The program will start to install a fresh collection around the area

by Julia King – Special to Colorado Community Media April 7, 2025

As spring arrives, so does a new season of public art for residents and visitors exploring Douglas County’s outdoor spaces.

Art Encounters, a year-long outdoor art program, will begin installing a fresh collection of sculptures across the county next month. Communities including Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Parker and Roxborough will soon showcase new pieces, while April marks the last chance to view last year’s exhibit.

Launched in 2007 by the Douglas County Cultural Council, Art Encounters was designed to foster public interest in art, build community pride and attract visitors to retail and civic areas. A Public Art Advisory Committee, featuring representatives from across the county, selects sculptures for each participating jurisdiction. The program was initially funded through Scientific and Cultural Facilities District(SCFD) funds in 2006 and 2007.

For towns like Parker, Art Encounters has provided an accessible way to bring public art into the community. Carrie Glassburn, Parker’s cultural director, noted that the town originally lacked a designated budget for public art. The program allowed it to introduce a variety of pieces to the area.

“A playful, whimsical sculpture for O’Brien Park, a more sophisticated, artistic piece for outside the PACE Cultural Center, and a striking, large-scale installation for Town Hall, which stands at a key intersection leading into downtown Parker,” Glassburn said. 

To bring these works to life, artists “lease” their artwork to the town for a year. Since Art Encounters began, more than 100 sculptures have lived in Parker, and the community looks forward to the arrival of new artwork each year. Some of the borrowed pieces have captured the hearts of residents so much that the town and its Public Art Commission have chosen to purchase them, adding to Parker’s permanent collection. 

“It’s a wonderful outcome that supports both the artists and our community,” Glassburn said.

One of those artists, Annette Coleman, has contributed sculptures to Douglas County for the past three years. A longtime participant in Colorado’s public art rental programs, Coleman credits these initiatives with helping sustain her practice, including over $12,000 in stipends. 

Colorado has over a dozen art rental programs, including Westminster’s Sculpture on Loan, Lafayette’s Art on the Street, Art in Public Places in Longmont, heArt of Lyons, Hudson Gardens in Littleton, Sculpture Evergreen and Art 2C on Havana in Aurora. 

“The background on art rentals from artists in Colorado is very robust, and what it has done for the artists in Colorado is extremely significant,” Coleman said. “I don’t think there’s another state that has anything like Colorado.”

Coleman’s work spans kinetic designs — such as her “Wind Sprites” series made of Plexiglass, stainless steel and bright enamel paints — as well as mosaic sculptures crafted from recycled satellite dishes and stained glass. Her pieces often explore themes of joy, shared cultural experiences and the beauty of the natural world.

Beyond Colorado, Coleman’s art has appeared in Wyoming and Arizona, and she often receives photos from friends who encounter her sculptures on their travels. With sculptures displayed in multiple locations, she admitted that keeping track of them all can be a challenge.

“See, that’s my problem, is trying to figure out where they are, where they’re going next, and scheduling when I can pick them up and move them to a different municipality. It’s a big chess board,” Coleman said. 

The Art Encounters program continues to attract strong interest from artists. According to Kim Smith, Douglas County’s community programs coordinator, 94 artists applied to be a part of this year’s exhibit. Since its inception, Art Encounters has facilitated the purchase of 24 sculptures.

Selected artists receive a $1,200 stipend after their works are installed. The application period for the 2025-2026 program year is now closed, with the next call for entries expected to open in early 2026. Selected pieces for the upcoming cycle will be installed between mid-to-late May and will remain on display through May 2026.

For now, residents can look forward to a new wave of public art enriching the community — just in time for the warmer months ahead.