The Force Behind Central Park Public Art is Retiring

03/01/2025 | by Mary Jo Brooks

Barbara Neal poses at the Founder’s Fountain, at 29th Ave. and Roslyn St. in the 29th Ave. Town Center, in 2004 after being named as the public art consultant for the new Stapleton community, now renamed Central Park.

Barbara Neal has been the guiding force behind the public art installations that adorn parks, open spaces, and other public areas throughout the Central Park neighborhood, but after 20 years of service, she has decided it is time to retire.

Barbara Neal (left) and Nancy Steinfurth examine The Picnic, installed at 3500 Xenia St., to see if there is any damage as part of the quarterly inspection of public art in Central Park. Photo by Mary Jo Brooks

That’s why, on a sunny afternoon in February, Neal and her successor, Nancy Steinfurth, were out inspecting the art pieces—it’s something the job requires four times a year. “We have to make sure the art hasn’t been graffitied, or damaged, or just needs some repairs because of wear and tear,” says Neal.

Phantom Pavilion, by Volkan Alkanoglu, is located at Trenton St. and Stoll Pl. in north Central Park. The skin of the pavilion has a complex pattern of openings that create visual effects on the ground.

The pieces of art vary widely and include 19 giant red clay vessels in the Westerly Creek open space, the Balloon Man Running sculpture at the Central Park RTD station, an aluminum Phantom Pavilion located in Prairie Basin Park, and an electronic display of “thought balloons” in the Central Park Recreation Center. In all, there are 21 different installations.

Artist Thomas Sayre poses with 3 of his Chorus sculptures in the Westerly Creek open space in 2010.

The original master plan to develop the Stapleton, now called Central Park, neighborhood included a fund to support public art and Neal was hired as the consultant to implement the plan. She helped steer advisory committees—made up of artists, architects, residents, and local business owners—to commission and select the art pieces. “I worked very hard to make sure the community was very involved in the process,” she says.

The sculpture Drift Inversion, by David Franklin, is installed on the ceiling of a north Central Park Blvd. underpass.

Artists from around the country submitted proposals. “I always insisted that the finalists come to the site because they needed to see the space, to see our environment with bright sun, rapid temperature changes, lack of humidity. All of that needed to be taken into consideration because it would impact the materials and the fabrication,” Neal adds.

Lars Stanley stands with his and his wife’s (Lauren Woodward Stanley) sculpture Garden Stories. The metal artwork was installed in the Central Park Community Garden at E. 23rd Ave. and Spruce St. in 2009.

Now that all of the art has been installed, the main job of the public art consultant is to ensure the pieces are routinely maintained and to increase awareness about them. Steinfurth says she’s just getting started and doesn’t have specific plans, but she wants to think of ways to engage families. Perhaps a scavenger hunt or a community bike ride. “What’s so great about this art is how accessible the pieces are. They invite interaction,” says Steinfurth.

In 2009, artist Gerald Heffernon and public art consultant Barbara Neal discuss Heffernon’s sculpture, The Picnic, while getting its final patina applied by Martha Sulfridge at Fedde Bronze Works in Park Hill.

Neal believes public art helps to strengthen the community. “It provides an opportunity to think about these spaces and how the art interacts with the neighborhood and the values that we share.” She won’t say which is her favorite piece, but says she’s devoted to all of them. “I’m delighted I’ve had this opportunity to do this work for the people who live here and who enjoy the artwork.” To see a map of the public art installations, visit denver80238.com/community/public-art.

Ilan Averbuch (on the forklift) assists the placement of the final piece of stone in his sculpture The Eye and The Horizon (after Monet), at E. 29th Ave. and Xenia St. The project was installed in 2006.