Mel Yemma

Artist: Sean Guerrero

Location: Crested Butte Town Park (near the entrance of Town)

Medium: Chrome

There is perhaps no more iconic piece of public art in Crested Butte than the gleaming chrome sculpture that greets residents and visitors as they descend the hill of Highway 135 into town.  A brave knight is locked in perpetual battle with an aggressive dragon…the ultimate metaphor for good versus evil; small versus big; the battle of light over darkness.  The artist, Sean Guerrero, encourages all to make of it what you will in regards to small-town Crested Butte coping with corporate influences or dealing with growing pains due to being ‘over-loved’ by the larger world, but the sculpture’s origins are somewhat removed from that.

The ’80s were the early years of Sean’s chromatic creations.  As he worked with chrome bumpers (much easier to come by back then), the phrase ‘in shining armor’ occurred to him, and the Knight was born.  However, Sean soon felt that the medieval soldier was ‘plain Jane’ without an adversary, so he created the Dragon and the two have been linked ever since.  They dueled in Beverly Hills, and then Palm Springs, where kids from the local school would field trip to their location and write stories about them. They were relocated to the roof of a film studio in LA, where they oversaw the 1992 riots.  They eventually made their way to Gunnison, where they sat in a field for a while until working their way up valley.  For many years they fought majestically on a hillside beneath the southern flanks of Mt. Crested Butte, until one-too-many drunk visitors tried to be a part of their battle and the property owner had enough.  Fortunately, the Town of Crested Butte provided the current field for their drama to continue to unfold.  Toddlers from the neighboring preschool play in their shadows and they’ve been the subject of countless photos.  Indeed, it seems there is something eternally relevant about their conflict that resonates with everyone who passes by!

Learn more about Sean Guerrero here.

Artist: Sean Guerrero

Location: Crested Butte Center for the Arts, 606 6th Street

Medium: Chrome

The Thunderbird is a legendary creature in certain North American indigenous peoples’ history and culture.  He resides in the Pacific Northwestern mountains and creates booms of thunder by flapping his wings and shoots bolts of lightning from his eyes when hunters get too close to his home. By creating rainstorms he waters the earth, making it possible for vegetation to grow.  He is rumored to be so huge he can easily pluck a killer whale out of the water, for his wingspan is as large as two canoes.  Long ago the native people pleaded to the Thunderbird to aid them during times of food storage, and he agreed, on one condition: that he only be depicted on top of totem poles with his wings stretched out.  To this day, you can find him there on many Northwest Coast totem poles.

So what is this supernatural being of power and strength doing high in the Rocky Mountains, you may ask?  Well, the Feldberg family, local patrons of the arts, wanted a Thunderbird, and they wanted the Crested Butte Center for the Arts to have it.  Sean Guerrero obliged, and this alpine version was created.  Given that the Thunderbird is said to be the dominating force of all natural activity, it’s fitting that he’s found a home in this landscape of profound seasonal changes and radical weather.  Just be forewarned…legend has it he can also transform into a human shape by opening his head up like a mask and taking his feathers off as if they were a mere blanket.  This gleaming, capricious sculpture definitely seems capable of something special.

Learn more about Sean Guerrero here.

Artist: Sean Guerrero

Location: Brick Oven Pizzeria, 223 Elk Avenue

Medium: Chrome

What does the ornate and gleaming Chrysler Building, located in New York City, have to do with Crested Butte, Colorado?  Not much, really… however, there’s one link sandwiched between two aspen trees that very easily could elude you.

The Chrysler Building is considered a leading example of Art Deco architecture.  Built of a steel frame infilled with masonry, construction began in 1928 as part of a race to build the world’s tallest building.  It held the honor for a mere 11 months in 1930 when the Empire State Building took over the honors.  But due to its iconic and beautiful design, the height never really mattered anyway and the Chrysler Building is continually mentioned as one of the finest structures in the world.

One day someone sent Sean Guerrero, a local chrome artist, a photo of one of the eagles located on the building’s 61st floor. It juts out over the city like a hood ornament on an old Plymouth automobile.  Inspired, Guerrero decided to use it as a study.  However, he never even got to finish it as someone offered to buy it before it was completed.  Somehow it ended up on the Brick Oven Deck where, somewhat forgotten, it has gotten sandwiched between two trees.  Its embedded fate is certainly different than the airy perch of its inspiration. However, at least the lofty mountains that surround it provide the perfect home to its live counterparts.

