Loveland, Colo. is home to an abundance of art – from hundreds of bronze works nestled among two renowned sculpture parks – Benson Sculpture Garden and Chapungu Sculpture Park – and scattered across town, to two beloved Love Lock sculptures, to paintings and more in galleries and museums. We’ve tracked down the newest additions to the Sweetheart City’s vast collection so you can see them before the sun sets on summer.
NEW PERMANENT ARTWORK
New additions at Benson Sculpture Garden
Four new sculptures and a stunning wrought iron gate were installed at Benson Sculpture Garden this month. Since 1984, the High Plains Arts Council (HPAC) has used revenues from its annual Sculpture in the Park show (slated for Aug. 11-13 this year) to purchase and donate pieces to Loveland’s Benson Sculpture Garden.
- “Sanctuary: A Place Set Apart,” by Dan McNeil & James Makely: A new hand-forged iron gate, located at Benson’s 29th Street and Aspen Drive entrance, welcomes guests and provides a peek at what to expect inside. Created by artists Dan McNeil of Black Birch Studio and James Makely with Makely Metal Art using traditional blacksmithing methods, including hammers, tongs, anvil and forge, the gate marks the main entrance to the park.
- “Four Generations,” by Colorado artist Felicia: This simply designed 5-and-a-half-foot bronze sculpture depicts four generations of Native American women. Inspired by a visit to the Taos Pueblo in Taos, New Mexico, Felicia often portrays Native Americans in her sculptures because “they are the original inhabitants of our continent, they should not be forgotten,” she said.
- “Amazing Grace,” by Loveland artist Shari Vines: Featuring a 4-foot Blue Heron unfurling its wings, this sculpture was inspired by the majestic birds that can be seen standing motionless in marshlands along rivers and lakes in Colorado. “There is a stillness in nature that offers up space for quiet reflection. This is never truer than when we are gifted an encounter with wildlife,” Vines said.
- “Roundbottomus Hippopotamus,” by Missouri artist Tim Cherry: This six-foot-plus bronze hippo with a large round bottom was designed so that young children could engage with the sculpture in a fun, hands-on way. “The hippo has many beautiful round shapes, volumes and curves that worked beautifully with my style,” Cherry said.
- “Morning Flight,” by Northern Colorado artist Adam Schultz: This 12-foot sculpture that’s currently in progress depicts a stylized bronze hawk and represents the spirit of flight, casting its shadow across the sheer rock face while the shadow of a rabbit escaping can be seen on a smaller boulder in front of the diving hawk. The monolithic stones for this project will be quarried from the hills west of Loveland.
NEW TEMPORARY ARTWORK
The Art Advocacy Project (TAAP 2D and 3D)
Loveland Art in Public Places has selected seven 2D artist selections and nine 3D sculptures for temporary display into 2024. The TAAP 2D collection is showcased in the Loveland Public Library’s Central Galleria, on display through Feb. 2024. Selections include:
- “Snowbirds,” by Sharon Shuster Anhorn
- “Winter Mountains,” by Gloria Campbell
- “Peking Opera – Mei Lannfang Portr,” by Stephanie Coffin
- “G,” by Steven Caufield
- “Ribbons & Lace,” by Melinda Laz
- “Ceiling of La Sagrada Familia,” by James Lynxwiler
- “Sunrise, Mesa,” by Gordon Middleton
TAAP 3D selections are installed along Fourth Street in Downtown Loveland:
- “Campana,” by Joe Allred
- “Human Nature Fig No 4,” by Art Garcia
- “Spirit Set Free,” by Jodie Bliss
- “Sun to Moon Rotation,” by Mary Angers
- “Crumple and Flow,” by Jacob Burmood
- “The Guide,” by Zeke Derderian
- “Pufferphish,” by Alex Bond
- “Chrystalis,” by Harold Linke (removed for maintenance)
- “Dialogue,” by Steve Shachtman
NEW ARTWORK COMING SOON
“Ace!,” by Mark Leichliter : The Loveland Olde Course Clubhouse will soon be home to a stylized sculptural representation of a golf ball rolling into a cup in stop-motion style featuring four frames. The artwork is fabricated from stainless steel sheet metal with two distinctive surface finishes. It will be installed by Aug. 2023.
“Equinox,” by Loveland artists Doug Erion, Doug Rutledge and Jack Kreutzer: Originally installed at U.S. 34 and I-25 in 2014 and serving as a gateway to Loveland, Equinox was removed in January 2020 due to interchange construction. The impressive creation is scheduled to be reinstalled on the northbound side of I-25, near The Ranch Events Complex by late summer. The impressive sculpture, depicting galloping blue horses and measuring 50-feet by 96-feet, will be visible to both north and southbound interstate travelers.
Four Paintings From the 2022 Governor’s Art Show and Sale: Loveland’s Art in Public Places Visual Arts Commission will place four paintings purchased by the city at the 2022 Governor’s Art Show and Sale in select locations around the city.
- “Angel Wing,” by Mountain View High School student Dylan Goode: Will be installed at the teen center at the Loveland Public Library.
- “Jubilee,” by : A painting featuring one dozen donuts will be installed in the Loveland Museum.
- “Fervent Reclamation,” by Jen Starling: To be placed outside the Rialto Theater’s Devereaux Room.
- “Standing Strong, by : The piece features a bison and will be hung outside of City Council chambers in the Loveland Municipal Building.
NEW EXHIBITS
“Colorado Custom” at The Loveland Museum (April 29 – Aug. 27): See custom guitars made by luthiers – craftspeople who custom build and repair stringed instruments – from Colorado, including Lee Knutson, Darrell Plampin, Jeff Woolsey, Don Jensen, Michael Bradshaw and Mike Thompson.
“Medieval to Metal: The Art & Evolution of the Guitar” at The Loveland Museum (June 24 – Sept. 17): This exhibition includes 40 instruments from the National Guitar Museum, ranging from rare and antique to the wildly popular and innovative, and supplemented with photographs and illustrations that depict significant artists and instruments of the last century.
“Images of Colorado’s Ghost Towns” at The Loveland Museum (July 8 – Sept. 10): A small collection of the thousands of photographs Kenneth Jessen has taken while exploring Colorado ghost towns over four decades.
“2013 Flood Images” at The Loveland Museum (July 29 – Dec. 31): An exhibit featuring images taken and articles written during the 2013 flood, one of the state’s worst natural disasters.
UPCOMING ARTS EVENTS
Aug. 11-13: Sculpture in the Park
Experience an integral part of Loveland’s arts culture when Sculpture in the Park, the largest outdoor juried sculpture show in the U.S., returns Aug. 11-13. A mecca of international talent, the show and sale transform Benson Sculpture Garden into an art lovers’ dream come true with over 2,000 pieces of sculpture created by 160 sculptors from around the world.
Aug. 12-13: Art in the Park
Colorado’s longest-running artisan festival (over 50 years!) also takes place Aug. 12-13, across the street from Sculpture in the Park, at North Lake Park. The Market includes over 160 fine craftspeople, and The Gallery features over 50 fine artisans. Art in the Park is presented by Thompson Valley Art League and Lincoln Gallery; entry is free.
