Public Art

About the Art

Beneath the Mesa is a colorful mosaic tile mural. A mosaic is a picture made from many small pieces, like tiles.

The mural surrounds you with images of native plants and animals, the flora and fauna that naturally live here. The artists drew them in a creative, simplified style. Together, the images show the underground ecosystem, which is the community of living things below the ground.

Thanks to the City of Louisville Open Space staff for their help researching this project.

Where to Find It

You can find this mural at the McCaslin pedestrian underpass, near the Harper Lake Open Space.

Closest intersection: McCaslin Blvd. and Washington Ave., Louisville, Colorado 80027

About the Artists

Beneath the Mesa was created by Louisville artists Rita Vali and Robyn Rathweg.

About the Art

Citizen John is a life-size bronze statue. It shows a man on his bike, waving to people walking by.

The statue honors Louisville resident John H. Breaux, Jr. He was known for his friendly wave, his daily acts of kindness, and his work keeping the city free of trash.

While picking up trash along US 287, Breaux was hit and killed by a driver who veered off the road. He is buried in the Louisville Cemetery. His spirit lives on in this sculpture and in everyone who knew him.

Where to Find It

You can find Citizen John at the Pocket Park at Front Street and Spruce Street.

About the Artist

Citizen John was created by artist Dawn Hessel Record.

Clorese by Sherrill Stone
A whimsical bronze statue of a fish. It is part of Sherrill Stone's series called Fish Foibles. The artist meant it to be funny and describes it as "a big, silly, playful fish."

Fire by Tyler Stinson
Tyler Stinson works with hard materials that people often associate with masculinity. As he shapes the metal, he creates sculptures with a feminine softness, strong curves, and careful details.

Melody by Rosalind Cook
A realistic bronze sculpture of a little girl dancing and playing the flute. Rosalind Cook says this piece "celebrates music and the joy it brings to our lives." Only 37 of these sculptures were made.

Sky by Robert Romero
This sculpture has a gently curving shape, a lighthearted play on cloud form. Its surface has a mirror finish, so the changing colors of the sky and landscape reflect in it. The artist created this piece just for Community Park and installed it here.

About the Art

Community Resilience is a celebration of what an incredible place Louisville is. Resilience means the ability to stay strong and recover through hard times. The sculpture honors our culture and all the people who call Louisville home.

Our heritage, our strength, our resilience, and our love for this place and for each other make our community truly unique. The original inhabitants, the miners, the farmers, the immigrants, and the people of the past and present all create the layered stories of Louisville.

What the Sculpture Means

The Louisville landscape wraps around the sculpture. It shows our environment and includes symbols and figures from our community. Look closely and you will find:

• Rolling foothills and a sunrise. Louisville sits among rolling foothills, shown layered in front of a bright sunrise. Native plants (the flora) cover the hills. The hills also honor Louisville's mining and railroad history.
• A blue parrot. The Blue Parrot Restaurant was a community landmark for over 120 years and hosted many gatherings. To honor it, the artists placed a blue parrot in the sculpture.
• Winding trails. Our open space trails are a cherished resource for community wellbeing, so meandering trails run throughout the sculpture.
• John Breaux. Known as the "Angel of Louisville," John Breaux spent his days making Louisville better by keeping our streets and trails clean. He rides the open space trails in the sculpture.
• Handwritten tiles. The artists asked the people of Louisville: "What makes your heart swell, your appreciation grow, your life full as a citizen of Louisville?" Their answers, in their own handwriting, were placed on tiles that line the inside of the sculpture. The handwriting also shows how individual each of us is.
• Brass tags. Coal miners' brass tags honor the people who worked in the mines and built their lives in Louisville.
• Native plants. Chokecherry and yucca were important resources to indigenous peoples, the first people who lived on this land.
• The oak tree. The large oak tree is a symbol of life, growth, change, resilience, and strength.
• The nest and birds. A large steel nest and birds represent home, family, and the cycles of life. Even in times of hardship, birds and plants are signs of perseverance, life cycles, and new hope.

We invite you to sit in the window and take in the words of our community. Sit inside the sculpture, acknowledge our challenges, and embrace and celebrate the resilience, strength, and love we all share.

Where to Find It

You can find Community Resilience outside of City Hall.

Address: 749 Main St., Louisville, CO 80027

About the Artists

The artists:

• Rita Vali, ceramic artist (ritavali.com; Instagram: ritavaliceramic)
• Arabella Tattershall, metal artist (arabellasmetal.com)

The team:

• Trevor Cavazos, concrete form work (Cavazos Design Build)
• Assistants: Nic Carbon and Chase Picard

Thank You

This project was made possible by a generous grant from the Louisville Cultural Advisory Board.

Special thanks to Sharon Nemechek, former Director of Cultural Services, for seeing this project through to the end.

About the Art

Louisville Letter Play is a series of 20 metal and ceramic panels. Each panel is 2 feet by 4 feet. Together, they line the walls of the South Street Pedestrian Underpass.

The shapes spell out "Louisville Colorado US" in playful metal and clay forms.

The steel panels are made to patina slowly over time. Patina is a thin coating that forms on metal as it ages. As the panels patina, they will turn a rust color to match the rust-colored railroad bridge overhead.

When It Was Made

The piece was installed in the summer of 2021. The City of Louisville generously funded it through the Louisville Cultural Council.

Where to Find It

You can find Louisville Letter Play at the South Street Pedestrian Underpass, a walkway that goes under the road.

About the Artist

Louisville Letter Play was created by Louisville artist Gregory Fields.