A Rocky Mountain PBS program, Arts District, featuring Regional Transportation District public art and artists, has been awarded a 2018 Heartland Emmy Award. The Arts District segment, “Art in Transit” features recent additions to the RTD Art-n-Transit collection of public art and shares the story of how transit stations and art complement each other to connect with travelers and communities.
Artists interviewed for the show include Chris Fennell on his piece “Bike-nado” located at the 13th Avenue Station on the R Line in Aurora. Also providing an artist’s perspective was Lonnie Hanzon, Colorado artist and creator of “Lakewood Legacy Trees” located at the Lamar Station on the W Line in Lakewood.
The segment features recent works including the Arvada Ridge Station’s “Chromatic Harvest” in Arvada, as well as “Doradus” the largest piece in the RTD Art-n-Transit collection located at the Clear Creek-Federal Station in Adams County. Both artworks are located on the G Line, which is not yet open to the public. Once open, the G Line will provide service from Denver Union Station to Northwest Denver, Adams County, Arvada and Wheat Ridge.
The award was presented to Jennifer Castor executive producer of arts for Rocky Mountain Public Media and the producer, videographer and editor of this segment. “As an avid RTD rider, I’ve always admired the art along my commute to work.” she said. “Having the chance to capture some of it in this story was a joy for me.”
The RTD Art-n-Transit program began in 1994 and contains over 70 art pieces located at more than 45 rail stations and bus terminals. The mission of RTD's Art-n-Transit program has been to enhance the design, aesthetic quality and user friendliness of transit projects, as well as to foster transit-oriented community development.
“We are honored to be featured in a RMPBS award-winning series.” RTD General Manager and CEO Dave Genova said. “This highlights our longstanding belief that by including art at our stations, communities can contribute to making a place unique to them, which is only possible through our partnerships with artists, local governments and residents.”
