This project was made possible through the LeVert W. Hoag Foundation and Artists Jean Latka and Tom Latka of Latka Studios, and Randy Ford with the help of studio assistants Rick Swift, Megan Crowell, and Kristana Clausen
Pueblo, Colo.- June 12, 2024 – The Pueblo Urban Renewal Authority (PURA) announced today the addition of a new public art installation at the Walk of Legends Park located in Pueblo’s City Center.
The Walk of Legends Park was completed and open to the public in June 2023. This park honors the enduring contributions of Pioneers during the establishment of Pueblo, Colorado featuring three remarkable, lifelike sculptures of Charles Autobee, Marcelino Baca, and Teresita Sandoval that were brought to life by nationally acclaimed artists.
Coined the “Oasis”, this public art installation is a depiction of one of the most environmentally and culturally significant trees in Colorado, the Cottonwood. Cottonwood trees are commonly found along riverbanks and were an important source of food, fuel, timber, and medicine for the pioneers that settled at El Pueblo Trading Post (source).
Located on the West side of the Pueblo Convention Center Parking Garage adjacent to Central Main, the “Oasis” mosaic mural is made up of 1,300, 12-inch by 12-inch, vitrified ceramic tiles. Each tile was hand painted then fired in a kiln. The artists worked in ten by four-foot increments in their locally owned studio and used a numbering system to achieve accurate installation of the largescale mural. Each tile was numbered and linked to the rendering of the art piece to provide spatial precision.
“This mural memorializes the historic loop of the Arkansas River through Pueblo which created the boundary between Mexico and the United States that resulted in the construction of El Pueblo on the river’s north bank, the U.S. side of the river.” Said Jim Munch, LeVert W. Hoag trustee. Artist Jean Latka stated that this art piece is intended to evoke the spirit of the earliest settlers memorialized in this park. It is imagined that Pueblo’s founding pioneers followed the Cottonwood tree lines in search of water that later determined the location of their settlements.
This art installation is anticipated to be completed by the end of June 2024. Walk of Legends Park is located between Central Main and Union Avenue flanked by the Pueblo Convention Center parking garage and the Senior Resource Development Agency (SRDA). The community is encouraged to stop by and pay a visit to this beautiful new addition at the Walk of Legends Park that has become an “Oasis” in Pueblo’s City Center.