Art on the Streets announced its 2012 winners at its opening reception Friday night at the Pikes Peak Center.The public art program this year received submissions from a record 85 artists, from which the works of 12 artists were selected for display in downtown locations. The large number of submissions made the task of determining winners a difficult, said jurors Jim Raughton and Kathy Loo.This year’s first-place prize, and a $15,000 cash award, went to local artist Christopher Weed. Weed’s “Portal 1 & Portal 2” features a 30-feet tall television monitor, sculpted out of stainless steel, and a smaller monitor that plays video footage shot by his late brother. “I wanted to do a collaboration with my brother,” Weed said. “He was such a talented artist in his own right.”Thomas Givens, of Charlottesville, Va., received the second-place prize for his “Humpback Whale Tail.” The sculpture was crafted out of scraps of mahogany, using boat building techniques. The third-place award went to Chris Rench, of Hood River, Oreg., for his stainless steel sculpture “Caught Up II.”A walking tour of the art will be held on July 25 with Mayor Steve Bach. The tour is free and open to the public. A complete list and map of this year’s works can be found online at downtown80903.com.

“Portal 1 & Portal 2” by Christopher Weed, Colorado Springs, CO Photo by Courtesy of Downtown Partnership

“Humpback Whale Tail” by Thomas Givens, Charlottesville, VA Photo by Courtesy of Downtown Partnership

“Caught Up II” by Chris Rench, Hood River, OR Photo by Courtesy of Downtown Partnership