Colorado CRUSH Walls Looks A Little Different This Year

The 11th annual Colorado Crush Walls event is took place this year from September 14 to 20. Artists from all over the U.S. come to the RiNo district each fall to add a different layer of paint. This year was unlike any other, as safety took the first priority.

According to the Crush Walls website, some alleyways were blocked off while the artists were working to insure social distancing. There were hand-washing and hand-sanitizer stations throughout the streets. There were also no water stations or restrooms onsite.

In the past, the showcase jam-packed people into allies shoulder-to-shoulder. This year, there were arrows pointing ways for the foot traffic to flow with leeway. Tape also marked distanced, six-feet-apart guidelines.

The Crush Walls website says, “Public art leads to an improved community as a catalyst for safety, cleanliness, creativity, and conversation.” Founded by artist Robin Munro, Crush Walls have created a gallery of streets. However, this year was also a bit controversial, as munro fell under scrutiny for past sexual behavior.

Artists featured this year include Anna Charney, Casey Kawaguchi, Bakpak Durden, and many more. There were also online and in-person workshops about the copyrights and laws concerning street art. For more information on that year-round, you can look here. September 19 featured ‘Kids Crush,’ where the youngsters explored their creative abilities.

The walls also set up a Spray Can Bar that offers alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to cool off from all the art in the streets, located at 2424 Larimer Street. DJ Caven performed two separate sets at the Spray Can Bar on Friday, September 18, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and a on Sunday, September 20, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“Instead of using walls to divide, Crush uses Walls to unite!” The Crush Walls website says.

The majority of the murals worked on this year are between Larimer and Walnut streets. If you’re lucky you’ll find some of the artist’s hidden gems all over RiNo!