PRESS
Westword April 2024
“Best of Denver 2024: Best Museum Exhibit With a Mural Series”
Eight local muralists painted across downtown Boulder for a series called Celebrating Colorado's Black Street Artists, produced by Street Wise Arts and the Museum of Boulder to go along with the museum's exhibition Proclaiming Colorado's Black History. Thomas "Detour" Evans, Yazz Atmore, Jahna Rae, Rob Hill, Marcus Murray, Devin "Speaks" Urioste, Jasmine Holmes-Piesco and Selah Laurel all created murals that reflected the exhibit's theme of Black history in the state. The exhibit, which was two years in the making, is on view through September 2025.
“Notables: The Artists 2024 – Street Wise Arts”
We turn our gaze in 2024 to the many artists throughout the community who are inspired by the landscape, the culture, and the receptiveness of the people who live here. YS will explore the intersection of art and artificial intelligence, the roles art plays in representation and storytelling, as well as influences and mediums. To kick off our series we present Street Wise Arts and the various artists who make these murals a reality.
“Our mural festivals are geared around art and activism. So highlighting community, social justice, diversity, all kinds of different platforms and also prioritizing representation of diverse artists in the public realm,” Leah Brenner-Clack, executive director of Street Wise Arts, shared. The power of representation has never been more important. In the era of divisive politics and hateful rhetoric, seeing yourself in a beautifully crafted, meaningful art piece can be a silently inspiring sign.
Yellowscene March 2024
Westword January 2024
“Seven Stunning New Murals in Boulder Highlight Black Artists and Culture”
"Public art is a beautiful way for individuals to feel represented and understood.”
Seven local muralists gathered in downtown Boulder during the fall to create original works for a series called Celebrating Colorado’s Black Street Artists. The series was produced by the nonprofit arts organization Street Wise Arts in collaboration with the Museum of Boulder’s newest exhibit, Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History, which is on display through September 2025.
The muralists include Yazz Atmore, Jahna Rae, Rob Hill, Marcus Murray, Devin “Speaks” Urioste, Jasmine Holmes-Piesco and Selah Laurel. And come spring 2024, Thomas Evans (aka Detour) will join the list of accomplished artists when he paints the eighth and final mural of the series.
BizWest
December 2023
“‘Flowers that never wilt’”
Mural art gains popularity in region
Art no longer has to be stuck in a gallery, museum or studio and is appearing on the sides of buildings, along alleyways and on transformer boxes and traffic cabinets in many Northern Colorado and Boulder Valley communities as a form of free art for the public.
The Denver Gazette
September 2023
“An artist who is taking you to the fifth dimension”
Jahna Rae's latest mural will be going up soon at KGNU Radio’s Boulder location
When you think of dimensions, you start with the three Ds: Width, height, depth. Painter, illustrator and muralist Jahna Rae is an artist who tries to convey what she calls “a unique, 5D experience on a 2D surface.”
Boulder Reporting Lab
August 2023
“Meet downtown Boulder’s newest murals and the artists who made them”
Street Wise Arts’ first seasonal mural series explores what it means to heal as a community.
This year, the group put on its first Summer Mural Series — a scaled-down version of the Boulder Mural Festival. By operating year-round, the nonprofit aims for greater sustainability and to provide artists more frequent paid opportunities.
“I want to make a difference by changing the feel of the streets in Boulder so that the entire community feels seen, inspired and connected through art,” said Leah Brenner Clack, Street Wise Arts’ executive director. “I believe that a city’s public art is a big part of its identity.”
Nonprofit Organization of the Year - Street Wise Arts
Street Wise Arts has installed over 85 murals throughout the City of Boulder in the last three years. Their mission to amplify arts and culture, represent diversity, equity and inclusion through public art and encourage conversations around social justice and community resilience has made a profound impact on the downtown Boulder landscape.
