Introducing Arts Street @ YEA

Arts Street is a non-profit organization that we have had the pleasure of coordinating with on three of our projects: Gateway North, Gateway South, and The Aerie Apartments. Founded in 1995, Arts Street’s mission is to help low-income, high-risk youth channel their artistic talents into professional activities. Their programming encourages hands-on job training internships for its students to prepare for working in a professional setting.

Illustrations by Arts Street students used in unit signage for The Aerie Apartments.

W8 Collaboration with Arts Street

Our Gateway North and Gateway South projects look to urban nature, Denver-industry, and the South Platte as themes for developing our exterior material palette and interior signage package. We tasked the students at Arts Street to provide photographic imagery for our interior unit signage. Just as we would with a professional photographer, we provided them with parameters and the design intent of the building, and let their creative freedom fly!

The students took field trips around Sun Valley and adjoining neighborhoods to photograph urban landscapes and unique details. Their instructors gave them training in industry software so they could edit their own photos, too!

Sample photography by Arts Street students for use in our Gateway projects.

The next step is for our new Boulder High student intern, Aiden, to place all the photos into the signage files so that the signage contractor can fabricate them. It will be a year before the signs are installed, but we all eagerly await seeing the students’ art come to life! It is extra cool because some of the students will be moving into our new buildings!

To the students of Arts Street: thanks for all of your hard work and dedication to W8’s vision. We can’t wait to see your art brighten up the new buildings! Megan and Brandy really enjoyed working with you.

Thanks for Reading!

Maris DuBois | Studio Manager