Downtown Art Week 2023
Downtown Fort Collins Art Week, April 29 – May 7, 2023, is back for the second year to showcase the Choice City’s lively arts and culture scene. From experiencing vibrant, year-round public art, to enjoying collectible and shareable art, uncovering hidden art, and experiencing artistic expression in its various forms, Downtown is bursting with creativity. NEW this year: seven artist-led workshops over the course of the week, all completely FREE of charge!
Art Week is a collaboration between the Downtown Development Authority, the Downtown Fort Collins Creative District, Petrichor Collective, Museum of Art | Fort Collins, Art in Public Places, and Visit Fort Collins.
Photo featuring Pianos About Town, piano artwork by Amelia Furman and Kristen Vohs.
Experience Art Week in Downtown Fort Collins
Collectible & Shareable Art
New and unique Art Week postcards will be created by local artist, Chelsea Ermer! Postcard quantities are limited and will only be available during Art Week at participating Art Walk businesses. Collect a set of three postcards and mail some love to family and friends or frame and keep them for yourself!
Tiny Art Hide & Seek
Local artists are creating tiny pieces of art work for you to seek and find!
With the intention of spreading smiles to those lucky enough to locate them, these tiny art pieces will be hidden Downtown daily for people to seek, find, and keep during Art Week.
Follow Downtown Fort Collins on Instagram and Facebook for clues of where to find the tiny artwork hidden throughout Downtown from April 29 – May 7. Then, explore and discover these tiny hidden treasures!
Unleash Creativity – Art Week Workshops
Attention all Art enthusiasts! We are thrilled to announce a series of engaging and inspiring workshops hosted by Petrichor Collective – all completely FREE of charge! With a focus on promoting creativity and self-expression, our workshops offer a unique opportunity to explore a range of Art forms and techniques. Whether you’re a seasoned Artist or just starting out, our expert instructors will guide you through each step of the creative process, helping you to unlock your full Artistic potential. Don’t miss this chance to immerse yourself in the vibrant world of Art and join us for a week of exploration, inspiration, and free workshops! All workshops are free, but require registration and are limited to 15 participants.
Workshops at Museum of Art | Fort Collins
Monday, May 1st 5:30pm, with Valerie Doebley of Wild Earth Lab
Tie-dye Basics: bringing new life to old clothes
FULL!
Tuesday, May 2nd 5:30pm, with Lorene Martinez of Inception Flow
Artful Flow: Unleashing Your Inner Artist
FULL!
Wednesday, May 3rd 5:30pm with Sarah Sonnenfeld of Gluten Free Pottery and Xavier Pereira of Xavier Pereira Art
Design and Paint: Portuguese Azulejos
FULL!
Thursday, May 4th 5:30pm, with David Russell of DR Toys
Let’s Make Toys From Trash
FULL!
Workshops at Downtown Visitor Information Center
Saturday, May 6th 11:00am, with Jennifer Carmack of Wild Spirit Colorado
Embodied Creativity
FULL!
Saturday, May 6th 4:30pm, with Paula Harrison
Walk the Line with Wire
FULL!
Sunday, May 7th 11:00am, with Mister Tim
Making Music: Loops and Buckets
FULL!
Get Creative!
Find classes, workshops, shows, and other opportunities to unleash and feed your creativity.
Self-Guided Art Tours
Explore the arts that are hidden in plain sight around Downtown on these self-guided walking tours.
Art Walk
Art Walk is a self-guided walking tour that celebrates creativity, culture, and community in Downtown Fort Collins from 6 – 9 pm on the first Friday of every month! From fine to funky, Art Walk showcases a spectrum of artistic styles to entertain and engage amateurs and art aficionados of all ages, interests, and backgrounds. Catch fresh exhibits each month at 25+ participating businesses.
ART WEEK HIGHLIGHTS
FoCoMX | April 28 & 29
FoCoMX is a two-day music festival that celebrates live music in Northern Colorado. The festival features a diverse lineup of Colorado artists inclusive of all genres with over 400 bands on 30 stages in Downtown Fort Collins!
Sculpture in the Square
Rotating on an annual basis, the juried show brings a variety of contemporary sculptures into this beloved public space. New sculptures were installed in Old Town Square on Saturday, April 22. Come down and enjoy the new sculptures!
Shades of Spring Exhibit
The Lincoln Center Art Gallery will have special open hours Saturday April 29 and May 6, 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. Fort Collins muralists will be live painting in the Art Gallery as part of the Shades of Spring exhibit on view April 20 – June 3.
Pianos About Town artist: Renee Peterson
Pianos About Town Painting
Wednesday, May 3, will kick of the 2023 Pianos About Town painting season. Artist Anna Berman will be painting the season’s first mural in the Art in Action Tent on Mountain Ave. at the south end of Old Town Square through May 15.
PARTNERS
Downtown Fort Collins Creative District
The Downtown Fort Collins Creative District is a walkable area of historic Fort Collins, certified by the State of Colorado, that strives to connect people to Downtown’s culture, artists, history, and creative businesses. By pursuing its mission to advance Downtown as an art and creative hub, the District provides information about Downtown’s creative assets, ways to experience local arts, creative industry connectivity, and meaningful storytelling. See ideas for creative date nights, creative classes and tours, arts events, venues, and the history of Downtown!
Petrichor Collective
Petrichor Collective is a comfortable open-minded space for our team of creatives to collaborate on projects and accomplish our collective goals. We support our community through Art by cultivating our different skill sets, and inspiring imagination.
Museum of Art | Fort Collins
The Museum of Art Fort Collins (MoA) strives to be engaged with the community and provide leadership and connection between all forms of art and the artists themselves. By focusing on a bold vision for exhibitions, programs, and the facility that houses them, as well as going beyond the museum’s walls, MoA focuses on creative and innovative solutions to provide artistic inspiration to all.
City of Fort Collins Art in Public Places
Supporting artistic expression since 1995, the City of Fort Collins Art in Public Places Program enriches the city for both residents and visitors by expanding access to works of art. Public art contributes to the community’s civic pride, often giving opportunities to learn more about the location, history, and our community.
Visit Fort Collins
Visit Fort Collins is the community’s official destination marketing and management organization whose mission is to lead the region in attracting visitors for diverse experiences, facilitating the highest quality visitor experience to enhance the area’s economy and quality of life for residents.