Colorado AHEC Medicina y Urban/Rural Art Lessons en Salud (MURALS) Project commissions local artists to create informative and beautiful artwork on large structures throughout the state of Colorado. These murals communicate health messages in culturally resonant ways to communities throughout Colorado with the goal of providing agency to those communities to effect positive health changes.
"Let Your Light Shine"
by Max Coleman
"Let Your Light Shine"
by Max Coleman
"Let Your Light Shine"
by Max Coleman
"Let Your Light Shine"
by Max Coleman
"Let Your Light Shine"
by Max Coleman
"Let Your Light Shine"
by Max Coleman
About the Mural:
Let Your Light Shine by Max Coleman
This mural is an amalgamation of the scientific knowledge and breakthroughs that have occurred at the University of Colorado over the past 75 years or so. It flows as a visual river from left to right, containing not just the science, but also the real people behind the discoveries, and those who are still helped by them today.
About the Artist:
Max Coleman is an artist from Denver, Colorado. He graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design 2015 where he was trained as a painter and illustrator. Since then he has worked as a full time artist and muralist painting across the United States and abroad, with the chief aim of transforming spaces and minds through unconventional portraiture.
Through the use of bright color and massive scale, his murals create spaces for thought and introspection, while his illustrations utilize techniques and visual tropes from centuries past to explore modern narratives with uncanny subject matter and attention to detail. A lifelong fascination with science and an urge to venerate the natural world guides the artists’ hand in all he creates. You can often find him in Lakewood, Colorado at his workshop, “Magpie Studios”.
@Oak_Bloak on instagram
"Healthy Together"
by Jeremy Velasquez
"Healthy Together"
by Jeremy Velasquez
"Healthy Together"
by Jeremy Velasquez
"Healthy Together"
by Jeremy Velasquez
About the Mural:
For the Clifton Library mural, I wanted to create a piece that not only celebrates the beauty and vitality of the Grand Valley, but also shines a light on the importance of mental health and overall well-being. The mural brings together iconic local imagery—like the towering presence of Mount Garfield and the steady flow of the Colorado River—with the rich agricultural heritage of the area, including the fruits and produce that come from our own soil. By highlighting the connection between nature, nourishment, and mental clarity, I aimed to parallel the idea that staying healthy—physically and mentally—starts with what we feed our bodies and minds.
At its core, this mural is also about community. It embodies a spirit of warmth and welcome, reflecting the diverse cultures that call this area home. Libraries are places of connection and growth, and I wanted this artwork to echo that—to create something rooted in the land, the people, and the shared experience of striving for a balanced, healthy life together.
Jeremy Velasquez
About the Artist:
Jeremy Velasquez is a muralist based on Colorado’s Western Slope, known for transforming public spaces with bold, expressive artwork that tells powerful stories. Drawing inspiration from street art, nature, and the diverse cultural roots, his work blends realism, symbolism, and vibrant color to create imagery that connects across generations. Through his studio, Jeremy brings community-driven murals to life—fusing personal vision with local voice to honor heritage, celebrate identity, and spark meaningful dialogue.
"Pursuing Longevity"
by Frank Garza
About the Mural:
Frank Garza is creating this mural for the new LINC Library Innovation Center the newest library in the High Plains Library District.
Article from the Greeley Tribune regarding the opening and views of LINC as of March 1, 2023 Link to article.
About the Artist:
Loveland based artist, Frank Garza, has been creating public art installations in Colorado since 1999. Specializing in architecturally integrated pieces, he strives to make each project unique. Frank uses several mediums including wood, steel, aluminum, porcelain, glass, polycarbonate, fabric, integrated LED lighting and clay. His works convey community, cultural, and historical themes. After more than twenty years in public art, Garza has a wealth of experience collaborating with city planners, architects, builders, engineers, construction crews. and community leaders. His municipal projects are on display throughout the front range including city buildings in Denver, Thornton, Louisville, Greeley, Evans. Currently Frank is creating a monumental bronze sculpture for the city of Fort Collins.
Although known for public art, he also creates gallery work. Garza will often create up to four distinctly different bodies of work simultaneously. He doesn't believe an artist must develop a single style and become that. It is this 'no confinement' approach that has helped him maintain a balance based on both impulse and strategy.
