The streets of Olde Town Arvada were a little more colorful the weekend of Sept. 9, as 20 muralists from across the state came to compete in the inaugural Olde Town Shindig Mural Contest.
The contest featured two components; the people’s choice, based on votes from the general public, and the judge’s champion, which saw a panel of art experts decide which muralist would be awarded the next Olde Town mural commission.
Bobby McGee Lopez won the judge’s competition, earning him a commission of up to $10,000 to complete the next Olde Town mural project, which has not been planned yet.
Corrine Trujillo, Grow Love, and Rachel Dinda finished first, second and third in the people’s choice category, respectively. The contestants for the people’s choice selection split over $4,000 in award money.
Additionally, the murals entered in the contest were auctioned off in a silent bidding process that netted the artists a combined $8,000. Some of the murals were purchased by local businesses, such as Pet Wants, and five murals remain for sale. Inquiries about their purchase can be directed to Olde Town Arvada BID Director Joe Hengstler at director@oldetownarvada.org.
Hengstler said the proceeds from the auction are being split between the artists and the bid to “Help us ensure that we continue to facilitate public art in Olde Town Arvada.”