would fit into the budget,” said Brea Olson, a spokesperson for Downtown Denver. “We are studying how people are interacting with the prototypes and how they stood up to the wear and tear of people interacting with them, as well as the weather.”
Visitors can provide feedback through the downtown passport program. Passports are available at Em’s Ice Cream cart. Turn in feedback and Em’s will toss in a free scoop of ice cream.
“The ultimate goal is to implement one as a permanent structure on 16th Street Mall,” Olson added.
The Prototype project disappears from the mall July 31.
