RiNo

Bold, beautiful street art has been transforming the buildings and alleyways in sections of River North Art District, (RiNo) in Denver. Like lush gardens popping up in fallow fields, more parts of RiNo are rotating in and enriching their neighborhood with creativity, culture and community. Lining alleyways, buildings in a row are like outdoor galleries that invite people to stroll through. Cool retail spaces, bars and restaurants host a diverse group of new and mainstay RiNo enthusiasts in this unique urban landscape.

Artist: Dulk

Max Sensing

Jose Mertz

Artist: Max Sensing & Jose Mertz

In its seventh year, The Crush Festival is an annual street art event that attracts artists from all over the world to paint murals on the sides of RiNo buildings. Concentrated around Larimer Street, between Broadway and 35^thStreet, about 70 artists paint over last year’s pieces with new inspiration and energy. All sorts of events gather around the week-long painting celebration in September, which draws crowds in to experience this neighborhood beautification.

Being a fan of fashion with color and pattern in it, I saw inspiration for fantastical color stories, and bold silhouettes in these massive paintings. I thought of Miuccia Prada’s jarring combinations of colors, which quite honestly usually baffle me. The bright pops and often whimsical themes of RiNo’s street art could back up Prada’s power style. The photos below show the RiNo artists’ finished works, and some while they’re in progress–the murals transforming, just like their neighborhood.