New public art decorates downtown Colorado Springs in annual exhibit
A herd of tiny horses will live downtown for the next year.
They arrived last month, packed into the bed of Denver artist Michael Brohman’s truck, as he pulled up to the sidewalk in front of Urban Egg, near the corner of Tejon Street and Colorado Avenue.
The elegant equines, teeny enough to stuff in your pocket, are affixed to the tops of more than a dozen 4-foot-tall bronze pillars in Brohman’s new sculpture, “Horizon Line.” The piece was inspired by a residency he did in Wyoming, where every evening he’d climb a mountain in the Bighorn Mountains and gaze at the sunset and the landscape, with its ranches and horses in the distance.
“The columns are symbols of culture and what we put on pedestals and value. The flat tops symbolize the landscape,” said Brohman, an Air Academy High School graduate. “At the end of Western movies, people ride off into the horizon, into the great unknown. It’s the myth of the West, with open landscapes and so many possibilities. It’s about what we do as a society, what we elevate. Horses represent a slower life, freedom.”
The piece is one of eight new sculptures and four murals in the 28th annual Art on the Streets, an award-winning outdoor public art exhibit by Downtown Ventures, the charitable nonprofit affiliate of Downtown Partnership.
Works are scattered throughout the downtown area, with two of the murals going up at Artspace, a residential apartment building designed to provide affordable housing for artists. It’s at 315 Costilla St.
“Activating parks and open spaces and public spaces brings a sense of belonging and curiosity,” said Stephanie Adams, a project committee member for Art on the Streets. “You’re walking down the street and are met with an interesting cultural experience. It creates wonder.”
The year-long exhibit is supported by U.S. Bank and other sponsors, donors and foundation grants.
Two of last year’s sculptures — “Flow Glow” by Maureen Hearty and “Drop” by John Bannon — will move to the Colorado Springs Airport, thanks to a partnership between the airport and Downtown Partnership.
Two downtown businesswomen started the exhibit in the late ’90s to bring more people downtown, after business owners noticed it was no longer the city center and sales were suffering. The first exhibit featured two dozen sculptures along two blocks and acted as a heat score, attracting a wealth of visitors to downtown, so much so that business owners requested art closer to their own storefronts.
“It’s been amazing to see the impact of the program over time,” said Michelle Winchell, director of creative economy for Downtown Partnership. “This program was core to our downtown getting state-certified as a Creative District. We’ve brought over 300 artworks to downtown over the life of the program, and we’re responsible for the majority of the city’s art collection.”
Artists from around the world submitted 130 proposals to this year’s call for entries. Winning artists, who received a $2,000 stipend, include seven from Colorado, one from Canada and one from Germany.
This year’s jurors were Troy Briggs from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Grow Love, a Denver-based artist, muralist and educator; and Jess Preble, gallery director at Cottonwood Center for the Arts.
2026-2027 Art on the Streets pieces
- “Ama,” by Stephen Landis, sculpture garden at Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, 30 W. Dale St.
- “O’Keefe 7,” by Patrick Sullivan, northwest corner of Boulder and North Tejon streets
- “Reclaimed,” by Paul Reimer, southeast corner of Boulder and North Tejon streets
- “Head Stone (I Am Warrior),” by Jacob Harvey, east side of North Tejon Street between Boulder Street and Platte Avenue
- “Spiral Pajos #5 – Orange,” by Christopher Thomson, south side of Pikes Peak Avenue between North Tejon Street and Cascade Avenue
- “Horizon Line,” by Michael Brohman, west side of North Tejon Street between Pikes Peak and Colorado avenues
- “Labyrinthene Rising,” by Bilhenry Walker, Pikes Peak and Nevada avenues
- “Light Totem,” by Lina Perez, Pikes Peak Avenue and Weber Street
- and 10. Artspace murals, 315 Costilla St.
- 11. “Madhaus,” by Jay Weets, south side of Cimarron Street between Cascade Avenue and South Tejon Street
- 12. “The Ride,” by Polina Soloveichik, northwest corner of South Tejon and Las Animas streets