Alena Amundson, with her two kids Elara and Soren Linton, ride through the Central Park Blvd. (CPB) underpass that connects Sandhills Prairie Park to Northfield High School and homes on the east side of CPB. The yellow strips of metal in the tunnel echo the shapes of the sand dunes that once covered the area. The view of the mountains through the tunnel, like the views in the new parks, is reminiscent of the wide open spaces of the Colorado prairie.

An article about Denver’s newest parks is here and a map and descriptions of the seven parks is here.

Sculpture Installed in Underpass to Sandhills Prairie Park

“Heads up” takes on new meaning in Sandhills Prairie Park. There’s a new public art installation on the ceiling of the underpass beneath north Central Park Blvd. Entitled Drift Inversion, the sculpture features a series of 258 yellow painted metal profiles suspended throughout the 128-foot concrete tunnel. The dramatic shapes echo the sand dunes that covered this area long before it became the lively urban landscape it is today.

Artist David Franklin, with the help of his father, installs his sculpture, Drift Inversion, to the ceiling of the Central Park Blvd. (CPB) bike/pedestrian underpass that connects Sandhills Prairie Park to Northfield High School and homes on the east side of CPB.

The artist, David Franklin, grew up in the Denver area and was especially attracted to his project. Although he now resides in Indianola, Wash., he retains vivid memories of going through the tunnels in Clear Creek Canyon. His intent for this artwork was to create a sense of wonder and surprise for the pedestrians and cyclists using the tunnel. The east/west orientation gives the space transformational qualities throughout the day and throughout the seasons as light and shadow play on the artwork.

Park Creek Metropolitan District awarded the $175,000 commission for this artwork on the recommendation of an art selection committee composed of artists, engineers, landscape architects, representatives from Denver Parks and neighbors from this area. The funds for this commission come from the Denver Urban Renewal Authority. Thanks also go to the many engineers, designers and architects who assisted David with the technical requirements of this site and installation of 12,400 components of this unique artwork.

For more information about this sculpture or the Public Art Collection at Stapleton, contact Barbara Neal, public art consultant for Stapleton, at barbneal@mindspring.com.