Fine Arts Board Tour

Open Skies - Barbara Baer

This mobile hanging above the entrance to the City Council Chamber is titled Open Skies, and was made by Barbara Baer in 1996. It is composed of two sections of Plexiglas with aluminum tubing. The Plexiglas is painted in vibrant colors with patterns that represent leaves and clouds, as well as geometric shapes. 

Telescape - Tom & Jean Latka

Telescape, by Tom and Jean Latka, is a large rectangular wall sculpture made of mixed media elements. Diagonally and squarely placed ceramic tiles provide a background for square ceramic tubes framing circular glass elements. A triangular wedge of dark black and red textured ceramics juts into the center of the wall sculpture, breaking up the uniformity of the background tiles. 

Untitled - William Joseph

This untitled work by William Joseph was created as a site-specific bronze fountain at the center of the Littleton Center’s interior courtyard. Built in 1979 for display at the Littleton Center, the fountain’s internal structure resembles a human figure with four curved sheets facing outward from the center. Operational during the warmer months of the year, the fountain is quite an impressive work of functional art.

The Touch - Barry Rose

Barry Rose’s The Touch, from 1997, is a wall-mounted ceramic and metal tile mural. Beginning with images of the mountains and sky on the left, the mural transforms into multi-colored puzzle pieces in the center before ending with three-dimensional shapes on the right.

Town Meeting - Joyce K. Newman

Joyce K. Newman’s 1978 work titled Town Meeting is a stoneware ceramic relief made up of irregularly shaped tiles. Composed of three sections, the artwork portrays non-descript, stylized figures standing in various poses, gathered in a large group.

The Cobbler's Path - Maynard Tischler

The Cobbler's Path is a 2010 bronze sculpture by Maynard Tischler. The sculpture resembles a cobbler’s workbench with two boots and various tools set on top. Located in LaRocco Plaza, the sculpture pays tribute to the LaRocco family, who operated Veto’s Shoe Shop in downtown Littleton. If you look closely, you might also find a small surprise ready to hop out from between the boots! 

Woman Riding Horse - Andrew Trunfio

The bronze sculpture Woman Riding Horse, by Andrew Trunfio, shows a slightly stylized figure of a nude woman riding a racing horse bareback. The horse’s legs are curled under its body, possibly indicating that it is between strides in full gallop.

Again -Tommy C. Hicks

Affectionately called “Pac-Man” by Littleton residents, Tommy C. Hicks’s sculpture in Bowles Grove Park is actually titled Again. Made of Corten steel, the sculpture is intended to have a coat of rust on it, which will continue to build up over time. The sculpture was removed in January 2019 to undergo restoration and conservation and was reinstalled in March 2019. The triangular sections were also repainted at that time to more closely match the original colors. Go ahead and give it a gentle spin!

Waiting for the Kiss - Mary Zimmerman

Waiting for the Kiss is another frog sculpture in the Fine Arts Board’s collection, this one by Mary Zimmerman. It’s a straightforward bronze sculpture of a frog with a heavily textured body with mottled green, brown, and natural bronze patina. Located next to the South Platte River, this frog looks like it has just hopped out of the water! 

Wagon Wheel - Kim Kaminski

The Wagon Wheel sculptural bike racks along Main Street, made by Kim Kaminski in 2013, represent the first ten sculptures in a series of twelve. Made of cast iron and steel, with a hub in the center, the wheels have a rust-brown patina. The center hubs have incised reliefs on both sides. One side has an image of stalks of wheat and a fence in the foreground, with the sun, a house, and fields in the background. The other side shows a hot air balloon over a tree-lined Main Street, with the Carnegie Library building and mountains in the background.

Peaks - Caleb Kullman

Peaks are sculptural bike racks made by Caleb Kullman in 2013. The sculptures on Main Street are the second, third, fourth, and fifth in a series of six. The sculptures are made of steel bars with a rust-brown patina, forged into triangular shapes reminiscent of mountain peaks. The curved bar of the smaller “peak” intersects the flat bar of the larger “peak,” creating a small-scale mountain range.

Snips and Snails - Thelma Weresh

Thelma Weresh’s Snips and Snails, from 1992, is a bronze sculpture of a young boy, seated on the ground, with his left leg stretched out and right leg bent at the knee. A water bucket is placed between the boy’s legs while he holds a frog, whose legs are in the bucket, in his left hand.

Year of Sundays - Rick Sargent

Purchased to celebrate Littleton’s 100th anniversary in 1990, Year of Sundays is a bronze sculpture by Rick Sargent. The sculpture represents life throughout Littleton’s history, with the woman dressed in c.1890 clothing and the man dressed in c.1930 overalls and shirt, while the young girl is dressed in a c.1900 dress and the young boy is in modern clothing. A variety of themes relating to Littleton’s history make up the bottom portion of the sculpture. See if you can guess what they are!

Balance - Gary Monaco

Made up of hundreds of 1” square glass tiles, Gary Monaco’s 2004 mosaic artwork, titled Balance, presents a splash of color inside the Littleton Municipal Courthouse. The sculpture is located in the stairwell leading to the second floor, greeting visitors with a multitude of colored tiles, ranging from blues and greens to pinks and whites. Looking closely, one can see a set of balance scales in the artwork, which are often used to represent justice.

