Though I haven’t quite finished up posting everything from Alaska and the NRHS Convention, I figured it might be nice for a little change of pace… which is why we’re going to go and take a little ride on Denver’s light rail system today. Thanks to major flight delays and a missed connection to Fairbanks, Denver became the first part of my Alaska trip. With decent weather and a new rail line to ride, the detour wasn’t really all that bad.

Operated by the Regional Transportation District (RTD), Denver’s light rail consists of 47 miles of track on 6 different lines, and a total of 46 different stations. Several stations along the various routes feature art installations, as part of the Art-n-Transit program. I always love to check out the artwork when I visit other transit systems, and fairly new light rail systems usually do not disappoint.

Our first set of photos from Denver features the work of two artists – Darrel Anderson and Donna Billick. Billick’s work at Colfax at Auraria station takes the shape of two large books that double as benches. The seating and back of these benches are decorated with typical Denver and Colorado vistas. Billick identifies herself as a rock artist, and has designed over 300 large scale works of public art in that medium.

Darrel Anderson’s mosaic work can be found at five different light rail stations along Welton Street. The colorful mosaics are each approximately ten feet long and cover a portion of the handicap access ramps. Commissioned in 1994 and dedicated in 1996, these mosaics date back to the beginning of the Art-n-transit program, and the Denver Light Rail itself.

In the next few weeks we’ll take a look at some more Art-n-Transit works in Denver, as well as one of the light rail’s newest lines.