Learn more about Sean Guerrero here.

Artist: Sean Guerrero

Location: 517 6th St. (Across from the Center for the Arts)

Medium: Chrome

“Horses represent freedom, power, and beauty,” states Sean Guerrero, the artist responsible for the majestic beast that welcomes people to the town of Crested Butte.  Mane and tail flowing, chrome muscles bulging, it seems to propel itself right off of the pedestal upon which it is mounted.

This sculpture is truly a local creation, for the majority of the pieces in the Pepsi Horse came from the Rozman ranch, located just down Highway 135.  Homesteaded over 100 years ago, the ranch is still in operation today.  It’s an important part of Gunnison Valley history, where stories of hard-working ranchers and their horses abound. “The old cars were horsepowered beasts of a different sort,” states Sean, so the transformation seemed somewhat natural.

However, there’s more to the story. An unfortunate event with corporate America left Guerrero cynical about branding and marketing.  Since the age of 14 he’d held onto a Pepsi sign he had salvaged from an old ice machine and suddenly its destiny became clear.  He embedded it in the flank of this noble beast, thus cross-pollinating the idea of marketing with creativity; of corporate branding versus the branding ranchers of yesteryear employed; of mainstream America versus that which is untamed and wild.

Thanks to the generosity of four second-homeowners who pitched in to purchase the artwork to donate to the Center for the Arts, this beautiful and thought-provoking symbol will remain in the Gunnison Valley for years to come.

Learn more about Sean Guerrero here.

Learn more about Sean Guerrero: 

Sean Guerrero states:  “I remember as a kid I was always fascinated by the look of the cars that were built in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s. The shape and design gave each one its own personality. I never would have imagined that I would one day make a living off of them the way I do. Using cut-up sections of those old brilliant chrome bumpers, I reshape and weld their pieces into larger-than-life sculptures, preserving their essence.”

Sean is a sculptor and filmmaker who lived in Crested Butte from 1991 to 2001.  He truly changed the nature of public art in this small mountain town.  Many of his unique sculptures remain on display and have provided visitors and residents with inspiration, laughs, and a sense of awe for years.  Sean now calls Paonia, Colorado home after living in numerous locations around the world.  “I needed a cave in which to create,” he states, and so when an old fire hall became available he jumped at the opportunity to settle there.  It’s an impressive space filled with materials of all sorts, just waiting to be absorbed and transformed into new life.  “I strive to give [the old cars and other found pieces] back their dignity through a reinterpreted form of physical artistic expression,” says Sean.

Enjoy his creations throughout town, including the Knight and Dragon, the Pepsi Horse, the Eagle head, Thunderbird, and the rotating sculpture garden at Mabuhay on the corner of 4th and Elk.  You may also happen upon some of his creative benches as you move throughout town…take a load off and watch the world pass by!  Do as Sean does:  “I think about the tales the cars might tell from their hey-days. I can imagine the first day they rolled off the lot just purchased by someone who scrimped and saved to finally buy that brand new, shining, big powerful machine.”  What roads did that chrome travel to come to rest on the sidewalks of Crested Butte?

Guerrero’s chrome deer graze in Maryland and his chrome horses gallop throughout the Midwest and the Carolinas.  There are mares with colts by their sides grazing in numerous states.  Sean gifted Neil Young a chrome buffalo head, which has accompanied the famous musician on stage.  An eagle with a 13-foot wingspan protects a Sedona, Arizona jewelry store. Over 100 of his unique benches offer a place of repose throughout the country.  The da Vinci Fish, a giant flying fish sculpture made from an airplane fuselage, rotates above the Salton Sea in the community of Bombay Beach, CA. What’s next???

More info about Sean and his work can be found at www.chromesean.com or on Instagram @chromeseanart. 

Artist: Various authors, Kate Seeley (post decorations)

Medium: Books presented in waterproof displays, Colored pencil decorations

Location: Lower Loop Trail

The Lower Loop is one of Crested Butte’s most beloved trails.  Located on land preserved by the Crested Butte Land Trust, it was built in 1999 by over 125 volunteers.  It is used by mountain bikers, hikers, horseback riders, runners…you name it.  Since 2015, you can add young literary enthusiasts to the list as well, for that was the summer that StoryWalk® was launched.  Jen Hillebrandt, former Youth Services Coordinator for the Crested Butte Library, discovered the idea and presented it to the Land Trust. Given the family-friendly nature of the trail, it was a perfect fit!