Downtown Boulder Partnership
February 2023
Left Hand Valley Courier
November 2022
“Mural artist George Curtis Levi completes last mural of project”
This is the final piece in a series of stories on the four artists who painted murals as part of the Cottonwood Square Shopping Center-Jerry Sinor Building mural project.
"Arapaho Family," painted by George Curtis Levi, is the newest mural to enrich the Cottonwood Square Shopping Center. The ledger art mural can be found on the east end of the breezeway that cuts through the center.
Westminster Public Schools
October 2022
“Street Wise Mural Festival Leaves Lasting Impression”
Students with a special interest in the arts recently spent a sunny afternoon strolling the streets and alleys of Boulder during the 4th Annual Street Wise Boulder Mural Festival. The field trip, organized by the Gifted and Talented (PEDAL) program, was made available to any interested students, including Zaire Dunne, a senior with the WPS Virtual Academy.
“I loved it! I hadn’t been on a field trip in a while, and it was cool to see the scenery and artwork outside of a museum setting,” said Zaire.
Left Hand Valley Courier
September 2022
“Niwot mural artist Brent Learned depicts the Sand Creek Massacre”
This is the third in a series of stories centered on the four artists painting murals as part of the Cottonwood Square Shopping Center-Jerry Sinor Building mural project.
You might feel shocked and outraged. The powerful image of the latest mural in the breezeway of the Cottonwood Square Shopping Center is intended to do just that. The mural might also make you want to learn more and ensure that the level of hate, ignorance, and greed that led to this horror never happens again.
Left Hand Valley Courier
July 2022
“Niwot mural artist Jaycee Beyale”
Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of stories on the four artists painting murals on walls in the Cottonwood Square Shopping Center-Jerry Sinor Building mural project, curated by Street Wise Arts.
Chief Niwot, leader of the Southern Arapaho tribe, is remembered for many honorable attributes - his bravery and wisdom, his mastery of multiple languages, and his great guidance and diplomacy. But most importantly, Chief Niwot is remembered for aspirations that his tribe could exist peacefully with the white settlers who moved onto and throughout the Arapaho territory.
“Niwot mural artist Danielle SeeWalker”
This is the first in a series of stories on the four artists painting walls in the Cottonwood Shopping Center-Jerry Sinor Building mural project.
Artist, activist and author Danielle SeeWalker's mural is striking, colorful, compelling, and nearly the size of a standard billboard. It took SeeWalker four full days in 90+ degree heat, and additional hours here and there to complete the 495 square-foot mural she's named "What Once Was." It beautifies the southern exterior wall of Abo's Pizza, next to Chico's Grooming in the Cottonwood Square Shopping Center, and was completed as the first of four murals in the project.
Left Hand Valley Courier
June 2022
Rooster Magazine September 2022
“Come For The Flatirons, Stay For The Street Art: Inside Boulder’s ARTivism Mural Festival”
Leilani Derr is celebrating an artistic milestone this weekend — she’s creating her first public mural in Boulder. The mural is focusing on a nonprofit which offers support to those seeking abortion access, and is just one of the many murals that will take shape during Boulder’s fourth annual ARTivism Mural Festival.
Daily Camera
September 2022
“Boulder’s Street Wise Mural Festival decks the walls with revolutionary artivism, interactive experiences“
“The best part about the evolution of Street Wise Mural Festival is how much of a visual impact we make every year, with a blast of new artists making their mark,” said Leah Brenner Clack, founder of Street Wise Arts. “This year we are more concentrated on quality over quantity, so the number of murals has decreased, but they are more concentrated together. And we’ve added projection mapping, an artist workshop series, guided tours and augmented reality to create a more robust viewer experience.”
Boulder Magazine 2022
“Public Art in Boulder County”
One of Boulder County’s most vibrant art scenes is not bound by gallery walls. The area’s abundant murals, sculptures and other public artworks are open to everyone, and no entry fee is required to view them.
