Pueblo Urban Renewal Authority announces new public art installation at Walk of Legends Park

Justin Reutter, Pueblo Chieftain
·3 min read

The Pueblo Urban Renewal Authority announced a new public art installation at the Walk of Legends Park in the heart of Pueblo.

Coined "the Oasis," the public art installation, created by Jean and Tom Latka of Latka Studios, depicts the cottonwood tree, one of the most environmentally and culturally significant trees in Colorado, PURA officials said in a news release.

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, the release stated, citing the Colorado Encyclopedia.

The "Oasis" mosaic mural created by artists Jean and Tom Latka can be seen at the Walk of Legends Park in downtown Pueblo.
The "Oasis" mosaic mural created by artists Jean and Tom Latka can be seen at the Walk of Legends Park in downtown Pueblo.

Located on the west side of the Pueblo Convention Center parking garage adjacent to Central Main Street, the “Oasis” mosaic mural is made up of 1,300, 12-by-12-inch vitrified ceramic tiles. Each tile was hand-painted then fired in a kiln.

"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," PURA officials said in the release.

The mural was paid for by the Levert W. Hoag foundation, said Andrea DelaGarza, a spokesperson for PURA.

“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.

The artists worked in 10-by-4-foot increments in their locally owned studio and used a numbering system to achieve accurate installation of the large-scale mural. Each tile was numbered and linked to the rendering of the art piece to provide spatial precision.

The 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.

The Pueblo Convention Center is located near the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk, which broke ground last week on its Phase IV expansion.

While the timing was coincidental, the mural is part of the same project under the Regional Tourism Act, according to DelaGarza.

The fourth phase of the expansion project features a channel extension from Gateway Park eastward toward Santa Fe Avenue.

Additionally, Historic Arkansas Riverwalk of Pueblo officials plan to build a new boathouse in Gateway Park near the Pueblo Convention Center. The building will have three garage bays to dock excursion boats, the gondola, and pedalboats to protect them from weather and vandalism. The first floor will also hold a guest center where visitors can learn about the Riverwalk and purchase snacks, drinks, and boat tickets.

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Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @jayreutter1. Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: New cottonwood tree art mosaic installed at Walk of Legends Park