Denver is getting another seven-figure art tree project, this time on the 16th Street Mall

Denver City Council approved a $1. 6 million contract with Poetic Kinetics for a public art installation at the 16th Street Mall. The project will feature three stainless steel aspen trees, each between 22 and 30 feet tall, adorned with kinetic leaves made of dichroic and colored acrylic. Installation is set to begin in May, with the first piece located at 16th Street and Glenarm Place. The amended contract also includes a retractable canopy of leaves, which will be installed later this summer, enhancing the visual appeal of the area.

Funding for the project comes from a city law requiring a portion of public project budgets to be allocated for art, approved by a 13-person selection committee. This marks the second seven-figure metal tree art project approved by the city in recent months, following a $3. 6 million project at the airport featuring a 60-foot sculpture with 30,000 crystals for leaves.