Lakewood’s 50th Anniversary public artist announced

The City of Lakewood and the Heritage, Culture & the Arts Division are pleased to announce the selection of the artwork for a new public art project in celebration of Lakewood’s 50th Anniversary. “Echoes and Reflections: Lakewood’s 50th Anniversary,” a large-scale installation of reflective metal sculptures by Collin Parson, will be placed at a site of historical significance in Addenbrooke Park this September. This public artwork will celebrate Lakewood’s unique history and diverse residents, those that laid the foundation for incorporation and paved the way for the city’s robust cultural community that exists today.

A request for proposals was sent on July 16, 2018, which resulted in responses from more than 30 artists from across the United States. After an extensive review process, including an online public voting platform and a public art selection panel, Lakewood’s public art committee selected Parson’s proposal. The artist’s passion for the project comes from his deep connection with Lakewood. Parson is a local arts administrator, artist, curator and designer who was raised in Lakewood and has enjoyed Addenbrooke Park throughout his childhood and as an adult with his wife and children.

The new artwork will be installed on the site where the Addenbrooke family home, constructed in 1953, once stood near the corner of South Garrison Street and West Center Avenue. The home’s fireplace, which remains standing, includes stones collected from around the world by the Addenbrooke family. Parson’s artwork is inspired by the sense of inclusion and place metaphorically exemplified by this historical landmark.

“Echoes and Reflections” incorporates mirrored stainless steel in shapes that mimic the structure of the former home. “I hope to reflect the past and the present by recreating the echoes or fragments of the homestead, such as doors, corners and windows, that once stood as the Addenbrooke family home. By using mirror polished stainless steel, these elements would pay homage to the past, yet literally reflect the current environment and all the people who occupy it now and in the future,” said Parson.

The artwork will be fabricated by Denver-based Demiurge. The budget for the project is $80,000 and is funded by the City of Lakewood. “Echoes and Reflections,” along with five separate temporary community arts projects made in the five distinct City Council wards of the city, will serve as a collective public celebration of the 50th anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Lakewood as well as a catalyst for positive social engagement and enhanced quality of life through the future community activities that will center around this permanent public artwork.

Learn more about the public art project and other ways to celebrate Lakewood’s 50th Anniversary at Lakewood.org/50.

Raised in Lakewood, Collin Parson currently serves as the director of galleries and curator for the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities. He is a former member at the historic Pirate: Contemporary Art cooperative and recently completed an artist residency at RedLine Denver. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater design and technology with emphasis in lighting and scene design from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and his Master of Arts in visual culture and arts administration is from Regis University in Denver. His creative work involves the control of light and color to create vivid geometric light and space works. Parson’s public artworks have been installed at sites such as Westlands Park in Greenwood Village, Central Park in Boulder and the Dairy Block alley bridge and on the University of Denver campus in Denver. More information can be found at CollinParson.com.