Finally, some vindication for all those selfie-holics out there: Self-taken portraits now are considered fine art in a new Denver Arts & Venues event celebrating the 30th anniversary of Denver Public Art.
Everyone can participate by posting photos of themselves with public art on social media using the hashtag “#DenverPublicArt30.” There are plenty of works to choose from. The city’s collection includes 400 pieces, many of which are more than 100 years old.
The stakes are high. At the end of the year, 30 of the photographs will be curated by Arts & Venues staff and Denver artists to be displayed at the Buell Theatre.
The eight month art project will focus on two themes per month and all submissions will be shown at PublicArtDenver.com. The photos don’t have to be selfies. If your pooch looks cute sitting at the base of the dog in Ai Weiwei’s “Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads” in Civic Center, go ahead and post it in April.
“The Denver Public Art collection is an anchor of the city’s cultural landscape,” Mayor Michael B. Hancock wrote in a news release. “This will be a celebration that encourages residents and visitors to engage with and celebrate the collection by finding and interacting with some of Denver’s iconic artworks, as well as those pieces located in their own neighborhoods.”
Monthly themes:
February: Love, and African-American History and Heritage
March: Art in Cold Weather, and Women’s History and Heritage
April: Animal Art, and Public Art Selfies
May: Memorials and Statues, and Asian and Pacific American History and Heritage
June: Summer-Time Art (Picnics and Park Fun), and Find Art in Your Neighborhood
July: Denver International Airport Collection, and Light or Kinetic Art
August: Urban Arts Fund, and Indoor Art
September: Latino and Hispanic History and Heritage