T-REX
Untitled, under-construction. (2002–present)
Denver, Colorado

Funds for the roadway art component of this huge transportation project were procured outside of Denver’s Public Art Program. As members of the TREX urban design task force, Carolyn Braaksma and Barb McKee developed patterns and images for precast concrete retaining and noise abatement walls. The art is completely integrated on this 19-mile, multi-modal interstate highway and light rail transit expansion project. The imagery that includes tepees, regional birds, indigenous grasses and farm fields is based on the history, geography, and natural history along the I-25 Corridor. The swallows and magpies are familiar springtime urban birds in the Denver region, and the clever wall patterns of indigenous grasses recall the wallpaper designs of William Morris.