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All In Adams – All Things Cultural Arts!
22 Plays11 days ago
Welcome to All In Adams, the Adams County podcast where we connect you with the people, programs, and conversations shaping our community.
In this episode, Zoe Ocampo of the Cultural Arts Team joins the podcast. Learn more about upcoming projects the team is working on and and update on the next Adams County Poet Laureate.
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Transcript
Introduction to All In Adams Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to All In Adams, the official podcast of Adams County Government, where we're all in for our residents, our employees and our community. So whether you live here, work here, or you just want to know more about what makes Adams County a great place to be, thanks for tuning in.
00:00:17
Speaker
We're all in, Adams. Welcome into another episode of the All in Adams podcast. My name is Carson Forsman. I am a communication supervisor with Adams County. And we have Zoe Ocampo, our cultural arts manager, joining us again for another episode. Zoe, welcome into the studio. Thanks so much for being here today. Thanks for
Corner and Probation Project with Annette Coleman
00:00:35
Speaker
having me.
00:00:35
Speaker
um we just kind of want to go through we were talking off camera a little bit of all the projects you guys have going on definitely busier season for the cultural arts team and we want to let our residents know what you all are up to um let's start out with the first project that just uh currently got wrapped up is the corner and probation project talk about that and what you had going on there at that facility Yeah, we just finished. We were working on this actually for ah a long time. We did a call for entry um several years ago and glass artist, local artist, Annette Coleman won the award.
00:01:09
Speaker
And there were two large pillars in front of both entrances to the probation office and the coroner office, um the locations in Brighton. And the building is a, you know, it's a sort of very, um very clean lines, brick building, ah very simple design. And these beautiful hand cut glass mosaics really sit in the entryway to both of the of the different offices and tell just a really beautiful story. One is called Discovery and one is called Hope.
00:01:37
Speaker
And they really indicate what's happening in the building. So Hope in front of the probation office is all about um really the support networks that people have around them. And Annette used thousands of pieces of hand cut glass, all different colors. The the pieces are 25 feet tall.
00:01:53
Speaker
ah You can see them from a distance and they glow at night. They're absolutely gorgeous and really add a lot to the offices as well as the neighborhood in general. There's a residential and schools, a Boys and Girls Club right across the street.
00:02:06
Speaker
So there's a lot happening in this area and we're really proud to have an Annette Coleman, two Annette Coleman's in um in the Adams County Public Art Collection. How many pieces, glass pieces? Talk to me about that process. That's got to quite the process to put together that piece, right? Yeah, it really is. So the design process, we go back and forth and sort of all digital. And then the glass is selected.
00:02:29
Speaker
and Annette, basically the pillars are so large, but everything is hand installed. So before she gets out onto the site, she does them in space. sections So she had um just layers and layers of sections and she'll go through and hand cut them and sort of fit them together.
00:02:46
Speaker
um They're very serpentine shapes and there's a lot happening. There's a, the DNA helix is what wraps around the corner pillar and, And so she just creates all of these different panels and then gets out on site and then gets up on a lift and hand mortars each individual piece. It takes, it takes many weeks to do the installation. Um, and, uh, we actually, we bridged a little bit from weather. We couldn't quite finish it last year. So we just wrapped it up this year, but And it feels very handmade. And
Emotional Impact of the Glass Mosaics
00:03:18
Speaker
that's what makes it so incredibly beautiful is just this glass feels, it just has the warmth of of a human touch. And it's just absolutely stunning.
00:03:26
Speaker
And it will last for a very, very long time the way that the glass is installed with the mortar. It's very... what is what a cool piece i get maybe not cool as a word but you think about the people walking into those facilities right the corner maybe they just lost a loved one probation maybe they're getting some services there and what a cool way to walk into there and have that vibe if you will right Yeah. Yeah. I think when we were originally doing the work, there were a lot of discussions about, you know, with the artist selection panel about what people wanted to see and ultimately the idea of having something really warm like glass and really, and and the warmth of of something that was human made versus something that felt a little more like metal or something, you know, when you think about materials, um it was really intentional to create that.
00:04:15
Speaker
And you just recently with Annette is her name, correct? The artist, you had a meet and greet. How did that go? Oh, it was great. It was great. We had, um, Annette has a connection to the, um, the Girl Scouts. And so she had them come out and they guessed how many glass pieces were, were in the mosaics. remember the total number? I do not. I'm sorry. I think it was like, yeah it was, it was like, it was about 2000 per pillar. Oh my.
