Mister Barney Ford
Title: Mister Barney Ford
Artist: Emanuel Martinez, Morrison, Colorado
Location: 117 E. Washington Ave. between the Barney Ford House Museum and Tin Shop
Medium: Bronze
Installation date: 2007
Source: Commissioned by the Town of Breckenridge
Audio Narration:
Description:
This three-tiered bronze sculpture depicts various epochs in the life of Barney L. Ford, an escaped slave who became a wealthy Colorado businessman and leading civil rights activist. Among his businesses, Ford opened a chophouse in Breckenridge before moving on to Denver, where he developed education programs for African-Americans and pushed successfully for African-American suffrage at the national level. The piece is by Emanuel Martinez, an artist who fought alongside Cesar Chavez and other leaders of the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century.
Prowlin'
Title: Prowlin’
Artist: Parker McDonald, Longmont, Colorado
Location: 110 E. Washington Ave. in front of the Fuqua Livery Stable
Medium: Steel and moss rock
Source: Purchased by the Public Art Commission
Installation date: 2016
Audio Narration: Becca Spiro
Description:
During construction of the Breckenridge Arts District, a well-loved family of foxes lived on campus, under Randall Barn. So when the Public Art Commission spotted Parker McDonald’s graceful, steel-fabricated piece at the Loveland Sculpture Invitational, they knew Breckenridge had to have it. The red fox is a ubiquitous sight in Breckenridge, where it has assimilated with its human neighbors, raising generations of furry families. “Prowlin’” not only commemorates a particular family of foxes, but all of our fox friends who remind us of the wild beauty of this place.
Cattails
Title: Cattails
Artist: Doyle Svenby, Manitou Springs, Colorado
Location: Breckenridge Arts District campus, located at S. Ridge St. and E. Washington Ave.
Medium: Found steel
Source: Donated by Doyle Svenby
Installation date: 2010
Audio Narration: Doug Bittinger
Description:
Cattails are nature’s regenerators. They colonize disturbed wetlands, extracting pollutants and helping ecosystems return to a state of health. In another sense, sculptor Doyle Svenby gives new life to discarded industrial materials, which he salvages from scrapyards and repurposes into works of art. Thus it seems fitting that Svenby donated his found-steel sculpture of cattails to grace the new Breckenridge Arts District, a campus of historic buildings repurposed into studios and galleries as a part of the town’s recent arts renaissance.
Outcropping House
Title: Outcropping House II
Artist: Albert Belleveau, Maple Ridge Township, Minnesota
Location: Breckenridge Arts District campus, located at S. Ridge St. and E. Washington Ave.
Medium: Steel and stone
Installation date: 2009/10
Source: Purchased by the Town of Breckenridge
Audio Narration: Andy Carlberg
Description:
Albert Belleveau’s whimsical, 3-D representation of an outhouse harkens back to the privies of yesteryear, making its placement at the Arts District campus—where arts facilities are housed in a community of restored historic buildings—entirely apropos. The walls, ceiling, and door are made of fancifully airy iron tangles enclosing wind- and wave-smoothed stones collected by the artist on kayaking trips to Lake Superior. A Sculpture on the Blue “People’s Choice” winner, the piece is part of Belleveau’s “rock iron art” collection, which utilizes “two of northern Minnesota’s most plentiful resources.”
Steel Drawing for Cooper
Title: Steel Drawing for Cooper
Artist: Steuart Bremner, Denver, Colorado
Location: Breckenridge Arts District campus, located at S. Ridge St. and E. Washington Ave.
Medium: Steel and stone
Installation date: 2011; reinstalled 2014
Source: Donated by Cooper and Dave Walsh
Audio Narration: Amy Evans
Description:
Part of Steuart Bremner’s “Steel Drawings” series, this abstract sculpture of curved-and-welded steel lines topped with single stones stands in front of the Hot Shop on the Breckenridge Arts District campus, where it moves with the wind and collects snow as it falls. The steel forms are made to be graceful, like Japanese ink drawings rendered three-dimensional, and the materials are “elemental, everyday objects” whose interaction is open to interpretation. The piece was donated to the public art collection in 2010 by Cooper and Dave Walsh.
