La Raza Park

Contact InformationDenver Arts and VenuesContact Email: [email protected]

Requirement OverviewLocation Eligibility Type: NationalEligible Applicant Types: ArtistSubmission Limit: 1Media RequirementsImages | Min: 6, Max: 8Audio | Min: 0, Max: 0Video | Min: 0, Max: 1Total | Min: 6, Max: 8

Opportunity SummaryDenver Public Art seeks to commission an artist or artist team to create public artworks for La Raza Park. The goal of the project is to commission an artist(s) to create a site-responsive public artwork that reflects the identity, history, and aspirations of Northside Denver. The artwork is envisioned as a welcoming community anchor and “third space”—a place that inspires connection, invites people to gather and linger, and sparks conversation about the park, its cultural heritage, and the community’s future. The work should honor the land and the people who have shaped this place while offering a hopeful vision forward. A strong, authentic connection to Northside is central to the project, with the artwork serving as a memorable expression of local culture, pride, and belonging.The commission amount for an artist or artist team is $136,000.00 USD.Denver Public Art is hosting a virtual pre-application meeting for interested applicants on September 30th, 2026, at 5:30 p.m.

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General InformationREQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONSPublic Art Project: La Raza Park Budget: Approximately $136,000.00 USDEligibility: Artists or Artist Teams residing in the United StatesDEADLINE: Thursday, October 15th, 2026, 11:59 P.M. MSTIntroductionDenver Public Art seeks to commission an artist or artist team to create public artworks for La Raza Park. The goal of the project is to commission an artist to create a site-responsive public artwork that reflects the identity, history, and aspirations of Northside Denver. The artwork is envisioned as a welcoming community anchor and “third space”—a place that inspires connection, invites people to gather and linger, and sparks conversation about the park, its cultural heritage, and the community’s future. The work should honor the land and the people who have shaped this place while offering a hopeful vision forward. A strong, authentic connection to Northside is central to the project, with the artwork serving as a memorable expression of local culture, pride, and belonging.The commission amount for an artist or artist team is $136,000.00 USD.A selection panel of community representatives, arts and culture professionals and civic leaders has been assembled to identify art opportunities and to select and recommend an artist or artist team for this project. The panel is seeking artists who work in mediums suitable for exterior spaces that complement the natural surroundings of the park and the architecture of the historical Kiosko (stone, metal, recycled materials, wood, etc.) for this project.Denver Public Art is hosting a virtual pre-application meeting for interested applicants on September 30th, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will cover project background and goals, and the application process for this Request for Qualifications (RFQ). Attendees will also receive information on CallForEntry.org through which artists may apply. This event will be hosted on Zoom. Interested applicants are asked to register to receive information on how to join prior to the event. If you cannot attend, a recording will be available on the Denver Arts & Venues YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@denverartsandvenues/Land AcknowledgementWe acknowledge that the land Denver’s Public Art Collection occupies - - land where we stand, live, work and learn - - is the traditional territory of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Peoples. We also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado. Our nation was founded upon and continues to enact exclusions and erasures of Indigenous Peoples. May this acknowledgement demonstrate a commitment to dismantling ongoing legacies of oppression and inequities, as we intentionally honor and celebrate the Indigenous communities in our city and express our gratitude for their ongoing and significant contributions. Let’s not forget that this land was theirs long before we made it ours.About La Raza ParkLa Raza Park, designated as a historical landmark, is a one-block urban park in Denver’s Northside, bounded by 38th and 39th Avenues and Osage and Navajo Streets. More than a neighborhood recreation space, the park reflects the evolving history and cultural identity of North Denver. Its history spans more than a century—from its origins as open land and one of Denver’s earliest municipal playgrounds, to its role as a gathering place for Italian immigrants, a center of the Chicano Movement, and today, a cultural gathering place for Denver’s Latino/Chicano community.The land was purchased by the city in 1906 and developed as the North Side Playground in 1909. In its early years, the park served the predominantly Italian immigrant community of the Northside. The park later became Columbus Park, reflecting the neighborhood’s Italian American heritage. Beginning in the 1940s, the surrounding community changed as Mexican American and Latino families increasingly made the Northside their home. By the late twentieth century, the park had become an important center of Latino/Chicano community life.During the 1960s and 1970s, La Raza Park became an important site for El Movimiento, Denver’s Chicano civil rights movement. The park was a place for community organizing, activism, cultural expression, and community building. Community members advocated for equitable access to recreation, education, employment, and public space, ultimately gaining greater community control of the park and pool. Just as importantly, the park became a place where generations of neighbors gathered, cared for one another, and created a safe space for children, famili