The StoryWalk® project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont in conjunction with the Kellogg Hubbard Library.  The pages of a children’s picture book are deconstructed and presented sequentially along an outdoor path.  The book is changed each year, and encourages its young readers to connect, imagine, and discover things about the landscape through which they’re moving.

In 2017, the Crested Butte Creative District awarded funds to the project and the Library commissioned local artist Kate Seeley to “decorate the posts to mimic nature”.  Her whimsical colored pencil drawings add to the appeal of the experience.

StoryWalks® are found in 50 states and 12 countries, so after enjoying the experience in Crested Butte be sure to seek them out in other locations!  “Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder,’’ wrote EB White (found on the dedication page of one of the chosen StoryWalk® books).  Good advice indeed.

Artist:  Ben Sweitzer

Location:  Along the Lupine Trail

Medium: Metal, Powder coating

There is a piece of public art on the outskirts of Crested Butte that takes some effort to get to.  Whether you walk or bike, the reward is great.  Not only are the vistas of the Slate River Valley, Town of Crested Butte, Crested Butte Mountain and beyond inspiring, but once you get there you can stop and relax.

In the summer of 2016 Ben Sweitzer, part owner of Ace Hardware and hobbyist furniture maker, saw an ad from the Crested Butte Creative District soliciting a bench to be placed on the then quite new Lupine Trail. The Lupine Trail runs across  conserved lands and trail easements from the Saddle Ridge subdivision to the Slate River Valley. Ben won the bid for a creative, artsy bench and set to work (roughly 20-30 hours of it) to create a comfortable, aesthetically pleasing place to sit.  Made of laser-cut metal and powder-coated with colors meant to represent the local wildflowers’ bounty. Ben and six friends eventually lugged numerous heavy pieces to the bench’s current location.  Constructed on site, its colorful design beckons passersby to stop, sit, and breathe.  It’s well worth the journey.  Once rested you can continue on, enjoying the preserved open space or, as mentioned before, you might want to keep interacting with the public art until you’re ready to return the way you came!

Sidenote:  the Lupine Trail is located just to the north of Crested Butte.  There are two access points, one from Slate River Road and one from Gothic Road as you head towards Mt. Crested Butte.  Please note there is NO parking at the Gothic Road entrance (in the Saddle Ridge subdivision)!  Thanks for respecting private property!

Artist: Ira Houseweart

Location: Northwest Corner of Elk Avenue and 6th St. at the 4-Way Stop

Medium: Metal, Paint

Crested Butte was officially certified as a Creative District in the summer of 2016, joining seventeen other districts in the state of Colorado. Part of the purpose of a Creative District designation is to ‘enhance areas as appealing places to live and conduct business’, as well as ‘promote a community’s unique identity’.  In 2018, when the Creative District Commission was searching for a unique piece of public art to accent the sign that proudly proclaimed Crested Butte’s new designation, Ira Houseweart’s design seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

Three seven-foot columbines sprout from the base of the sign. Each metal flower took about a day to create, as they were first cut with a plasma torch, and then forged until Ira could bend and shape them.  After welding the pieces together, they were painted in the purple and white of our state’s official flower, though the artist’s vision is for them to eventually rust and change with time.  Their organic forms beckon, an appreciated sight in all seasons; and certainly a fitting welcome to all those entering the ‘Wildflower Capital of Colorado’.

More of Ira Houseweart’s work can be seen throughout the Town, as he also created three different designs for the numerous brackets that hold the Town’s wayfinding signs.  Ira began metalworking as a teen in his grandad’s shop, and never really stopped!  Other ornamental and functional pieces can be seen at his website www.coloradoblacksmith.com.

Artist: Various Artists

Location: Crested Butte Center for the Arts, 606 6th Street

Medium: Various Mediums

In 1969, Crested Butte was remote and rustic —still imbued with its mining heritage, slow to transition into its new role as a ski town.  Though opportunities were limited, spirits were free, and when Steve Glazer arrived that year he embraced all the town had to offer.  He was an early supporter of the Crested Butte Mountain Theatre (formed in 1972); acting, running tech, and managing the fledgling organization.  He owned and managed the Princess Theatre, offering avant-garde movies and many other unique experiences.  He helped start Earth Station Radio (now KBUT Community Radio) and helped create the Crested Butte Bank (now Bank of the West) in 1979.  For the last 25 years of his life, he was one of the Gunnison Valley’s most vocal activists surrounding water issues.

