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Exuding With Creativity, Downtown Fort Collins Celebrates Its Second Annual Art Week

Create Your Art Adventure Downtown

DOWNTOWN FORT COLLINS, CO., April 14, 2024 – Downtown Fort Collins Art Week, April 29 - May 7, 2023, is a collaboration between the Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority (DDA), Downtown Fort Collins Creative District, Petrichor Collective, Museum of Art Fort Collins, City of Fort Collins Art in Public Places, and Visit Fort Collins.


This collaborative group set out to ignite the lively arts and culture scene as a showcase of downtown’s radiating creativity. Experience vibrant, year-round public art, enjoy collectible and shareable art, uncover hidden tiny art, or join a workshop and get creative yourself during Art Week!

“Art Week shines a light on Downtown Fort Collins' wealth of creative businesses, performance venues, artists, and outdoor arts, which greatly contribute to our sense of community. The week is designed for people to explore and immerse themselves in sculpture, visual art, music, murals, galleries, and theater - we want to empower people to get out and enjoy the arts!” 

Peggy Lyle, Downtown Fort Collins Creative District Director

FoCoMX will kick off Art Week with 400+ bands on 30 stages in and around Downtown Fort Collins on Friday, April 28, and Saturday, April 29. Revel in the sounds of our amazing local music scene before exploring the rest of the arts downtown. Art Week sets in motion an atmosphere that cultivates the heightened energy throughout downtown, welcoming the community to participate in its engaging promotion starting the morning of Saturday, April 29.

In the heart of downtown, you will find six new sculptures, installed on April 22, that bring a fresh new feel to Old Town Square. These new Sculpture in the Square installations will be up for a year to enjoy anytime you visit Old Town Square. The beloved Pianos About Town program will begin painting the first piano of the season on Wednesday, May 3. Watch as the talented artists bring their vision to life! Pianos About Town is a collaboration between the City of Fort Collins Art in Public Places, the Bohemian Foundation, and the DDA.

With numerous opportunities for people to find tiny hidden artwork from local artists, collect limited-edition commemorative postcards, take self-guided art tours, create their own art at a class or workshop, and attend live performances, Art Week provides fun artful adventures for all! 

Artist-Led Workshops

New this year! Seven interactive artist-led workshops are scheduled over the week to help unleash your creative side - all completely FREE of charge! Petrichor Collective will host workshops at the Museum of Art Fort Collins and the Visit Fort Collins Downtown Visitor Information Center. Workshops are free but require registration and are limited to 15 participants per workshop. Artists include Valerie Doebley of Wild Earth Labs, Lorene Martinez of Inception Flow, Sarah Sonnenfeld of Gluten Free Pottery, Xavier Pereira, David Russell of MR Toys, Jennifer Carmack of Wild Spirit Colorado, Paula Harrison, and Mister Tim.

Collectable & Sharable Art

Local artist Chelsea Ermer has created a series of three custom postcards with scenes from Downtown Fort Collins. Postcard quantities are limited and will only be available during Art Week and exclusively at participating Art Walk businesses. Collect the postcards for yourself or mail notes to family and friends!

Tiny Art Hide & Seek

Seven local artists are creating tiny artwork for you to find and keep! To spread smiles to those lucky enough to locate them, seven tiny art pieces will be hidden around Downtown Fort Collins throughout Art Week for people to seek, find, and keep.

For a fun adventure, follow Downtown Fort Collins's Instagram and Downtown Fort Collins Creative District's Instagram for clues on where to find the tiny artwork hidden throughout Downtown Fort Collins. Explore and discover these tiny hidden gems! Don’t forget to share a photo of your treasures on social media if you find the Tiny Art, and be sure to tag the artist to show love.

Self-Guided Art Tours

Discover the arts hidden in plain sight around Downtown Fort Collins on these self-guided walking tours:

“During Art Week, we offer a range of engaging and inspiring workshops, events, and resources designed to empower individuals to explore their Artistic passions and connect with like-minded individuals. Whether you're looking to learn a new skill, connect with fellow creatives, or simply indulge in your love of the Arts, Petrichor Collective has something for everyone. Join us for an Art Week workshop and discover the joy and beauty of creating!” 

Petrichor Collective Team

Arts & Entertainment Round-Up

People can enhance their Downtown Fort Collins experience with exciting events happening throughout the week at local art, music, and theater venues. 

Discover Arts Downtown Year Round

Discover how you can continue to enjoy the arts, music, and culture year-round, including classes, shows, venues, festivals, and art tours at the Downtown Fort Collins Creative District website fococreativedistrict.com. 

About the Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority

The Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority (DDA) was established in 1981 with the goal of revitalizing the central business district. The DDA combines public and private investments through tax increment financing to achieve this objective and emphasizes community initiatives that benefit downtown. In 2020, the DDA introduced the Business Marketing and Communications Program, which employs traditional and innovative methods to promote economic, cultural, and social growth through a variety of initiatives.

About the 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! To learn more, visit fococreativedistrict.com.

About 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 different skill sets and inspiring imagination. To learn more, visit petrichorcollective.art.

About The 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. For further information, visit moafc.org.

About 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. To learn more, visit fcgov.com/artspublic.

About 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. To learn more, explore visitfortcollins.com.

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