Sometimes, art is where you find it, and when you find it where you least expect it, it can be a lovely surprise.
Outside Denver, and nestled between the streets of Mississippi, Exposition, Steele Street and University outside Denver is a piece of land that had been granted to the Kansas Pacific Railroad in 1870. The railroad eventually sold the land to farmers, and later it became one of the many little communities annexed by Denver. The neighborhood was developed in the 1920s and is still known by the name given to it then: “Bonnie Brae.”
These little older neighborhoods can be found in many cities, and they are gems. In the case of Bonnie Brae, many of the homes built there in the 20s and 30s reflected what was thought to be revolutionary trends of architecture, styles that came to be known as Art Moderne and the International Style. With growth came businesses, many of which are still thriving today. As was the custom of the time, alleyways threaded between businesses, but recently, something called, “Alley Art” began showing up in Bonnie Brae in the least expected places. The medium is mosaic tile, the pieces are original and handmade, and the effect is always surprising. One such mosaic is the Dachshund piece you see here named “Flex – With A Napoleon Complex” created last year by Maria Coquillard.
Photos by SES