Eye-sore to Eye-catching, BSC Dumpster Murals at Columbine Homes

BirdSeed Collective just wrapped up the dumpster mural project at Columbine Homes in the Valverde neighborhood in Southwest Denver. About 20 local artists were commissioned to design and paint custom murals on the streetside dumpsters. Located in the front of homes, unpainted receptacles attract grime and graffiti and are an eye-sore to an otherwise mostly well-maintained community. As well, so little public art exists in the area, making the dumpster sides a prime opportunity to beautify the neighborhood, while potentially deterring crime and improving the sociopsychological effects of living in subsidized housing. The project was funded by a generous Denver Arts & Venues - Create Denver - PS You Are Here grant of $7500, matched by BirdSeed Collective mostly in in-kind time donations and supplies. Along with the Quigg Newton Housing Development in 2017 and Sun Valley Housing Development in 2016, this is the third dumpster mural project BSC has organized and implemented.

Photos by Raymundo Muñoz