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Creative Capitol Exhibition

Program Summary

The Creative Capitol Exhibition helps Colorado artists by highlighting their work through rotating art exhibitions to the State Capitol building. This program was established to take advantage of our creative sector to support economic growth in Colorado.

Artwork is hung in the:

  • basement level of the Capitol’s rotunda
  • Lieutenant Governor’s office
  • office of the staff for the Legislative Council
  • Governor’s office lobby

Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) offers exhibitors:

  • a modest honorarium depending on scale of exhibition
  • publicity for the exhibition through an e-newsletter, social media, and this website
  • support in coordinating the artwork installation
  • support in creating labels and promotional posters and signs (CCI has final editorial decision on promotional tools)
  • support in coordinating the artwork de-installation

 

 No current calls for artists.  

Overview

Type: Call for entry

For: Artists

Application deadline: Rolling

OEDIT division: Colorado Creative Industries

Eligible exhibitors

Solo exhibitions are not accepted. If an individual artist submits a proposal, it needs to be on behalf of a group of artists or with a plan to select work from multiple artists. Organizations can apply with an exhibition proposal for a group show. Examples of eligible organizations are Colorado Creative Districts or the Art Students League.

You will be responsible for:

  • providing a list of the artwork for display including title, year, media and insurance value prior to installation
  • having all artwork be framed with D-rings on reverse when delivered
  • having all artwork remain on exhibit for the show’s duration
  • picking up all artwork from the Capitol upon exhibition’s completion

Eligible artwork

The exhibition spaces in the Capitol can accommodate approximately 48 to 52 works, depending on artwork size. The Capitol has some rules on content of artwork including:

  • no nudity
  • no overtly political statements
  • no offensive material

Prices for artworks will not be included, however purchase requests will be relayed to the artists.

The exhibition spaces are nontraditional because several of the spaces are not open to the public. 

The ground level of the Capitol’s rotunda is open to the public and the most formal exhibition space. 

The Governor's office and reception area is an exhibition space. The Governor’s office reception area is public. The Governor's staff office, Lieutenant Governor’s office, and the Legislative Council’s staff office are also exhibition spaces.

The Lieutenant Governor’s and Legislative offices are not open to the public, however, the works will be seen by state legislators and staff.

The Creative Capitol Exhibition Program application is open year-round on a rolling deadline, meaning we will review applications as we receive them. Submit all application materials to the program manager below by email.

Application materials

Exhibition proposals can be submitted in either a Word or PDF format. Your proposals need to include: 

  • exhibition title and description, including theme/concept
  • list of artists included in the exhibition
  • select images of artworks to be included in the exhibition (please include a sample artwork from each of the artists to be included)
  • preferred time frame for exhibition
  • optional: Images can be included in the proposal or sent as separate attachments (please label each image with the artist name and title of the work)

If the exhibition is approved and selected, you will need to submit a full inventory of artworks at least four weeks prior to installation. For each art piece, you will need to include: 

  • photo
  • size
  • title
  • medium
  • value

We will review the artwork list/images to make sure all artworks meet the space’s criteria.

Photographs from Colorado Photographic Arts Center’s Permanent Collection

December 2023 – March 2024

Founded in 1963, the Colorado Photographic Arts Center (CPAC) is the only nonprofit organization in Denver dedicated exclusively to the art of photography. The new exhibition at the Colorado State Capitol is a journey through the history of photographic art with a specially curated works from CPAC’s Permanent Collection. A cultural treasure, the collection houses more than 800 prints collected over six decades, donated by regional and national artists working from the mid-1800s to today. CPAC’s founders started the collection with the goal of creating a resource that would elevate photography as an art form and the region’s profile. Early donations came from artists such as Ansel Adams, H. Landshoff, and Ken Heyman, followed by pieces by nationally-renowned artists including Bernice Abbott and Richard Misrach, CPAC members, works shown through the American Society of Photographers, and other influential groups in the field of photographic art.  

The exhibition includes photographs by two of CPAC’s founders, James Milmoe and Hal Gould. Other Colorado photographers include John Bonath, Nick Del Calzo, Edward DeCroce, Carol Golemboski, Gary Lynch, Roddy MacInnes, Dick Nosbisch, Emma Powell & Kristen Hoving, Denis Roussel, and R. Ewing Stiffler. The exhibition also includes photographs by Chan-Hyo Bae,  Barbara Ciurej & Lindsay Lochman, Philippe Halsman, Ken Heyman, Adam J. Long, Greer Muldowney, Zora J Murff, Patrick Nagatani,  Tokutaro Tanaka, and Phillip Toledano.

CPAC is free to the public and located at 1200 Lincoln St., Ste. 111, in Denver’s Golden Triangle Creative District near the Denver Art Museum, restaurants, and shops. Gallery hours are Tues. - Fri. 11-5; Sat. noon-4. 

Learn more.

Program Manager

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