Throne
Title: Throne
Artist: Chaz della Porta, Port Townsend, Washington; formerly of Fairplay, Colorado
Location: Breckenridge Arts District campus, located at S. Ridge St. and E. Washington Ave.
Medium: Stone, steel, and glass
Installation date: 2014
Source: Commissioned by the Town of Breckenridge
Audio Narration: Chaz della Porta
Description:
A chair-shaped boulder forms the base of “Throne,” which began as a nod to Breckenridge’s playful self-designation as a kingdom in 1936, when it was discovered that the town had been left off a U.S. map despite that it was founded in 1859. Viewers can climb and relax onto the Town-commissioned sculpture for a photo under “Ullr’s” crown, the nordic god of snow. Enjoy the kinetic, stained glass shields high above with their colorful reflections morphing with sun and wind. This sculpture is dedicated to Pete ‘Spenlove’ Spenlove, of Wigston, Leicester, England.
Going Home
Title: Going Home
Artist: Willie Morrison, Alma, Colorado, 1957-1998
Location: Carter Park, 310 S. High St.
Medium: Steel
Installation date: 1998
Source: Purchased by the Town of Breckenridge
Audio Narration: Maureen Hyland
Description:
On the Southern edge of Carter Park stands a steel representation of a Native American rider on horseback, his gaze cast toward Peak 8. The sculpture is by late Alma resident Willie Morrison, who designed and built a series of cedar-and-metal benches and trash receptacles for Breckenridge before his untimely death in 1998. The Town purchased the sculpture in memory of the “honorary local,” who once served as mayor of Alma. The untitled piece was christened “Going Home” by Willie’s good friend, Tim Hoopingarner.”
My Book
Title: My Book
Artist: Jane Rankin, Monument, Colorado
Location: Breckenridge Grand Vacations Community Center & South Branch Library, 103 S. Harris St.
Medium: Bronze
Installation date: 2007; reinstalled 2015
Source: Donated by the family of Anne and Jim Pinion
URL: www.janerankin.com
Audio Narration: Carol Christiansen
Description:
Artist Jane Rankin takes inspiration from the classical sculpture of ancient Greece as well as her experience as a schoolteacher. Her work centers on children, including “My Book,” a bronze figure of a child poring through a picture book. The piece appeared in the Sculpture on the Blue exhibit before being purchased for the public art collection by the family of Anne and Jim Pinion in 2006. It was first installed in front of the South Branch Library on Airport Road, then moved to the library’s new location on Harris Street in 2015.
The Library Quilt
Title: The Library Quilt
Artist: Summit Quilters, Summit County, Colorado
Location: In the historic reading room, Breckenridge Grand Vacations Community Center & South Branch Library, 103 S. Harris St.
Medium: Mixed media fiber arts
Source: Donated by Summit Quilters
Installation date: 2015
Audio Narration: Deborah Conway
Description:
A team of 26 quilters created the quilt that now hangs in the renovated 1909 schoolhouse, which reopened in 2015 as the Breckenridge Grand Vacations Community Center and South Branch Library. With input from the Summit County Library Board and Town of Breckenridge, the intricate piece created by the Summit Quilters depicts the historic schoolhouse against white peaks and a multicolored alpenglow sky. Yellow aspens and evergreens flank the building above a patchwork of plant life and local scenes, and a bookshelf at the quilt’s base concludes the visual story, harmonizing with the actual library bookshelves that frame it.
Just the Two of Us
Title: Just the Two of Us
Artist: Guilloume, Sandia Park, New Mexico
Location: Breckenridge Grand Vacations Community Center & South Branch Library, 103 S. Harris St., by the entrance to the Speakeasy Movie Theater
Medium: Bronze
Installation date: 2015
Source: Donated by Judy and John Goebel
URL: www.guilloume.com
Audio Narration: John Goebel
Description:
Two figures bedecked in brimmed hats stand together as one by the entrance to the Speakeasy Theater. Although their faces lack features, the piece shows emotion with form, texture, and movement using a semi-abstract style known as “bolismo.” Cast in bronze by Guilloume, an artist originally from Columbia, the figures symbolize a partnership between two people. The sculpture was donated in 2015 by Judy and John Goebel to grace the new community center, which is housed in a renovated 1909 schoolhouse.