00:04:38
Speaker
And, um, we had some kids from the school next door and, uh, just a really great community came together and it was just, it was, it was wonderful. And Annette did a little, um, sort of a show and tell and how she actually cuts glass and a little bit more about her process.
00:04:53
Speaker
Cool. So if residents, you
Riverdale Animal Shelter Mural by Beamer Torres
00:04:55
Speaker
want to check that piece out, it's in Brighton at our corner and probation facilities. Right off 19th. Right 19th Avenue. Go check that out. Let's move on to the next project, which if if you're driving along 120th, you will probably see it in action, right? It's the Riverdale Animal Shelter Water Tower Mural. Mm-hmm.
00:05:17
Speaker
That's, that's a cool piece. It is. It is amazing. And you can see it from 120th Riverdale, 124th when you're coming up Park Boulevard. um It's really just this, this real beacon for the area. You know, Riverdale Regional Park is, is the county's crown jewel.
00:05:33
Speaker
It's, you know one of the only regional parks in the area. And this water tower sits outside the animal shelter. um And it's also sort of the gateway into the park. So we had, again, an open call for artists and local artist Beamer Torres won the award for that.
00:05:48
Speaker
And his design is absolutely beautiful. it's all about the connection of of humans to the land and so he's depicting um two women an elder and a and a younger woman that are connected through time and space through a ribbon um they were members of the atomi tribe and the piece really depicts this beautiful embroidery that's really traditional to the tribe that's Um, very meaningful to the artists and the art and the artist roots and, um, and Beamer actually lives, um, really right around the corner. So he's very much a vocal artist. And so it's wonderful to be able to have him in our community and, and really creating something that is just going to be absolutely gorgeous. It's a very large installation and it will take another few weeks, but we're hoping to wrap it up by the end of summer.
00:06:37
Speaker
It's amazing. And I know he had some students help him as well. That was exciting. ah Can you share a little bit about that and their experience helping ah the artist with that piece? Yes, we had, I think it was nine students. There was an application process and Beamer did a, it was a one day workshop, but it was all about how to be a public artist. So really it was teaching the kids how to install, um you know, safety, how to handle being on site with their PPE and ah techniques for spray painting,
00:07:10
Speaker
um what it's like. And I think the kids really got an understanding of the fact that, you know, you can be a working artist. This
58th Street Mural and Community Involvement
00:07:18
Speaker
is a absolutely um wonderful career path and there are many ways to approach it And I think it was very inspiring for the kids.
00:07:25
Speaker
um And they were all um out there on site and now they're, you know, now they're really connected to the community in this, in this way. We have another large mural as well. And correct me if I'm wrong with that, but it's a mural off 58th Street, which is near North Washington in Adams County.
00:07:42
Speaker
um That one's in progress as we record this podcast in July right now. yeah um Tell me about that piece, too, because that's another big one that and and when you drive through, you'll notice it.
00:07:55
Speaker
Yeah, we have so many amazing projects. it's It's wonderful to be able to talk about them a little bit more in depth. um That project we worked on for many years working with Public Works as they started to do the infrastructure work out on 58th between Washington and York.
00:08:10
Speaker
And they did... um infrastructure improvements, pedestrian safety, some stormwater, um all sorts of things that were ah really for safety and and the work to do it. And they had to install a retaining wall. And so we worked with them um instead of doing ah more of a standard corrugated form liner, we worked with them to really create this blank canvas for us because we knew we wanted to install a piece of art there.
00:08:35
Speaker
um So the mural is actually 308 feet long. It's, it's, it's huge. And it's really in it it's in a very industrial area. And we were really inspired by the location. You know, all of our pieces very much have to do with where they are, the community they serve. It's all very site specific and it's community specific.
00:08:55
Speaker
And this one we were particularly inspired by. It's sort of this nexus of transit. It's, you know, there are um roads and highways and, you know, there are train tracks and all sorts of things. There's also the river is right there. And it's this really interesting area um that that really is about transit.
00:09:13
Speaker
And so we really wanted to explore the idea of the origins of street art and how um the origins of graffiti. And when we think about Southwest Adams County and how much of the environment is really based in this.
00:09:27
Speaker
um It's a gateway into Adams County. And again, we did a local call. And so the artists that applied were all from the area. We had a unanimous award for Jolt and Coco with Gorilla Garden.
