For the last several years on the first Tuesday of September, artists have hidden art all over Denver during World Art Drop Day. This year, despite all of the interruptions and cancellations in the creative worlds, Art Drop Day is still happening on September 1. Denver Arts & Venues is stepping it up this year with a virtual element to showcase local artists even further.
The premise behind World Art Drop Day is to connect people through art. Envisioned by Utah’s Jake Provo, Art Drop Day is basically a scavenger hunt, with clues found on social media.
Local artists — from professionals to hobbyists — make and hide art somewhere public in the city. Think parks, popular walking neighborhoods, public buildings and you’ll probably be able to find one piece of art. Art Drop Day in Denver in 2018 and 2019 provided an estimated 1,000 pieces of artwork to lucky finders.
Seekers just need to look for the hashtags #ArtDropDay or #ArtDropDayDenver for clues, or else just wander the city looking for art that looks a little out of place. All art hidden should have a form included with it that has the information of the artist who made it and about Art Drop Day in general.
The executive director of Denver Arts & Venues Ginger White Brunetti explained, “this year is special. In addition to artists hiding small pieces of art, we are inviting them to be showcased” online. They’re calling it Art Shop Day.
By highlighting a different group of Art Drop artists each week online and through an email newsletter, Denver Arts & Venues hopes to direct people to the artists’ website in order to purchase directly from them. It’s a gesture to the artists — most of whom have suffered during the pandemic, amidst cancelations and shutdowns.
READ: How Coronavirus Has Changed the Denver Art Scene
All artists who are interested in being featured on the online marketplace must fill out this form. Any artist who wishes to participate in the Art Drop portion of things should register with Denver Arts & Venues before September 1 using this form.
Expect to find a healthy variety of art on the online Art Drop marketplace and around the city on September 1. It’s not just visual art, according to Denver Arts & Venues, there have been books, sculpture, jewelry, music and more hidden in the past.
“2020 has been a difficult year for artists,” said Denver Arts & Venues’ Brooke Dilling. “As events are canceled, galleries are closed or facing limited hours of operation, and businesses across the gamut are facing economic stress, we wanted to give Denver’s artistic community a chance to showcase their talents. We hope that people will find a way to support our artistic community.”