Passages - Michelle Lamb

Passages is a mural painted by Michelle Lamb in 2000. Painted on eight aluminum panels, the mural sits just below the historic Denver and Rio Grande railroad depot in downtown Littleton, greeting light rail commuters as they exit the train. The mural progresses from spring to winter (from left to right), and details various historic buildings and areas of Littleton using a foreshortened perspective.

Slinky - Randy Hand

Slinky, by Randy Hand, is a large bronze caterpillar sculpture that was installed in Sterne Park in 2011. The first in a series of sixteen caterpillar sculptures by the artist, Slinky has a big grin on its face, a mottled green patina on its back, and nine sets of yellowish-gold legs, two of which are crossed over its chest. Slinky is one of the more whimsical artworks in the City of Littleton’s Fine Arts Board Collection.

Bird of Passage, Numbers 1 - 25 - Craig Marshall Smith

Bird of Passage is a large grouping of twenty-five paintings by Craig Marshall Smith. Painted in 1983, the panels portray a single bird in flight, with some panels showing faint skeletal features within the bird. Starting at the top left, one can follow the up and down strokes of the bird’s wings, as if it were flying across the wall. 

Tree of Knowledge - John King

Tree of Knowledge, by John King, is fabricated from steel and wood, and was installed in the Bemis Public Library in 2017. The jewel toned, tree-shaped sculpture features multi-colored metal and wood disks that spin when touched. A thunderbird inspired disk crowns the top of the tree. 

Circle of Friends - Karen Crain

Karen Crain’s Circle of Friends is a large bronze sculpture made in 2001. The sculpture shows a young girl reclining inside a large circle while reading a book. The names of various books are stamped into the outside of the ring. Have you read any of them? 

Solar III - Edward Britton

This first major acquisition of art by the City of Littleton was originally part of the “Street of Art” program from 1975-1976 but was later absorbed into the Fine Arts Board Collection. Artist Edgar Britton was known for his murals and bronzes including work done in Colorado Springs and Denver. This work was first planned to be cast in bronze, but the price to create something so large out of such a costly material proved too expensive. Instead, concrete blocks and stucco were used. The white structure was originally intended to be placed near Main Street, but the original site turned out to be used by the railroads and proved unsuitable. It found a home in the parks and gardens around the Bemis Library where it has been enjoyed by many. Solar III has become a part of the Littleton landscape and a powerful piece of our artistic past and community’s present. --Curatorial statement by 2017 Littleton Museum interns Sarah Lillis and Chantel Baker.

Free Flow - Dennis Sohocki

Dennis Sohocki’s Free Flow, from 2008, is a stainless steel reinforced bronze sculptural figure with outstretched arms and an arched torso. Welcoming visitors to the Littleton Museum, the sculpture evokes a sense of movement and playfulness, while also acting as a signpost for the museum to advertise current exhibitions.

5 Sunflowers - Christopher Weed

Christopher Weed’s iconic 5 Sunflowers welcomes visitors to the Littleton Museum. These large, stylized metal sunflowers spring from the grass of the museum’s lawn and provide a perfect photo opportunity for visitors of all ages. 

Stars Over Mountains with Pine Trees and People - Bill Weaver

Stars Over Mountains with Pine Trees and People by Bill Weaver is a large forged bronze sculpture made in 2004. The artwork is laid out in a grid pattern, much like a quilt, and has subtle folds in the bronze that suggest the movement of fabric. Can you guess which geometric shape matches each of the elements mentioned in the title?

Break Time - Georgene McGonagle

Georgene McGonagle’s Break Time is a cast bronze birdbath with a round shallow bowl on top of a column style base. Two bronze pigeons rest on the rim of the bowl with their wings outstretched while they look in opposite directions. 

Skip To My Lou - Don Mitchell

Skip To My Lou is a large aluminum sculpture designed and built by Don Mitchell. Set on five wavy poles, four stylized human figures dance around a ball at the top of the sculpture. A ball bearing mechanism just below the figures allows the sculpture to spin in the wind. 

Under A Watchful Eye - Stephen Le Blanc

Moved to its new home inside Hudson Gardens in August 2019, Under A Watchful Eye is a realistic looking bronze sculpture of a mother black bear by Stephen LeBlanc. Positioned just so, this slightly concerned mother bear keeps an eye on the three rowdy cubs that make up part of the other nearby bronze Stephen LeBlanc sculpture, Hanging Around.

Hanging Around - Stephen LeBlanc

Hanging Around is a bronze sculpture by Stephen LeBlanc from 1996. The sculpture shows three young bear cubs playing on a dead tree trunk. The use of motion and liveliness in this sculpture gives viewers the sense that these three cubs are ready to play with them, despite the accompanying mother bear’s intense gaze!

The Prize Catch - Kurt Jungblut

Holding a fish that’s nearly half his size, this young fisherman has certainly reeled in The Prize Catch. In 1995 Kurt Jungblut created this medium-sized bronze sculpture depicting a barefoot young boy with rolled up shirt sleeves and pants, carrying a large fish in his left hand. Two smaller fish can be seen in his right hand, carried close to his leg.