00:09:40
Speaker
And Jolt and Coco, to hear them really tell the story of their family and growing up in this area and what it was like to be a kid, you know, sort of on the outskirts of the city and living in this area, was very much inspiring to think about how it created them as artists, how artists are born from these areas and what their art form actually looks like. And so the piece is really rooted in graffiti.
00:10:05
Speaker
And so it was really fun to do something a little more um you know, interesting, a little less typical and, and you know, more unexpected. I think that, um you know, a lot of, you we could have done ah a nature mural or something, you know, but the area itself really was asking for something.
00:10:22
Speaker
So the idea is this wall is essentially a train car. So Jolt and Coco worked again. We have community engagements, always a ah really big part of our project process.
00:10:33
Speaker
And they actually did a seven week curriculum with kids from the Commerce City Boys and Girls Club. And it was um similar a little bit to Beamer's work, but much more in depth. And they went out and met with the kids.
00:10:44
Speaker
They talked about the history of Chicano muralism, the history of graffiti, really started to have a conversation with the kids about who they were, what their community was to them, what it meant to them, um the things that really inspire them and um really what things mean, right? So as they started thinking about the design, they worked in collaboration with this group of kids.
00:11:08
Speaker
And it was amazing to kind of watch it unfold. And I think as you start to see the mural design and you start to see the work go in, um you know, it really, it's it's just got this incredible energy behind it. You know, when you think about the future of our communities,
00:11:24
Speaker
um And what really surfaced to the top when thinking about graffiti and words and the power of words was how can we use this mural to to create positive energy in our community?
00:11:35
Speaker
So all the words on the wall are positive words and they're um they're bilingual. And so words like future or familia, heritage, um health, beauty, you know, things that really are meant to serve a very positive message. Yeah.
00:11:50
Speaker
And then all of the ah detail in the mural is inspired by things that matter to the kids, whether it be textiles from their culture or pottery or, um you know, certain things like flowers and butterflies, you know, all sorts of things. So there's sort of the the distance and then there's the up close. And it's just been amazing.
00:12:10
Speaker
an amazing process and we'll see this mural finish in the next couple of weeks. um We're also going to do, well, we are, we are filming a documentary short that really gets into um the history of graffiti, the history of the area, well um this project in particular, um and just what kind of, you know, artists, how artists come about and and the different types of work that they do.
00:12:35
Speaker
So it'll be very dynamic project. We're really excited
Melody Epperson's Agricultural Art Exploration
00:12:38
Speaker
about it. So go check that one out. That's 58th street near North Washington and new York. So check that out if you can, let's move along. Cause you also do a lot of work in our Eastern plains, Eastern Adams County. And you have another project called dust to apples.
00:12:55
Speaker
What's that? Yes. Yes. This is a project. It's really, it's been a long project. This was an artist led development. ah We worked with artist Melody Epperson, who has personal family roots in agriculture, and she's really inspired by our connection to the land.
00:13:10
Speaker
And so she wanted to explore Eastern Adams County and the farms and the families that have grown up there, you know, generational families that have farmed there. And Melody is gathering things from the land, you know,
00:13:25
Speaker
just sorts of, you know, flora and fauna and all kinds of things from the land that she's creating her own dyes and pigments. And then she'll paint a series based on, you know, this idea of connection with the land um from these very things that were collected.
00:13:42
Speaker
And so the series is beautiful. It will be displayed in the Taza gallery downstairs. Um, well, shouldn't say it's beautiful because it's not created yet, but her work is beautiful. And we know that it, you know, we just, the quality is, is so exquisite.
00:13:57
Speaker
um And she's also working with ah alongside a photographer who's documenting all of this. So artist Jimena Peck is following Melody to the farms, documenting her ah process.
00:14:08
Speaker
ah She's also in studio with her watching the process of how she creates all of these colors and the work that she does. And then there are also different community aspects. So Melody will go out to Welby Days and to Hometown Days in Strasburg.
00:14:26
Speaker
um She'll be at a couple of our other festivals here at Riverdale Regional Park. And she'll really work with people to create their own watercolors using some of these dyes and pigments. So people will get a glimpse into her process and be able to create their own works of art.
00:14:42
Speaker
That's such a cool interaction piece. And you mentioned it, but when do you anticipate that will be done and on display in the Taza gallery, the Taza coffeehouse, which is at the Adams County Government Center in Brighton?
00:14:54
Speaker
Yes. So that will go in in December and it'll run through March of 26. Awesome. ah And so there are multiple components to that show. And I think it will be really a wonderful exploration of the land.
