On a warm fall Saturday, a deer walked in the distance as Denver artist Michael Gadlin cut the ribbon on one of two new art installations at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. It was a fitting backdrop for the colorful sculptures now lining the path to the 56th Ave. and Chambers Rd. entrance to the refuge.

Gadlin worked with Montbello students from Environmental Learning Kids (ELK) and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Early Learning Center to help create the tall, nature-inspired pieces that spin when the Colorado breeze hits just right. ELK is a non-profit organization that helps underrepresented youth learn about math and science while connecting with nature.

“When I first did the concept, I had all these shapes that were already built out. I gave them to ELK. I gave them a color and the shapes, and they gave me ideas. Kids will do the simplest thing. As an artist who has been doing it for 30 years, I’m like, ’Oh God, Michael, less is more,’” says Gadlin.

It was important for the artist to work with the community. “When you have community involved, there’s ownership, and I think they take care of art more,” he says.

The nearby community has been an integral part of the art projects and improvements to this side of the arsenal property bordering Montbello. The art was commissioned by Friends of the Front Range Wildlife Refuges to spread awareness that the entrance gates are not barriers but pathways accessible to the public.

A community study found there was “historical distaste for the fencing and a lack of representation for historically marginalized groups.” Focus groups in Montbello also talked about a disconnect between the part of the refuge that borders their neighborhood and the main area of the property.

“The whole point in going to ELK and then getting input from the community has been wanting to give them some ownership over this place that they don’t necessarily come to or feel like they have ownership,” says artist Finley Baker.

Baker and her artist partner Drew Austin unveiled the second art project at the 56th and Uvalda St. Trail entrance to the arsenal, featuring colorful metal animals attached to the entrance gate fence.

“We prompted the students to think about what kind of plants or animals or activities do you do in the arsenal? Or what do you think about the arsenal? So, there are a lot of different things. Some people did kind of just more abstract, like symbols, which was fun,” says Austin.

The metal for the sculptures was taken from old signs for the Rocky Mountain Greenway, the regional trail that runs through the area, and the colors were inspired from photos taken by Baker inside the arsenal refuge. The artists created and painted the larger pieces, including a bison, fox, and rabbit. Sculptures of stink bugs, miller moths, and butterflies were inspired by the kids.

At the community celebration, Baker and Austin helped community members attach the smaller pieces to the fence.

Kristina Gray, director of marketing and communications for ELK, brought her young daughter to the unveiling.

She says this is an important project for the neighborhood’s children, “It’s so amazing to have this timeless piece. It’s just been great for them to have another outlet that’s associated with nature, but really bringing in that art piece and having the opportunity to just be creative and get out and just showcase themselves in this kind of unique way, it’s been great.”

Students from ELK visited the site in mid-November to help finish the project at the Uvalda entrance. A little hesitant at first when they arrived, the girls responded with a resounding ‘me’ when asked who wanted to go first. They chose spots for the stink bugs and other colorful metal pieces to join the other creatures along the fence.

The visit by the kids was important to the artists, who say the project turned out better than expected with their help. Baker told them, “We hope that you feel a part of this project is yours.”

Another community art project is already in the works for the spring when students from Kearney Middle School in Commerce City will place their designs on the sheds around Lake Mary.

As Michael Gadlin earlier said, “This whole community is such caretakers of this land. That’s really important for all of us.”