But his love for the arts never died, and it was a passion that he and his wife Diana Graves had always shared.  Unfortunately, after years of fighting tirelessly for clean water and water rights, Steve fought his own long battle with cancer.  While he was sick, Diana began to ponder how she could keep his memory alive in town.  In the final moments before his death, she realized how: by creating a public art collection.  She recognized that although Crested Butte wasn’t really big enough to have a museum, a collection of art could be just the right fit.  So she committed to the idea.  The first three pieces were donated at his celebration of life and monetary donations were received as well.  The collection grew, and now stands at 30 eclectic and inclusive pieces, mostly by local artists.  Through a Crested Butte Creative District grant, Bill Tintera (a friend of Steve’s) created a hand-hewn sign, which officially united the Steve Glazer Memorial Art Collection.

Many of the pieces are experimental, representing the free-wheeling era of the 70s and 80s.  It will soon be relocated from the old Center for the Arts to the new facility, where all can enjoy the timeless creativity of many artists, as well as appreciate the legacy of one of Crested Butte’s most iconic residents.

More information about the collection can be found at  https://crestedbuttearts.org/Steve-Glazer-Collection.

Artists: George Sibley/ Barbara Kotz Sibley/ Denny McNeill/ Bill Folger/ Jim McKay/ Jim Cazer

Location:  Totem Pole Park, 3rd and Maroon

Medium:  Wood (from a 30-foot spruce tree felled near Lake Irwin)

Many would agree that there is no more iconic piece of public art in Crested Butte than the Totem Pole that reigns over the park that bears its name.  It holds the honor of being the first collaborative public art project in town, thanks to the beer-inspired vision of local woodcrafter Denny McNeill and George Sibley, the then-director of the Crested Butte Arts Festival.  The year was 1973.  Sibley wanted to steer the festival in the direction of ‘interactive art’.  What could be more appropriate than six chainsaw-wielding carvers, each responsible for a five-foot section of spruce log?  None had plans or sketches, just an agreement to finish in six days for the opening of the Arts Fest.  Sure enough, more collaboration took place on August 12th, when a crew of ‘bare-chested, long-haired’ hippies raised the pole on the banks of Coal Creek.

A troll, mushroom, buffalo head (originally fitted with tree branch horns), turtle, and even rumored caricatures of Sibley and President Nixon were some of the inspired, if not completely recognizable, carvings.  The artists thought it would last five years or so, and be, according to McNeill, ‘something fun for everyone to look at’.  Little did the woodworkers know that the totem would endure to become one of Town’s most beloved icons.  The pole was lifted, re-oiled, and trimmed down (due to rotting wood) in June of 2006, with hopes that the extra love would buy another few decades at least.  It has overseen generations of Crested Buttians and visitors alike…picnicking, napping, wading in the creek, and who knows what else.  It’s been the backdrop for countless ceremonies, including weddings and memorials, the infamous Alley Loop Nordic race, and the Bridges of the Butte fundraiser. Though there’s been talk that the next generation of inhabitants might need to carve their own totems, it will certainly mark the end of an era the day the Totem Pole comes down.

This information was gleaned from the excellent article ‘A Tribe and Its Totem’ written by Sandra Cortner in the Summer 2010 issue of the Crested Butte Magazine. It can be found at www.issuu.com. 

Artist: Unknown

Location: Ace Hardware, 607 6th St.

Medium: Fiberglass, Paint

Did you notice? You are being watched as you enter and leave town.  On the corner of the Ace Hardware building, perched with an authoritarian air, is…a multi-colored rhinoceros. His stern and taciturn appearance belies his festive introduction to town.

