DENVER WALLS, a woman- and immigrant-owned mural festival that is part of the globally renowned WORLD WIDE WALLS, and presenting sponsor RiNo Art District welcomed 158,000 visitors to the District in its inaugural year. The 2023 DENVER WALLS saw 18 artists representing seven different countries painting around the vibrant art district, which is located just north of Downtown Denver.
“We were so inspired by the massive community response we saw during year one of DENVER WALLS and are excited to grow this festival into a globally renowned event that celebrates diversity, uplifts local artists, and showcases Denver as a hub for street art in America,” said Ally Grimm (aka A.L. Grime), a Denver-based artist spearheading the festival.
From September 22 through October 3, DENVER WALLS hosted 10 days of programming designed to immerse visitors in the culture and community of street art with activations ranging from live painting and mural projection mapping to all-ages educational workshops and a live 3-on-3 paint battle with Secret Walls.
The festival’s inaugural lineup featured globally renowned artists hailing from Austria, Germany, South Korea, South Africa, Valencia, and Venezuela, including James Bullough, Squidlicker, Nychos, Dulk, Greg Mike, Kimchi Juice, George F. Baker III, Faith 47, and Keya Tama. Local Denver legend Detour was selected to paint the festival’s largest mural, which spans more than 16,000 square feet across the entire top level of The Source Hotel. Other local artists showcased included Anthony Garcia Sr., Casey Kawaguchi, Chelsea Lewinski, A.L. Grime, ILL.DES, Lindz and Lamb, and Tuke (DF CREW).
Unique to DENVER WALLS was an emphasis on embracing creative technologies that enrich the viewing experience and provide new ways to engage with artists and local businesses. In collaboration with COZ, each DENVER WALLS mural features a custom plaque infused with non-fungible item (NFI) technology that can be scanned to learn about the artwork and earn points that can be exchanged for exclusive merchandise and discounts at local businesses.
“The explosion of creativity that DENVER WALLS brought to RiNo Art District was truly remarkable, and we can’t wait for art enthusiasts around the world to visit Denver to experience these incredible new murals while exploring the other 200+ murals that adorn the District’s walls,” said Charity Von Guinness, executive director of RiNo Art District.
DENVER WALLS by the numbers:
- 1.7 million views across social media channels; 158,000 visitors to RiNo Art District during festival; 40,000+ sq ftof new murals; $7,500 in scholarships[AJ1] awarded to local students supporting art education; 365 gallonsand 3,500 cans of paint.