"I would consider Frank Garza one of the top 100 Most Influential Artists of Northern Colorado ... in 2015" - Frank's Mom
For more info on Frank visit:
"Old Medicine New Medicine"
by Bianca Maestas
"Old Medicine New Medicine"
by Bianca Maestas
"Old Medicine New Medicine"
by Bianca Maestas
"Old Medicine New Medicine"
by Bianca Maestas
"Old Medicine New Medicine"
by Bianca Maestas
About the Mural:
This is the first mural of the Colorado AHEC MURALS Project.
It is located on the office of the San Luis Valley AHEC (SLV AHEC). To learn more about SLV AHEC visit their website: http://www.slvahec.org/.
About the Artist:
Bianca Maestas graduated Colorado College with a BA in Studio Arts and has lived as a working artist in Denver, Colorado for the past twenty years. Her first exhibition was at the San Luis Museum and Cultural Center at the age of three.
Maestas grew up in the small Spanish and Native American community of San Luis, the Oldest Town in Colorado. Maestas learned the art of bronze casting alongside her father, world renowned sculptor Huberto Maestas. She has worked with other notable artists such as R.C. Gorman, Emanuel Martinez and Luis Jimenez. Her cultural upbringing and early childhood experiences at the foundry, informs her work.
Maestas is a multi-disciplinary artist who is skilled in diverse mediums; bronze sculpture, interior design, murals, paintings, photography, and public installations. Maestas shapes universal, classic forms into fluid, fresh experiences enjoyed by a diverse audience. Movement remains a constant and effecting element of her art as well as texture, pattern, and organic aesthetics.
Installations include floral and steel sculptural designs at The Denver Art Museum, Star Wars “ART of the Force” event, multiple up-cycle and art garden displays at the Colorado Convention Center, “Colorado Home & Garden Show and Pallet Fest”. Her works of art have been exhibited at the Sangre de Cristo Museum & Conference Center, Pueblo, CO, Millicient Rogers Museum, Toas, NM, and Monte Sagrado Hotel and Resort, Taos, NM. Her work is in many private collections, nationally and internationally. To learn more visit her website: http://www.sketchgarden-flowermetal.com/.
News About This Mural
Valley Courrier article: "Healing images speak a language people of the valley understand"
https://alamosanews.com/article/healing-images-speak-a-language-people-of-the-valley-understand
"Fly to Heal"
by Juls Mendoza
"Fly to Heal"
by Juls Mendoza
"Fly to Heal"
by Juls Mendoza
"Fly to Heal"
by Juls Mendoza
About the Mural:
Fly to Heal by Juls Mendoza
This mural represents the plight of every migrant child. The kid is on his way to a new and unknown destination, flying over dahlias which represent change and strength on this new journey. But he is not alone, he is accompanied by monarch butterflies, which are a symbol of migration. He’s not letting go of his most precious toys, his memories, or his home, “Su Hogar,” a place where you live and feel safe, calm, and peaceful.
The jaguar mask represents the boy’s culture but it also represents strength, ferocity, and courage. He wears this mask to try to fit in and hide his fears, feeling uncomfortable and insecure in this place where there are mountains and the people speak English.
This Mural was completed in collaboration with The Center for Bioethics and the Humanities at CU Anschutz.
The Fly to Heal mural by Juls Mendoza is intended to honor children arriving in the United States and celebrate their strength and resilience. Fly to Heal was part of the 2023 Testimony programming at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the Anschutz Medical Campus, amplifying the voices of children in migration.
About the Artist:
Julio (Juls) Mendoza is a Denver artist who migrated from Ciudad, Juarez, Mexico, in 2001 when he was 11 years old. His family was not poor—they owned a house, and his dad had a job in “Las maquilas,” a factory. Juarez was known for violence, and the violence against women was very high. Concerned for the safety of his wife and daughters, Julio's father decided it was time for a new life in the US.
It took Julio several years to accept his new situation and accept that they would not be returning to Mexico. He had left his two best friends in Juarez, and as a child, the bonds formed through playing outside in the streets and on the rooftops were irreplaceable. The cultural shock, the struggle to learn a new language, and making new friends were significant hurdles. While it was difficult for Julio to comprehend the sacrifices his parent made to migrate, it was equally challenging for his parent to understand his emotional journey as a child in a new country.
Juls understands firsthand the trauma that some children experience during that journey. When Juls left Mexico, he lost a childhood filled with play, friendship, and adventure. Despite these losses, Juls chose to create a mural depicting a spirit of courage and hope. When asked what he wanted people to take away from his mural, Juls replied: “healing.” Juls has personally experienced art's role in healing children and adults alike. We hope that Juls’ mural will inspire reflection, curiosity, and healing. Juls was selected from 96 applications in a global call for submissions.