by\u00a0Julia King – Special to Colorado Community Media\u00a0April 7, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As spring arrives, so does a new season of public art for residents and visitors exploring Douglas County\u2019s outdoor spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019s exhibit<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/a>(SCFD) funds in 2006 and 2007.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For towns like Parker, Art Encounters has provided an accessible way to bring public art into the community. Carrie Glassburn, Parker\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cA playful, whimsical sculpture for O\u2019Brien 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,\u201d Glassburn said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To bring these works to life, artists \u201clease\u201d 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\u2019s permanent collection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s a wonderful outcome that supports both the artists and our community,\u201d Glassburn said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of those artists, Annette Coleman, has contributed sculptures to Douglas County for the past three years. A longtime participant in Colorado\u2019s public art rental programs, Coleman credits these initiatives with helping sustain her practice, including over $12,000 in stipends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Colorado has over a dozen art rental programs, including Westminster\u2019s Sculpture on Loan, Lafayette\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe background on art rentals from artists in Colorado is very robust, and what it has done for the artists in Colorado is extremely significant,\u201d Coleman said. \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s another state that has anything like Colorado.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annettecolemanartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhirlingDervishChatfeild.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&ssl=1\")
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