“Tour Street Wise Boulder’s 31 new murals via e-bike”
Building sides, alleyways and underpasses throughout Boulder have gotten a lot more colorful thanks to Street Wise Boulder, the annual mural festival that took place last month. The stunning art remains on view for at least the next year, providing passersby a chance to explore the varied creations of close to 40 artists.
Whether one wishes to see the works by foot, bike, board, blades or skates, visitors should be sure to spend a leisurely day peeping these new vibrant additions.
Daily Camera
October 2021
Colorado.com
“Mural Marathoning in Northern Colorado & Beyond”
While it's true Colorado has an abundance of natural beauty, its urban landscapes are sprayed colorful with seemingly endless murals. Discover northern Colorado’s best works and get to know the stories and people that inspired these designs. You'll start your road trip in Lafayette, then meander across the region.
“Behind the Boulder Theatre lies an alley full of murals dedicated to pushing the conversation forward on social justice and cultural diversity. The three standout designs are: "Say Her Name," by...”
303 Magazine August 2020
“Art and Activism Combine at the Second Annual Street Wise Mural Festival in Boulder”
What distinguishes Street Wise as a mural festival, aside from the otherwise lack of murals in Boulder, is its ethos. The purpose of the festival is to amplify the voices of artists who are driven by social activism and to use murals as a tool for connection. Clack explained that “creating a safe, diverse and culturally aware mural festival in Boulder is a source of hope, pride and strength. I’m very proud at the scope of partnerships, sponsors and overall community support for this year’s festival, it’s gone beyond what I could have hoped for.”
Boulder Weekly September 2020
“Takin’ it to the streets”
Street Wise Boulder set to feature the work of more than 30 artists for the second iteration of the mural festival
Street Wise Boulder is back, Sept. 7-13, for its second year, bringing muralists (and 3D artists) from around Colorado and as far away as New York to paint engaging works in public spaces around the city.
With a bit of help, Leah Brenner Clack, executive director of Street Wise, had the unenviable challenge of choosing 35 artists from the more than 250 who applied. For some, this will be their first commissioned street art project. For others, their hundredth. But each artist comes with a desire to unite communities, facilitate difficult conversations and give voice to forgotten (or untold) narratives. We thought it best to let the artists speak for themselves.
The Daily Camera September 2020
“Street Wise mural fest gears up for second year with focus on the underrepresented, unheard”
Boulder organizers hoping to raise $35,000 ahead of festival’s September date
KGNU Radio
August 2020
“TRENDS Podcast: Art and Culture During COVID-19 - An Industry Decimated by the Pandemic”
Local arts organizations are also working on reflecting the activism that is happening in society. The Dairy Arts Center is participating in what’s being called “artivism” by displaying a mural on its outside wall recently created by artist Thomas Evans, professionally known as Detour. Detour and artist Hiero Veiga started the Spray Their Name campaign to create public art commemorating people murdered by the police — George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Elijah McClain.
Boulder Convention & Visitors Bureau September 2020
“A Guide to Boulder’s Murals”
Street Wise Boulder launched in 2019 and installed 15 new murals around Boulder. In 2020, 39 artists painted murals all over the city, each within the theme of "ARTivism." These murals are superb and a great place to start your own self-guided mural tour of Boulder.
More Press
303 MAGAZINE: STREET WISE IN BOULDER PRACTICING SOCIAL JUSTICE THROUGH STREET ART
KGNU INTERVIEW: STREETWISE MURAL FESTIVAL – ART DRIVEN BY SOCIAL ACTIVISM
DENVER WESTWORD - STREET WISE MURAL FEST BRINGS ART AND ACTIVISM TO LAID-BACK BOULDER
BOULDER WEEKLY - OUTSIDE THE GALLERY WALL
DAILY CAMERA - BOULDER CELEBRATES STREET WISE MURAL FESTIVAL
COLORADO DAILY - NEW MURAL TO BE DEDICATED- DAIRY ARTS CENTER/STREET WISE