In September of 2014, Crested Butte was host to a wild takeover when Anheuser Busch rolled in to create ‘Whatever, USA’.  Over 1,000 revelers were flown in and plied with Bud Light beer.  The streets (and more) were painted blue, and hot tubs were set up on Elk Avenue along with a giant gorilla, a life-sized chessboard, a human bowling alley, and more.  Amongst the (controversial) mayhem were six randomly-placed painted rhinos.  After the festivities, it seems two went missing and three were reclaimed by Anheuser Busch.  And the sixth?  Shelley Shanks Lockwood, a local artist, was determined to purchase one, so she went rhino hunting.  Through perseverance she succeeded.  That rhino had traveled to Houston, where he survived Hurricane Harvey. But eventually Shelley realized he belonged back in Crested Butte.  The guys at Ace Hardware recognized a fine mascot when they saw it and, thanks to Shelley’s donation, he found a new home.  Though no one knows who actually painted the horned mammal (an artist from Chicago, rumor has it) he seems secure and well-adjusted in his airy location.

Artist: Andy Bamberg

Location: Crank’s Plaza (by Town Hall), 507 Maroon Ave.

Medium: Metal (recycled)

A mysterious presence dwells in Crank’s Plaza.  This somewhat menacing figure threatens to impale the casual book lover headed to the Old Rock Library or the innocent toddler heading to music class downstairs at the Town Hall. Spear poised overhead, vacuous eyes staring from a horned and rusted skull–his prey is left to the imagination.  Though the sculpture’s body is constructed from an ingenious combination of recycled metal parts, there seems to be spring to his step.  Watch out!

Spearthrower is testimony to the creative genius of Andy Bamberg, a beloved Crested Butte artist, philosopher, and lover of life, who passed away in 2009. Andy’s legacy lives on in the green metal benches that grace our town’s streets; in the custom-angled bike racks that provide parking; and in the memories of those who followed his numerous Grumps down Elk Avenue on their way to be burned during the annual fall Vinotok bonfires.  The world was Andy Bamberg’s art gallery.  Ever creative, always kind, it’s been said that Bamberg’s greatest gift was that as a man and an artist he knew the portrait of ourselves we all wished to see. The whimsical bench located by the Last Steep Restaurant was built in Andy’s memory by Sean Guerrero. Most of the parts used in the bench came from his shop by the old town gas pumps.

He was prolific, and the story is that years before the plaza was even christened (named for longtime town manager Bill Crank), Andy was looking for a place for this sculpture to reside.  Though it was admittedly a representation of the darker side of his existence (Bamberg struggled with diabetes and related health problems), the Town staff welcomed the piece and the plaza was built up around it.  Known as ‘Sawback’ to some, ‘Spear Thrower’ to others, part of his allure is his mystery.  We’ll never know where Andy found all the random parts that so harmoniously created this hunter.  We don’t know what it is he’s seeking, or if his horns are meant to symbolize strength, or virility, or a relation to a witch doctor or shaman. So…take a seat for a moment under his powerful stance and see what message Spearthrower might have to convey to you.

Artists: Head: Surapon (Northern Thailand), Installation: Blake Woodward, Tio Rau, Karma Lama

Location:  Mabuhay, 404 Elk Ave.

Medium: Fired Ceramic

Things can get pretty crazy on Crested Butte’s main thoroughfare.  However, on the corner of 4th and Elk, a different vibe reigns. There, a large Buddha head serenely dwells–eyes half-closed, gazing inward; a faint smile indicating his state of enlightened wisdom and knowledge.  His elongated ears have heard many a conversation, but he’s not telling.

Blake Woodward, a local importer of antique Asian artifacts, is responsible for the enlightened one’s presence in this mountain town.  But there is more to this Buddha than meets the eye. As with stupas (Buddhist shrines) worldwide, he houses numerous relics.  Karma Lama, a local Tibetan resident, inscribed Sanskrit prayers for the Town of Crested Butte in the cement base.  The next levels (constructed by Tio Rau from locally harvested red basalt) are filled with sacred ritualistic objects including a gift Karma received from the Dalai Lama. Inside the head rests a foot-tall amethyst point amongst other antique treasures.  Numerous locals donated crystals to the project and continue to leave gifts to this day.  In a town where extremes are the norm, the Buddha’s ‘path of the middle’ is a good lesson for all.

Blake Woodward is the owner of Mabuhay Imports, a treasure-filled store in Crested Butte.  More information is available at www.shopmabuhay.com.

