Miguel Vasquez was born and raised in Longmont, and his mural design shows his pride of place in big letters. The latest Art in Public Places installation in Longmont, designed by Vasquez and painted by him and fellow Front Range classmates, was dedicated in June.
Mural Chosen Through City Process
The 6-foot-by-20-foot mural graces the bike-path underpass at South Pratt Parkway and Missouri Avenue. John Cross, the art faculty member who oversaw the project, says “it is street art – fully sanctioned street art.”
The sanctioning was a citywide process. The mural itself was a product of Cross’s Mural Painting class during the summer semester at Front Range’s Boulder County Campus in Longmont.
Mural Class at FRCC
“I usually teach painting,” Cross said at the dedication, “but whenever I want to have a lot of fun I schedule a mural class. These five students knocked it out of the park. It was Miguel’s design, but these other four students took ownership. I’m proud of this class and what they’ve done.”
The artists in the project came to the dedication, and each signed the mural. You see the team in the photo above. From left are Kate Greczyn, John, Miguel, Logan Ohde, Sophia Zanowich, and Katie Kutz.
FRCC Art, Graphic Design Students Competed
Vasquez’s design was one of eight to come from students in Front Range’s Art and Multimedia Technology programs. All eight were posted on a web poll. They also were displayed at the Longmont Public Library. “There were 650 votes,” Cross said, “which blew me away.”
The three top vote-getters then went to the Art in Public Places citizen panel for the final selection.
‘This is Longmont’
“The mural captures your attention,” said Lauren Greenfield, the city’s Art in Public Places administrator. “It says ‘This is Longmont and this is what we’re about’.”
Artist Wants to Create More Murals
“I was born and raised in Longmont,” Vasquez said. “That’s what motivated me. I’ve seen graffiti, but I wanted to take it to great places. Credit to my classmates. They did a great job. For some of them this was their first time with spray paint. I was blessed with a great crew. This makes me hungrier to do more murals.”
Talented, Young Artists in Longmont
Greenfield said the finished product “speaks to the talent of young artists in Longmont.”
This is the second Art in Public Places project for Front Range students. Students also have participated in the city’s “Shock Art” project and painted an electrical switchgear box near the Miller Drive campus.
