The Greeley Art Alley project has received the DCI Governor’s Award for Excellence to create and renew public space that enhances the urban design, physical function, or economic viability of downtown and the community.
The Greeley Art Alley project collaborates between the City of Greeley Art Commission, the Greeley Creative District, and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA). The multi-year effort started in 2014 when Armando Silva was chosen as the lead artist with the theme of “music.”
“Hardly a day goes by now when you don’t see people out there with photographers,” said Alison Hamling, Director of Experience with the DDA. “We have seen wedding pictures, senior portraits, band pictures and have had at least two or three Music videos filmed using the alley as a backdrop,” Alison said.
The Art Alley is now completed and can be found between 8th and 9th Avenues and Streets, featuring nearly 20 pieces by a dozen artists within the area. The DDA had festoon installed and improved the lighting within the walk-through, contracting with Alt Ethos in 2018 to install an interactive musical titled “hopscotch” as an art installation in the walk-through.
“When the ’Let’s Roam’ scavenger hunt company chose Greeley as a destination, they used the art alley and walk-through for the entire second half of the scavenger hunt, guiding hunters to find special details within the art pieces,” said Alison.
The alley walk-through is regularly traversed during downtown festivals and events and even gets “haunted” with decorations for children and their families who attend Trick or Treat Street. Other area winners include The Mill in Windsor, The Foundry in Loveland, and the Poudre Garage in Fort Collins.
“The collaborative relationship between the city, the DDA, and the Creative District have been the strongest factor in transforming the visual appeal of our downtown environment,” said Jason Evenson, Greeley’s manager of cultural affairs.
For more information regarding The Greeley Art Alley project, call the DDA at 970-356-6775 or email [email protected]