Tom's Baby
Title: Tom’s Baby
Artist: Seth Vandable, Cedar Hill, Texas
Location: Prospector Park, 112 N. Main St.
Medium: Bronze
Installation date: 2015
Source: Funded by Anna and Mike Dudick and commissioned by the Town of Breckenridge
URL: www.vandablesculpture.com
Audio Narration: Mike Dudick
Description:
In 1887, two prospectors unearthed a gold nugget at a Breckenridge-area mine that weighed 13 pounds, 7 ounces before washing. The largest nugget ever found in Colorado, it became known as “Tom’s Baby” when Tom Groves swaddled his find for the trip into town. A larger-than-life bronze sculpture in the new Prospector Park invites visitors to rub the nugget for luck, while commemorating the historic find and local mining history. Rubbing it, in turn, polishes the bronze. The piece was envisioned and funded by Anna and Mike Dudick.
Three Cowboys
Title: Three Cowboys
Artist: Stephen Hansen
Location: 309 N. Main St.
Medium: Bronze
Installation Date: 1997
Source: Commissioned by the Town of Breckenridge
Audio Narration: Tom Kramer
Description :
Stephen Hansen’s lighthearted bronze sculpture of three cowboys sitting on a fence, each gesturing toward a different trail, graces the front yard of the historic Gaymon Cabin, which once served as the town information center. The Welcome Center has since moved to 203 S. Main Street, but the cowboys remain, offering conflicting directions to all who visit while harkening humorously back to the region’s ranching history. Installed in December of 1997, the sculpture was the first piece of public art to be coordinated by Breckenridge’s newly formed Public Art Commission.
Through the Eye of the Needle
Title: Through the Eye of the Needle
Artist: Rik Sargent, Denver, Colorado
Location: Alpine Bank, 110 N. Main St.
Medium: Bronze and stone
Installation date: 2007
Source: Commissioned by Alpine Bank and the Town of Breckenridge
URL: http://sargentstudios.com
Audio Narration: Jenn Cram
Description:
Rik Sargent’s sculpture—which consists of a flat, vertical ring with a hawk through its middle, perched on a pedestal scattered with Ullr coins—is quintessentially Breckenridge, an amalgam of symbols borne of the artist’s love for the town. The stone at its base is local, “the hawk is of the land, and the Ullr coins are of the soul,” he explained. To make the coins, he made molds from original Ullr coins that date back to the town’s earliest 1960’s-era Ullr Fest celebrations. The work was a joint commission by Alpine Bank and the Town of Breckenridge.
A Miner's Dream
Title: A Miner’s Dream
Artist: Robert Tully, Louisville, Colorado
Location: A collection of pieces in Blue River Plaza at 203 S. Main St., along the Riverwalk, and in the river itself
Medium: Stone, steel, and wood
Installation date: 1994
Source: Commissioned by the Town of Breckenridge
Audio Narration: Robert Tully
Description:
Robert Tully’s collection of sculptures, installed in 1994 as part of the Blue River reclamation project, uses natural materials combined with steel to represent our interaction with nature over time. Several are intended for child play—including a split granite boulder with the negative of a human figure carved into it, a polished stone slide, and a miner’s cabin sunk into the earth so kids can crawl into the attic. A cobble column along the Blue River and a carved boulder set in the river itself further unite people with the landscape.
Toro
Title: Toro
Artist: Fred Zietz, Wheat Ridge, Colorado
Location: Behind 137 S. Main St., along the Riverwalk
Medium: Upcycled steel
Source: Donated by the partners at Downstairs at Eric’s
Installation date: To be installed in 2017
URL: www.fredzietz.com
Audio Narration: Eric Mamula
Description:
The futuristic robot “Toro” illustrates the Breckenridge community’s interest in contemporary, diverse art forms. Donated by the restaurant partners at Downstairs at Eric’s, the sculpture drew admirers of all ages when it was unveiled at Sculpture on the Blue. In it, artist Fred Zietz explores a romanticized future hewn from the refuse of society. In Breckenridge, “Toro” represents the wild wanderings of the creative mind, and through it our creative future. At the same time, its use of upcycled automotive and industrial steel fits with our sustainability ethos.