Artists: Various artists have painted 43 unique buses

Location: The streets of Crested Butte and beyond

Medium: Paint

Public art is nothing new to the Town of Crested Butte.  Ever since Joanie Barbier painted the ‘Cow Bus’ in 1983, works of art have been rolling through the streets, catching the eye of all passersby.  Themes have ranged from flora (aspens, wildflowers, mushrooms) to fauna (fish and other ocean life, dogs, skunks, dragons, more cows, eagles, local wildlife) to the cosmic (zodiac, ‘One Love’, Martian, ‘Cosmic Party’).  In 2016, artist Heather Bischoff set up a contest in which pet owners submitted a photo of their pet along with a donation to the Paradise Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).  The chosen cat and dog were immortalized on the ‘Furry Friends Bus’, as well as all the donors’ pets’ paw prints.  Les Choy was inspired to bring his love of the desert back to the mountains and covered a bus with Anasazi handprints and other pictographs. Fairy tale figures, bubbles, trains…no subject seems to be off limits, provided the artists cover their enormous and unusual canvasses with something that makes people smile as they clamber aboard for the free ride up or down the mountain or watch the one-of-a-kind art roll by as they soak up the sun on one of Crested Butte’s many benches.

During the height of the summer or winter, there are roughly six to ten buses running up, down, and all around the vicinity.  The working fleet includes an additional five to ten in reserve. That means a lot of the colorful vehicles have been retired, so one may ask, “where do the buses go after they’ve rolled their last loop?” For many, an ad is put in the legal section of the newspaper and a closed bid process determines the lucky new owner.  Those have gone on to various uses. The ‘Fish Bus’ came full circle to serve as a studio for its original artist Kate Seeley.  The ‘Aspen Bus’, painted in 1983 by Lisa Ridgley, hit the road as a tour bus for the then-up-and-coming band The String Cheese Incident.  Others have been donated to the Fire Department or Emergency Medical Services to use as test vehicles.  Though crashing and burning may seem an unseemly end for such works of art, such an end continues their tradition of benefiting the common good!

A (mostly complete) photo gallery of the buses, as well as the artists who conceived and painted them, can be found at www.mtnexp.org/painted-bus-gallery.

Artist: Jeff Scott

Location: Crested Butte Nordic Center/Big Mine Arena, 620 2nd St.

Medium: Nordic skis, Bike Rim, Light bulb

Jeff Scott says that the bottom line is:  “I just like to light s*** up!”  Indeed, it all started almost 20 years ago with his design of a glow-in-the-dark flying disc so that he and his friends could play Ultimate Frisbee after work.  The passion for illumination grew and morphed.  Dog collars, bicycle spoke lights, lacrosse balls, the list goes on…there are products for both safety and fun.  As recycling and re-purposing became more of a focus, Jeff eventually created a manufacturing shop in Crested Butte called the Idea Launch Lab.  The space is jam-packed with materials ranging from piles of organized bike parts (collected from everywhere) to 30,000 high-grade aluminum tent poles (purchased from an outdoor company undergoing changes) to sheets of lightweight maple veneer plywood (that didn’t make the ‘cut’ for a Colorado puzzle maker) and more.  Those supplies share space with a 3D printer, laser engraver, and other high-tech machines.  The possibilities are endless.

So what about the Nordic Chandelier?  Originally Christie Hicks, director of the CB Nordic Center, approached Jeff about upgrading the tiki torches that light the way for skiers attending events out at the backcountry yurt.  One thing led to another and, as a pile of destroyed cross-country skis grew, inspiration struck.  Jeff noticed that the hole pattern in a specific bike rim would provide the perfect framework to hang the skis from. By adding a light bulb, the chandelier was born from the well-loved skis. The location is temporary, but the hope is the chandelier will be joined with others when the new Nordic building is constructed.

Jeff Scott is an inventor-designer-tech guru and founder of the Idea Lab in Crested Butte.  Visit www.flashflight.com to view the huge assortment of illuminated products.

Artist: Jeremy Rubingh

Location: 200 block of Elk (in front of Montanya Distillers)

Medium: Paint, Lightbulb, Plaque

Mount Emmons, at 12,343′ elevation, stands as a sentinel above the Town of Crested Butte.  Known locally as the Red Lady, the mountain has been the focus of decades of activism, as local environmentalists have fought to keep it free of a molybdenum mine.  The idea for a sculptural installation project that would “create an interactive opportunity to engage the public as well as contribute to the uniqueness of our small, creative, and environmentally-minded village’ was the brainchild of Jeremy Rubingh, a local activist and filmmaker who has been deeply involved with the Red Lady’s fate.

