Denver Graffiti Art Tour

If you love art, but you're on a budget, you don't have miss out on some of the best art in a city. Even if you don't step foot into a museum, most cities have a thriving street art scene. Much of it encouraged by the city itself, even going so far as to have street art festivals like Las Vegas's Life Is Beautiful Festival and Denver is no different. They have started something called Denver Walls.

Kimchi Juice

While we were in Denver, we took a guided graffiti tour, because I wanted to learn more about the artists in the city. You can do it on your own, if you want, and can certainly see a ton of art all around the city, not just in the RiNo (River North) District. This is just where a huge portion of artwork is and where the tour focuses.

Collaboration by @weilworks + Eva Zimmerman

Decades ago RiNo had fallen into disrepair and become a place that was not a favorable place to live. Because of this, it was really affordable, and many artists moved into the area. They started creating art on buildings and beautifying the neighborhood. 

this was all done freehand with no base by Keya Tama (and team). Their mother also does
freehand on brick a few blocks away with a completely different style.

Shockingly, when the neighborhood started to blossom, developers came in and bought property and raised the rents, since it became more and more appealing to live and work there.  

Collaboration by @milestoland + @ChromaJ

The murals around the district showcase a wide variety of art styles and cultures. They range from whimsical to political to honoring people in both the community and around the world.

Collaboration by @ajdavisart + @jd.pruitt

We learned about what might be good and bad tagging of murals. Do they ruin the original art? Do they add something to it? The work you see above has a squiggly yellow line running through it and that's not part of the original art, but it also seems to complement it with a chaotic line that goes along with the work itself that's about life during Covid.

I really enjoy art that has a mix of style, like this that was done by a husband and wife, where they added the graffiti style over the more traditional art form. 

@c.bolsinger

This lion is on the side of a church, and the artist brought in so much of the Colorado landscape into it. You can see the Rockies, the forest, fields, the Platte River, the night sky, and even a huge tribute to the indigenous peoples.   

Collaboration between Casey Kawaguchi and @easeone_tx

You will find a ton of artists from other parts of the world and many that live in Colorado, too. Some you'll see here and then also be able to identify around town. I also identified some international artists that I had seen similar artwork from in other places, including Las Vegas and Portland.

@chrishaven

Some artists are extremely prolific, like Chris Haven, who creates these little triangle guys all over town. They're quick to paint, are fun, and easily recognizable. Art doesn't have to be big or elaborate to make a huge impact.

@_gusrey

There are even sports murals. We have some of those around town in Portland, but this one showcased Nikola Jokic, the center for the Denver Nuggets.

@obeygiant - Shepard Fairey

I was especially drawn to this Justice mural that focuses on two groundbreaking Supreme Court justices. All art is political in some way and this one just comes right out and shows it to you. Here's hoping Kentanji Brown Jackson continues the great legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and makes her proud.

@soulfulartnj

Any surface can be a palette, including brick, wood, and even cement like this. The average age of a piece of street art is between 2-5 years, depending on where it's placed and how it survives the elements and other artists/taggers.

You may even get lucky and see artists at work while you're walking around. These guys were doing fresh art over their older work. It's very impressive to see how clean their lines are with spray paint.

@caseykawaguchi that was commissioned by a private resident - You'll see his same artwork
around town with his signature Samurai Girl in muted colors

Even residents have murals and art on their property. You'll see it on garage doors, gates, and more, like this piece this person had commissioned for them from, what I assume is, one of their favorite artists. We saw several more Casey Kawaguchi pieces around town, too.

If you need a bit of a nudge on where to start looking at street art in a destination, many cities have websites dedicated to them, but you can also just walk around and then look up artists while you wander or use an app like Street Art Cities or GPS My City. If you do go on a guided walking tour, remember to carry cash for a tip at the end and try to engage with your guide. We were on a tour with two locals, so they had entirely different questions than we did and that was fun and interesting. 

Do you have a favorite art city? It doesn't have to be street art. We also love museums!