Crossroads/Encrucijada - Denver, CO, USA
Posted by: 
Outspoken1
N 39° 43.531 W 105° 01.505
13S E 497850 N 4397292
This large piece is located on Federal Blvd. overpass of the West 6th Avenue Freeway. This is a very busy intersection and hard to safely photograph.
Waymark Code: WM14GHG
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 07/05/2021
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"“Crossroads / Encrucijada” marks the intersection of 6th Avenue and Federal Boulevard with four brightly colored monuments, one at each corner. With patterns reminiscent of serapes, each piece also bears bronze sconces with cutout chevron designs lit with solar powered LED lights.
The title of the artwork was deliberate, as was the serape theme. “This installation acts as a “crossroad” or “gateway” into this culturally diverse community area of Barnum, Villa Park, Valverde and Sun Valley,” explains artist Anthony Garcia, Sr. “The free-floating look of the “serape” and meaning incorporates intricate designs which represent how communities are strong and free to express emotions and ideas while still feeling protected. The outer bronze designs represent strength within the community and how a strong forefront protects its people.”
A poem written in relationship to the artwork was read at the dedication on Aug. 23, 2018. " (from (
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"“Crossroads/Encrucijada,”
by Anthony Garcia Sr.
In some ways, the four concrete bridge pier caps that serve as a gateway from the Federal Boulevard overpass to the freeway below represent the apotheosis of the street-art movement in Denver, since they’re a public-art commission. Artist Anthony Garcia Sr., a Denver native who grew up in Globeville, started out as a graffiti tagger and progressed to become not only a painter, but a community organizer and arts activist, as well. He founded Birdseed Collective to help emerging artists and underserved populations, but the organization’s mission has grown substantially over the years to the point that it’s now practically a social-services agency. Garcia has engineered multi-artist projects aimed at improving the environment of low-income communities, including Birdseed’s program that decorates dumpsters with murals. Garcia’s own style is geometric abstraction, typically stacks of stripes; sometimes he creates optical illusions by having them bend at an angle. Other works, including the imaginative “Crossroads/Encrucijada,” conceptually conflate minimalism with the Chicano tradition by rendering the stripes in such a way, and in certain colors, that they evoke the mood of a serape. These painted bunkers also have lighting components, with paired medallions corresponding to the center of the serape backlit by solar-powered fixtures. The piece is very cool, and an impressive welcome for those driving east into Denver." (from (
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