The 20th anniversary of Art on the Streets was celebrated June 14 with an opening VIP reception at the Pioneers Museum attended by sponsors, donors and a number of the artists.

Seventeen new works are displayed throughout downtown, all pinpointed with all public art on a new Downtown Colorado Springs Public Art Map. Look here for historic bronzes, sculptures, murals, monuments and signal box art.

In the words of Downtown Partnership CEO Susan Edmondson, great cities have great downtowns, and great downtowns have great art. It’s on the map, part of downtown walking tours, on a self-guided walking tour Otocast app, subject of a limited-edition book and on the new labels of Local Relic beer.

The 2018 public art jury of Joy Armstrong and Rodney Wood selected the large salvaged steel “Iscariot” by Trace O’Connor of Fort Collins for the $10,000 top prize. Speechless Wood could say only it is “friggin’ great.”

Second place went to the giant cat with a bird on its head, “You, Light as a Cloud,” by Byeong Doo Moon, whose giant deer from 2017 received the People’s Choice Award and was purchased for permanent display at South Cascade and East Colorado avenues.

Awards also went to Nikki Pike and Thomas Dodds for “Musical Churn” and Kasia Polkowska and Kyle Cunniff for “Chipeta-Mai.”

Other artists whose work was chosen for the new display: Jody Bliss, Justin Deister, Neil Fenton and Nathaniel Baker, Scott Froschauer, Jimmy Descant, Steven Durow, Kyle Ocean, Yoshitomo Saito and a solar box by Sara Madandar, Christina Coleman and Jieun Beth Kim.

Founding sponsor of Art on the Streets is U.S. Bank. Other top sponsors: Nor’wood Development Group, H. Chase Stone Trust, GE Johnson Construction Co., Colorado Creative Industries, Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region, El Pomar Foundation, The Mining Exchange and Downtown Legacy Fund.

Donors are recognized on plaques accompanying the art.