Autumn is just around the corner, but Boulder will be getting a different pop of color with this weekend’s return of the Street Wise Mural Festival. The outdoor live-painting extravaganza is back Sept. 13-15 for its sixth year of commissioning vibrant large-scale works exploring the intersection of art and activism in public spaces throughout the city.
More than 20 emerging artists from Colorado and beyond will participate in creating 19 public art projects centered around this year’s theme of environmentalism and climate action. The festival aims to spark conversations about social justice and community resilience while empowering local and regional artists.
Before the anticipated street art festival returns, here are four local muralists whose work you don’t want to miss.
Alexandrea Pangburn
Hyatt Hotel | 3120 Pearl Parkway
Raised in the rolling hills of Kentucky, Alexandrea Pangburn grew up with a paintbrush in her hand. Her childhood in Lexington was teeming with creative energy, but her involvement in the art scene really flourished once she moved to Denver in 2017.
Pangburn completed her first full-scale mural the following year in the city’s RiNo Art District, where she became the director of curation. She continued growing her presence nationally and launched her full-time art career in November 2022.
Now based in Golden, the 36-year-old artist also serves as executive director of Babe Walls, a nonprofit supporting women and nonbinary artists in the world of street art.
Pangburn’s art is largely inspired by western landscapes and wildlife, which has turned her into something of an amateur ornithologist
“Growing up, I always loved animals. I was an animal sciences major at the University of Kentucky, and painting animals was something I always enjoyed,” she says. “Lately, my large-scale murals have been channeled toward birds. I have fully accepted that I am a birder.”
For her Street Wise piece, Pangburn plans to take a step away from birds and partner with the advocacy coalition Cats Aren’t Trophies to bring awareness to protecting mountain lions and bobcats. She hopes the mural will continue her mission of inspiring people to appreciate nature and care about animal conservation.
Catie Michel
Goose Creek Underpass at Foothills | 2198 47th St.
Science and creativity collide in the works of Denver artist Catie Michel.
The Colorado-raised creative briefly left home to study pre-vet science at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, where she discovered her love for marine biology. As her science career grew, including a stint as an educator at NOAA and the Marine Science Institute, she discovered how art can act as a tool for science.
“I realized I loved that intersection of science illustration,” says the 29-year-old artist. “It was the perfect combination of what I love.”
Now back in the Centennial State, Michel uses her background in research and science to inform her creative work as a scientific illustrator, artist and muralist. She has worked with the Nature Conservatory, NPR and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which she said have been pivotal, career-building experiences.
For her Street Wise piece, Michel is partnering with Ocean First Institute, a Boulder-based conservation organization. Working with this group is a full-circle moment for the artist after years of wrestling with an internal conflict.
“When I was in California wanting to pursue marine science, there was a tiny voice telling me I couldn’t do ocean science in Colorado because it is a land-locked state,” she says. “I am so glad I did not listen to it.”
Her vision is to create a piece centered around the idea that “everyone is connected to the ocean.” She plans to emphasize Colorado’s role as a headwaters state to underscore this point, citing a quote by Dr. Sylvia Earle as inspiration: “No blue, no green. No ocean, no life.”
Kaylee Bender
Harvest of Hope Food Pantry | 4830 Pearl St.
It was a teenage move to Colorado Springs in 2017 that set Kaylee Bender on the path she follows today. The 26-year-old artist from Pittsburgh considers herself a lifelong creative, but her relocation to the Centennial State spurred a reconnection with drawing and painting that ushered in a whole new era of expression.
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. The early lockdown marked a major turn in Bender’s journey, when she sold her first commissioned piece to a stranger.
Bender’s art explores storytelling through portraiture. When she moved to Denver in May 2020, she went door-to-door offering customized portraits to Black-owned businesses as part of her ongoing project to uplift marginalized communities.
“When I meet people, I love to ask if they want a portrait. It is how I enjoy getting to know people,” she says. “Hearing about people’s passions informs and shines through the painting — it is a beautiful way to connect with someone in the community.”
Bender’s large-scale portraits continue the artist’s mission to portray Black people in “a frame of dignity and spiritual wealth.”
This theme carries over into her nature-focused Street Wise piece, which will spotlight local environmental leaders in Denver.
Noelle Miller
Art Source International | 1237 Pearl St.
Fort Collins-based artist Noelle Miller was born with creativity in her blood.
“I have literally been doing art forever,” the 33-year-old Colorado native says. “My mom and grandma are painters, and my dad is a filmmaker. Everyone is some form of artist.”
For Miller, art is a therapeutic mindfulness practice. She views creating as a limitless exploration process.
Historically, her works have been largely abstract mixed-media paintings and wall sculptures, like those found at The New Local gallery on West Pearl Street. But recently she has been getting more literal through representational imagery.
She plans to lean into this new style in her upcoming Street Wise mural, focusing on the theme of the water lifecycle and xeriscaping in drought-prone Colorado.
“One of the biggest ways we can save water is through gardening practices,” Miller says. “Where I live, the HOA requires green grass, which requires a lot of water. We should not be fighting the environment — we should be working with it.”
For more on the 2024 Street Wise Mural Festival, click here.