One of his goals is to inspire people to think about how everyday public amenities can be turned into thought-provoking pieces of art. So, in October of 2016, Rubingh painted the lamppost and installed a red light bulb and plaque.  In contrast to all the other green posts, this unique red beacon serves as both a reminder and a public engagement point on the value that the community places on protecting the local watershed and environment.  Observant and curious passersby can read a small informational sign documenting the history of the issue and, if positioned correctly, can see the Red Lady Bowl framed behind the post.  Red Promise creates a subtle yet powerful link between a mountain and the town that loves it, as well as providing an opportunity for visitors to learn a bit about Crested Butte history.  This project was one of the first projects funded by the Crested Butte Creative District.

Jeremy Rubingh is an artist and activist residing in Crested Butte and spends most of his time working on creating art and images to inspire and reduce our footprint on Earth.  More info available at www.maukaproductions.com.

Artist: Josh Legere

Location: RTA Bus Stop (in front of the Alpineer, 419 6th St.)

Medium: Recycled mono-ski, Volant skis and bindings, Wood

It’s a difficult statistic to pin down but, according to one source, there are 7 million skiers in the United States, who purchase 600,000 pairs of skis a year.  If you take that statistic a step further, it’s almost mind-boggling to think how many skis (let alone snowboards) are sitting in garages and attics across the country, and that’s just in the U.S.A.  It became apparent to Josh Legere of Paradise Ski Chairs that the number of skis and snowboards going to the landfill simply in the Gunnison Valley was staggering.  So he decided to do something about it.

What began as a recycling challenge soon became art, as demonstrated by the comfortable and aesthetic Adirondack-style bench at the down-valley bus stop. Legere received a grant from the Crested Butte Creative District in 2017 to build and donate this fine community amenity.  Alpine bindings provide perfect cup holders, and the palette of designs and colors on the previously-loved boards are pleasing to the eye. What better place to rest, watch the world go by, and wait for the bus after a hard day on the slopes?!  Keep your eyes open…you may spot more of Josh’s creations on the sidewalks of town or in local residents’ yards.

More information about Josh’s work can be found at www.paradiseskichairs.com .  Their sustainable line of products has expanded to included hat/coat racks, bottle openers, tables, and more.   

Artist:  Rosalind ‘Roz’ Cook

Location: 300 block of Elk (in front of Lil’s Restaurant)

Medium:  Bronze

Lillith dances through all kinds of weather, gracefully shepherding passersby on Elk Avenue.  Though at times she may be surrounded by snow, she embodies youthful joy as her bare feet step forth from a base of lily pads. Generously donated to the Town of Crested Butte in 2015 by Rosalind Cook, Lillith was inspired in part by a visit to Italy, where Roz studied the works of the Renaissance masters.  Reflecting that style, she strove to incorporate elements of swirling motion and flowing draperies. It makes sense that Lillith was originally designed for water to trickle from her upraised hand and down the graceful moss garland of water lilies.  Unfortunately, Crested Butte’s extreme climate makes that an impossibility.  Despite this, one can still feel the fluidity and movement of water in Lillith’s graceful pose.

Roz’s sculptures are most noted for this flowing aspect and for their faces, as she strives to capture and bring forth the inner spirit of her subjects and communicate to the viewer on a personal level.  She states her true purpose is to celebrate life and to lift the human spirit, and as one looks at Lillith this objective becomes apparent.  The fact that children often stop in their tracks to gaze at the dancing figure, and that dogs have stopped to bark at her, shows the measure of Roz’s success in her goal!

Creating a bronze piece involves a complicated five-step alternating positive/negative process, including clay, rubber, wax, and finally bronze.  It takes months of both studio and foundry time to bring a sculpture to fruition. Roz has two other permanent local pieces as well:  Gratitude can be found at the Mountain Wedding Garden in Mount Crested Butte, and Divided Attentions is visible at the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum.

Rosalind Cook’s sculptures range in size from eight inches to monumental, and are found all over the world in both private collections and public installations.  She enjoys using children, religious figures, and people of various cultures and races as her main subjects.  She is also an educator and writer.  Her work is visible at the Redline Gallery, 429 Elk Ave., and more information is available at www.rosalindcook.com.