Sack Race
Title: Sack Race
Artist: Jane Rankin, Monument, Colorado
Location: 203 S. Main St. behind the Welcome Center, along the Riverwalk
Medium: Bronze
Source: Donated by the Bunchmans in memory of Pat and Harry Bunchman
Installation date: 2016
URL: www.janerankin.com
Audio Narration: Janis Bunchman
Description:
Behind the Welcome Center in downtown Breckenridge, a bronze sculpture of three children captures the innocent glee of a sack race, evoking family fun, childhood memories, and the nostalgia of yesteryear. The piece is based on an old newspaper clipping of the artist’s childhood friend competing in a sack race. Donated to the Breckenridge public art collection by the Bunchman family, “Sack Race” commemorates Pat and Harry Bunchman, who supported the development and beautification of Breckenridge since the 1960’s.
Gone Fishin'
Title: Gone Fishin’
Artist: Steve Puchek, Dillon, Colorado
Location: In the Blue River east of the Riverwalk Center at 150 W. Adams Ave.
Medium: Steel
Installation date: 2005
Source: Donated by Pat and Jack Thomas
URL: www.steelandstoneironworks.com
Audio Narration: Pat Thomas
Description:
Summit County loves fishing almost as much as it does skiing. Anytime the rivers are running, wader-clad fishermen and women are a familiar sight—perched still and focused, thigh-deep in cold mountain water, as they patiently try to lure a cutthroat or rainbow trout with a carefully selected fly. Steve Puchek’s piece pays homage to the immutability of this pastime, his flat-panel steel fisherman ever casting his line in the Blue River. After appearing in the Sculpture on the Blue exhibit, the piece was purchased for the Breckenridge public art collection by Pat and Jack Thomas.
Syncline
Title: Syncline
Artist: Albert Paley, Rochester, New York
Location: Riverwalk Center lawn at 150 W. Adams Ave.
Medium: Steel
Source: Commissioned by the Town of Breckenridge
Installation date: To be installed in2017
URL: www.albertpaley.com
Audio Narration: Robin Theobald
Description:
Breckenridge is the first Colorado town to feature a permanent installation by renowned contemporary sculptor Albert Paley, whose work graces cultural art centers from the Smithsonian Institution to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The 24-foot-tall, azure blue, abstract steel sculpture is fabricated from hydraulically formed steel plates. It takes its name from a geological formation, using intersecting convex and concave planes to represent the irregular contours of the mountain milieu, replete with the interplay of slope and light.
Athena First Flute + Lydia First Violin
Title: Athena First Flute + Lydia First Violin
Artist: Michael Adams, Switzerland
Location: Southwest corner of the Riverwalk Center at 150 W. Adams Ave.
Medium: Bronze and red slate
Source: Donated by the Breckenridge Music Festival
Installation date: 2006
Audio Narration: Tamara Nuzzaci Park
Description:
A pair of bronze musicians plays a soundless duet of flute and strings from perches of stacked red slate outside the Riverwalk Center, where two local orchestras can often be found rehearsing. Athena First Flute and Lydia First Violin are the work of Michael Adams, once a fixture in the Summit County arts community. After the pieces appeared in the Sculpture on the Blue exhibit, the Breckenridge Music Festival purchased them for the public art collection as part of its 25th anniversary celebration.
As Seasons Change
Title: As Seasons Change
Artist: Stephen Day, Taos, New Mexico
Location: Riverwalk Center box office, 150 W. Adams Ave.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Installation date: 2004
Source: Donated by Susanna Chlipala
URL: www.stephendaygallery.com
Audio Narration: Gary Freese
Description:
Cobblestones emerge as a dark lake recedes, its edges flanked by aspens glowing yellow against shrubby willows, tall evergreen spruce, immutable mountains, and sky. Landscape painter Stephen Day depicts an archetypal high country landscape on its march toward autumn in “As Seasons Change,” an oil painting purchased from Breckenridge Gallery and donated by Susanna Chlipala to hang in the Riverwalk Center ticket office in honor of music-lovers Jerome, Kenneth, and Wilfred Tomann.