00:15:06
Speaker
Melody's also taking some fabric and she's burying it in the ground and letting the earth die And then she'll hang that. And so it will be, there'll be dimensional work as well as 2D pieces on the wall And, um, yeah, it's really, it's it's amazing when you think about the work that we are able to do with how many diverse communities we have, you know, from incredibly urban projects like 58th all the way out to the Eastern Plains, um, and kind of everything in between. So, um, yeah, it's wonderful. We have
Poet Laureate Program Updates
00:15:38
Speaker
some wonderful projects right now.
00:15:40
Speaker
Let's end with the poet laureate because there's a couple different pieces that we can touch on here. Um, Kind of sad, right? Carrie Joy, she's coming to the end. yeah She's been so great the last couple of years. um But where does that project stand? let's I guess first let's start with the anthology piece to this um because we did mention it on the last time we had you on. Where does that kind of stand in that that process?
00:16:04
Speaker
Well, we have many submissions and the jury is out right now. They are going through all of the, I think we've we had well over 100 poets and poetry submissions, um works from everyone in the community, people who really were connected to Carrie Joy were very inspired by her. We had ah youth, we had golden agers, we had everybody in between. It was amazing to see the outpouring of people who submitted to this interview.
00:16:31
Speaker
So the selection process is happening right now, and then we will start doing the design and layout of the book. It's also a collection of photography. So we're working through the curation of that. Again, incredible submissions.
00:16:44
Speaker
So that will come out later this year, um probably after, well, definitely after Carrie Joy. she She wraps up at the end of August. Her last event is August 16th. So there's one more chance that everyone can get out and see her. It's a another Unstudied, which is a really cool,
00:17:01
Speaker
sort of ah event that's got an open mic. It's got performances by Carrie Joy, as well as featured poets and featured artists. There's always music and food and just really good community building. So it's free and it's open to the public.
00:17:16
Speaker
It's ah Saturday, August 16th. I think it starts at 530 and it's at the Anything Right Farms. Go check it out. Carrie Joy, her last performance with Adams County will be exciting. yeah Definitely want to check that out.
00:17:28
Speaker
There might be. I don't want to promise anything. Okay. i Don't. If you go, you might get a sneak peek at the next poet laureate. They they might show up to. Which is what i was going to ask you next. the open mic Right. Where does that stand? Have we selected one yet? We have.
00:17:44
Speaker
When do we plan to maybe announce that or when can residents look out for some announcements? yes we will. We have our new Poet Laureate. We're working through contracting right now and doing all this sort of behind the scenes stuff.
00:17:56
Speaker
um They are very, very excited. They have some really amazing ideas to take everything that Carrie Joy built and just, you know, keep it going. So we will make that announcement in the fall and their residency will really kick into gear at the beginning of the year.
00:18:11
Speaker
public programming will start. Wow. and I can see you getting excited. i know it's exciting. The anticipation is real. All right. Well, we will look out for that announcement this fall.
00:18:22
Speaker
Zoe, so much going on, right? With, with you and the team and we appreciate you coming in. We'll have to have you back and follow up on all these projects and, and check out some of the videos that our team puts together with. We do a lot of work with the cultural arts team. Check out our YouTube channel, Adams County government, and we'll have some updates there as well. And obviously social media, um check us out and,
00:18:42
Speaker
Yes, it's actually great. You can, I think we do a lot of, we're very into the process, right? So like what our artists are doing and how they're doing it, their work in the studio, their work in the community.
00:18:53
Speaker
So social is always a great place to sort of get a little bit more insight into the why or what exactly they're doing. And then of course we have our artfully Adams newsletter where we go into depth a little bit more with some of our projects. Yeah.
00:19:07
Speaker
And then, of course, all the videos that that we work with you guys, too. We've got quite a few of those floating around. You keep us busy, which is good. We do, yeah. We love it. All righty, Zoe, we'll have you on soon. Thank you so much. Thank you.
00:19:19
Speaker
That's a wrap for this episode of All in Adams. Thank you for joining us as we explore the people, programs, and the policies that make Adams County a great place to live, work, and thrive.
00:19:30
Speaker
If you enjoyed the show, be sure to subscribe and share with your friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Have a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know. We're all in for bringing you the stories that matter most.
00:19:41
Speaker
Until next time, take care of each other and stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, and X. We're all in, Adams, and we're all in for you.