An interactive mural titled "Before I Die..." is on display at the
McNichols Civic Center Building downtown.
A reception celebrating the installation by Candy Chang was held Wednesday, Jan. 9 at the McNichols building on Colfax Avenue and Bannock Street.
With blackboard space next to the words “Before I die I want to…” the mural invites visitors to pick up a piece of chalk, reflect on their lives and share their personal aspirations in a public space.
The mural was installed in Denver’s Sonny Lawson Park by the Community Coordinating District No. 1 last summer and relocated to the McNichols building grounds in early December. A partnership between
Arts and Venues Denver, the
Community Coordinating District, the
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design and Denver Design Build LLC brought the mural to Denver.
The original Before I Die… mural was installed in New Orleans, where Chang transformed the side of an abandoned house in her neighborhood into a giant chalkboard and stenciled it with the sentence. By the next day, the wall was entirely filled out and participation in the mural continued to grow. The wall turned a neglected space into a constructive one where neighbors had an outlet to get to know each other and remember their loved ones.
Before I Die… murals have been installed in more than 20 countries and reproduced in more than 10 languages. For photos and more information, visit
http://beforeidie.cc/site/denver.
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