Centennial Spotlight: The Arts Foundation Putting Art Where You Already Walk |
The Centennial Arts and Cultural Foundation is behind traffic box wraps, park concerts and a resident-picked mural. Its own fundraising profile lists bronze K-9 sculptures for Centennial Center Park as one of its 2026 projects. |
A profile drawn from public sources.
Have you waited at an intersection beside a wrapped traffic signal box, or caught live music at Centennial Center Park? There's a good chance the Centennial Arts and Cultural Foundation (CACF) had a hand in it.
Who they are
CACF is an independent nonprofit established in 2021. Its own Art In Our City page states plainly that it is not affiliated with the City of Centennial. According to its Colorado Gives profile, the foundation grew out of residents who saw a need to embrace the city's arts, culture and history and decided a nonprofit was the best way to do it.
The mission, in the foundation's words, is to "Celebrate, Inspire, and Connect Art and Culture in Centennial." Its website lists eight directors: Stephanie Piko, Tammy Maurer, Julie Holt, Kathy Turley, Jeff Keener, Tia Hutton, Leigh Miller and Don Sheehan.
Independent, but a partner
Not being part of city government doesn't mean working alone. The Colorado Gives profile says CACF collaborates with the City of Centennial, private-sector members and other nonprofits to bring community-driven art into public spaces.
You can see that approach in the mural beneath the Arapahoe bridge. According to the foundation's Mural Walk page, residents helped choose artist Katie Curcio's submission. That makes it a piece of public art the public itself had a say in.
A busy 2025
The foundation's Colorado Gives profile reports that in 2025, CACF:
partnered with the city to wrap additional traffic boxes;
supported the SouthGlenn Mural Fest;
collaborated with Symphony of the Rockies for live music at Centennial Center Park;
celebrated another year of Art Rocks! at the Centennial Chalk Art Festival.
That's a wide spread: painted utility boxes on everyday commutes, a mural festival, a park concert and sidewalk chalk.
Next up: bronze K-9 heroes
The foundation describes the Honoring Our K9 Heroes sculpture installation as one of its most exciting 2026 projects. Its Colorado Gives profile says two Colorado artists will create bronze sculptures of K-9 heroes Rex and Atlas. The sculptures are to be displayed at Centennial Center Park.
The same profile lists other plans for 2026: more traffic box wraps, another Symphony of the Rockies performance and the return of Art Rocks! at the Chalk Art Festival.
Curious how a box gets its art? For the 2026 round, the Art In Our City page explains that the city works with CACF to find local artists. Once the call closes, judges rank the applications.
Why it matters here
Centennial doesn't have one big downtown arts district, so suburban public art tends to turn up in ordinary places: a bridge underpass, a utility box at a light, a lawn at the city's central park. That means people run into it without planning a trip. CACF's model of residents, sponsors and city departments working together also gives neighbors a practical way to shape what that art looks like, from voting on a mural to applying as an artist.
How to connect
Explore the projects: The Art In Our City page collects the foundation's work around town.
Visit the mural: Background on the Arapahoe bridge mural is on the Mural Walk page.
Give: Donations are accepted through the foundation's Colorado Gives profile.
Where in Centennial would you most like to see the next mural, sculpture or painted box? |
27 Comments
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My grandpa was a cop with a dog so really happy about the K-9 heroes project. Hope they do a dedication day.
That's wonderful to hear, and thank you for sharing your connection. The foundation's plans for the K-9 heroes sculptures include a public installation, so a dedication day is very likely, keep an eye out for announcements.
I’d like to see more sculpture, not just murals or boxes. Maybe something near the high school entrance.
D BrooksThat's a cool idea. Sculptures catch the eye and make great landmarks. Something by the high school would really stand out for kids and families.
That's a fantastic suggestion, CACF's upcoming Honoring Our K9 Heroes bronze sculptures show they're open to public sculpture, so ideas for new locations like the high school entrance could really help shape what comes next.
Centennial isn’t big on art and culture so CACF filling the gap is huge. Will check out the Art In Our City page.
Saw the K-9 models online. They look great. Hope they’re not vandalized once installed.
Just want to thank anyone involved in wrapping those boxes. Makes my commute a little brighter.
The chalk art festival is the best. Feels like less crowds than the big Denver ones, more neighborly.
Never knew about the nonprofit, just assumed city workers did all that. Do donations go only to art projects?
Anyone know who picks the judges for artist selection? Always curious how transparent that process is.
Would love to see a wrapped box at Peoria and Arapahoe, lots of waits, could use something to look at.
I’m happy the directors are local names. Shows it’s really residents running it and not outsiders.
Not sure I want money spent on statues of dogs... I like art but hope there’s plenty of other things funded too.
Any plans for more art near the dog park on Quebec? That area could use some color!
Glad CACF is doing more Symphony of the Rockies concerts. We went last summer and it was packed.
Thank you for sharing! It's great to hear the Symphony of the Rockies performances at the park are drawing such enthusiastic crowds, CACF plans to bring them back again next year.
Centennial could use a real arts district, but I get why they do these small projects everywhere. Makes the city less boring.
The mural under Arapahoe bridge is my favorite. I remember seeing posts letting us vote on the design.
How do you apply to paint a traffic box? I’m a hobbyist and never seen the call go out.
Love public art! Never clicked that the utility boxes were wrapped by locals. My kids call them 'mystery boxes.'
Wish they’d prioritize places that look run down, not just parks. The empty lot on Smoky Hill really needs something.
Did anyone go to the SouthGlenn Mural Fest last year? Wondering if the CACF brings more artists or if it’s more neighborhood folks painting.
Bronze K-9 statues sound fun! Hope they put some info plaques about Rex and Atlas so we know their stories.
It’s cool they aren’t part of city government but still work with them. More public input is always better for stuff like murals.
We completely agree! CACF's mural beneath the Arapahoe bridge was actually chosen with community input, reflecting how public participation makes our city's art more meaningful.
I drive by the chalk art festival every year but didn't realize CACF is involved. Nice to see art popping up in places you wouldn’t expect.