Common Ground Community Design Festival to Debut in Downtown Denver
DENVER, CO — A new community-focused design festival will make its debut in downtown Denver this week, bringing five architectural installations and a series of free public programs to the city.
Photo Courtesy of CU Denver | Photographer Leyuan Li
The inaugural Common Ground Community Design Festival will launch Thursday, September 24, with a free reception from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. The festival is being held in conjunction with Doors Open Denver and will feature additional programming focused on architecture, public space and community-centered design.
More than a year in the making, Common Ground is a collaborative civic design initiative launched by the Denver Mayor’s Office, CU Denver College of Architecture and Planning, Lavender Hill Cultural District and Denver Architecture Foundation. At the center of the festival are five architectural installations co-developed by CU Denver faculty members Leyuan Li and Danny Wills, architecture students and five community organizations.
Photo Courtesy of CU Denver | Photographer Leyuan Li
The participating organizations are the Colorado Nepalese Community, Greater Denver CARES Mentoring Movement, Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, Empower Media Exchange and Lavender Hill Cultural District.
Each organization worked with the design teams to create an installation reflecting its community, mission and identity. The projects range from a contemporary interpretation of a traditional Nepali falcha to installations centered on immigrant storytelling, local history, youth literacy and Denver’s queer community. Following their downtown exhibition, the installations are planned to be relocated to their respective partner communities, where they will remain as public amenities.
Photo Courtesy of Lavender Hill Cultural District
The festival begins with the Common Ground Community Design Festival Reception on September 24 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Denver Performing Arts Complex at 1400 Curtis Street. Mayor Mike Johnston is scheduled to give welcome remarks at 5:30 p.m.
Programming continues Friday, September 25, with Parts of Common, a civic forum examining how urban interventions can empower communities. The forum runs from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Denver Performing Arts Complex and will bring together national design leaders, local professionals and community leaders.
On Monday, September 28, architect and curator Javier Peña Ibáñez, founder and director of Concéntrico, will present Concéntrico: Urban Innovation Laboratory from 4 to 5 p.m. at Market Station. The presentation will explore how temporary architecture, installations and other interventions can be used to rethink streets, plazas and other public spaces.
The Common Ground installations will also remain available for free public viewing at the Denver Performing Arts Complex through September 30.
Project Team
Organizing Partners: Denver Mayor’s Office, CU Denver College of Architecture and Planning, Lavender Hill Cultural District, Denver Architecture Foundation
Organizing Team: Leyuan Li, Elaine Minjy Limmer, Zach Kotel, Meg Touborg
Design/Faculty: Leyuan Li, Danny Wills
Community Partners: Colorado Nepalese Community, Greater Denver CARES Mentoring Movement, Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, Empower Media Exchange, Lavender Hill Cultural District
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5 minute read • Denver’s new Common Ground Community Design Festival debuts Sept. 24 with five community-designed installations and free public events downtown.