Loveland, Colorado is a year-round destination for art lovers because of its vast public art collection, including Benson Sculpture Garden, and renowned reputation of bronze foundries. The city is also home to thriving creative communities like Artspace and Artworks. Every year in mid-August, artists from around the country come together to celebrate and showcase their work at several shows during the same weekend in Loveland.
Sculpture in the Park
August 9 – 11, 2019
Benson Sculpture Garden
Sculpture in the Park has been a tradition among sculptors and art collectors for 35 years and will feature about 160 artists this year. The show takes place in Benson Sculpture Garden which is home to 164 pieces of sculpture that have been collected since 1985. Each year the proceeds generated from the annual Sculpture in the Park show go towards the purchase of new pieces for the garden. The works are donated to the city by the Loveland High Plains Arts Council.
If you go: Friday night (8/9) is the Patron Party and tickets are available for $75 each. The show is open to the public on Saturday (8/10) and Sunday (8/11), tickets are $8 each. For more information, visitsculptureinthepark.org.
Art in the Park
August 10 – 11, 2019
North Lake Park
Located just across the street, Art in the Park features 200 artisans and a beer garden. The show has been a tradition for over 50 years, and visitors can find unique handmade creations in fine art, jewelry, pottery and more. It is Thompson Valley Art League‘s largest fundraiser to “promote an enthusiastic pursuit of art, encourage individuality and freedom of expression, provide league members with opportunities to obtain public recognition, and advance to the community the knowledge, appreciation and practice of the arts.”
If you go: The show is casual and family friendly with live music, food, drinks, and interactive games. Admission is free. For more information, visit artintheparkloveland.com.
Loveland Fine Art Invitational
August 9 – 11, 2019
Loveland High School
The Loveland Fine Art Invitational is the newest addition to the arts weekend, but has evolved from other similar shows over the past few years. It offers an “indoor art gallery setting” under big white tents and features a juried selection of sculpture, paintings, mixed media, etchings, blown glass, turned wood, fine jewelry, and more. Visitors can relax in the beer & wine garden, purchase food from various vendors, and enjoy live entertainment throughout the weekend.
If you go: The show runs all day Friday (8/9) through Sunday (8/11) and admission is $7 per person (children under 14 are free). The Patron Party is Friday night, and tickets are $50 each. For more information, visit vermillionpromotions.com.
Other Art Happenings Around Town
Artworks, located in Downtown Loveland, will be open on Friday (8/9) and Saturday (8/10) from 12pm to 9pm and will provide a respite from the August heat with air conditioning and cold beverages. Their current exhibitions include a show by Michael Anthony Simon titled The Polychotomy of You, Me, and We. The gallery will also feature works by its contemporary artists-in-residence.
The Loveland Museum Gallery, also located downtown, is currently displaying Warhol Prints and Photographs in the main gallery. “This exhibition of prints and photographs reflect Warhol’s embrace of a wide variety of media through which the categorization of high art was further assessed, and expanded Warhol’s hallmark exploration within the realms of pop art, consumer culture, and the cult of celebrity.” The main gallery is also featuring An Adventure in the Arts, including works dating from 1878 to 1994 by Thomas Moran, Childe Hassam, Jackson Pollock, Willem and Elaine de Kooning, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Jimmy Ernst, Roy Lichtenstein, Chuck Close, Joe Zucker, David Salle and more of the nation’s leading artists.