Soldiers of the Summit
Artist: Robert J. Eccleston, Lake Placid, New York
Location: South of the Riverwalk Center at 150 W. Adams Ave.
Medium: Bronze
Installation date: 2003
Source: Project and fundraising launched by Marietta and Don Carlson, completed in collaboration with the Town of Breckenridge
Audio Narration: Hunter Mortensen
Description:
This life-size statue of a World War II ski trooper memorializes the mountaineers of the 10th Mountain Division, a unit that trained at Camp Hale near Leadville before fighting with the Allied troops in Italy. Perched on a 50-ton boulder, the rifle-toting, ski-clad scout pays tribute not only to those who saw battle, but to all who trained with the 10th Mountain Division, many of whom went on to become ski industry leaders. Local 10th Mountain veteran Don Carlson and his wife Marietta led the charge to have the piece created; the sculptor, too, served in the U.S. Military.
Ulr
Title: Ullr
Artist: Richard A. Jagoda, Black Forest, Colorado, 1935-2013
Location: 500 S. Park Ave.
Medium: Stainless and mild steel
Installation date: 2000
Source: Purchased by Atlas Development Corporation
Audio Narration: John Warner
Description:
Since the early 1960’s, Breckenridge has honored the Norse god of skiing, Ullr, in a raucous annual festival that beseeches the skies to open and drop their bounty of crystalline gold. Seen by many as the bringer of snow, Ullr is idolized in this metal sculpture by the late Richard Jagoda, who was a key character in the earliest Ullr Fest antics, and a member of the first ski school at Breckenridge. The piece was purchased for the Breckenridge public art collection by Atlas Development Corporation.
Chris Ethridge Memorial
Title: Chris Ethridge Memorial
Artist: Chaz della Porta, Port Townsend, Washington; formerly of Fairplay, Colorado
Location: Stephen C. West Ice Arena, 189 Boreas Pass Rd.
Medium: Stone, steel, and bronze
Source: Commissioned by the Town of Breckenridge
Installation date: 2003
Audio Narration: Jenn Cram
Description:
An abstract sculpture of stone, steel, and bronze stands in memory of local firefighter and business owner Chris Ethridge, who lost his life at the age of 31. Town and community joined together to commission and shape the work, and sculptor Chaz della Porta reached out to loved ones for design inspiration. A large stone at the base of the piece, plus nearly 100 rocks gathered by friends and family, anchor Chris to the one-time mining community, while an abstract bronze form atop a curled wisp of rusted steel represents the transcending of his spirit.
The Nest
Title: The Nest
Artist: Chapel, San Leandro, California
Location: Intersection of Main and Ridge streets
Medium: Bronze and stainless steel
Installation date: 2000
Source: Commissioned by the Town of Breckenridge
URL: www.chapelsculpturestudio.com
Audio Narration: Jeffrey Bergeron
Description:
Originally from Grand Junction, Colorado, sculptor Chapel created “The Nest” as monument to the timelessness of nature, embodied by two bronze eagles returning to their annual home atop a 17-foot-tall stainless steel column. The immutability of metal and the eagles’ habit of site-fidelity combine to represent that which was, is, and shall be throughout the epochs of human settlement, from the earliest native inhabitants in our region to today’s modern visitor. The sculpture is among the early pieces coordinated by the Breckenridge Public Art Commission.
A Friend to Lean On
Title: A Friend to Lean On
Artist: Robin J. Laws, Cheyenne, Wyoming
Location: 224 S. Main St.
Medium: Bronze
Installation date: 1993
Source: Donated by the family of Maureen and Jim Nicholls
URL: www.robinlaws.com
Audio Narration: Maureen Nicholls
Description:
Robin Laws’ life-size bronze sculpture of two burros laden with mining gear—including the obligatory gold pan—was installed on Main Street more than two decades ago in front of what was then Paint Horse Gallery, owned by Jim and Robin Nicholls. It not only commemorates the indispensable role pack burros played in the region’s mining history, but also the animals’ friendly nature. The Nicholls family installed the piece in the early 90’s in memory of Merle R. Nicholls, and donated it to the Breckenridge public art collection in 2013.
