Art on the Corner Provides Historic Look into Grand Valley Creations

Written By: Will Locascio, Art and Entertainment editor

Photos by: Olivia Palaez

An array of fascinating art and entertainment has been covered on this publication in the last few editions, and what would an editorial on art in the Grand Valley be without highlighting some of the sculptures scattered throughout Grand Junction and along the city’s main street? In 1984, Grand Junction established its Art on the Corner exhibition, the concept was brought to city council by a local sculptor named Dave Davis in collaboration with a handful of other local sculptors and artists.

Art on the Corner was one of the first established outdoor sculpture exhibits to be placed lining the main street of a town and it has brought a significant amount of enjoyment to the community as well as becoming a historical and cultural tourist attraction for appreciators of Colorado local art. 

Amongst the statue exhibition, some of the famous standout pieces include a reflective chrome buffalo titled, “Chrome on the Range,” by Lou Wille, a commemorative piece to Grand Junction’s railroad system titled, “End of the Line,” by Harlan Mosher, and favorites of the general public, “Puffed Up Price,” by Gary Price and “Big Drop Five,” by Alvin Sessions.

“Big Drop Five,” is a sculpture on Fifth and Main St. that is a bike built from steel beams and welded together,  the wheels are made from large cogs. This piece pays tribute to the avid biking culture in the Grand Valley, and could have a deeper meaning for the creator himself. Sessions did not want to be quoted on his work for Art on the Corner, but voiced his appreciation that the community has received quite a bit of joy from the large bike, such as moments of young children climbing up on the huge bike to have their picture taken. 

“Puffed Up Prince,” is a joyful sculpture of a fully inflated bullfrog donning a sharp prince’s crown, also placed near the corner of Fifth and Main St. in downtown Grand Junction. The creator of this piece is Gary Price, a famed sculptor from Utah, though his art pieces are dotted throughout the entire world from right here in Grand Junction to the Hong Kong Central Library. The inspiration for this piece came to Prince through the creative outlet of a separate piece portraying Mark Twain, Huck Finn, and Becky Thatcher. Price wanted Mark Twain to have a bullfrog leaping from his pocket, so he ordered a jumping frog to inspire his creation. Price said, “Every time I (touched) that frog he would puff up with air, maybe as a defense mechanism. Coincidentally, at the time I also had some of my kid’s softballs in the studio sitting on the ground. I was looking at these balls and looking at the frog and thought, ‘wouldn’t that be cool if I did a frog puffed up into a round ball shape?’ That is how the Puffed Up Prince was birthed.” 

Price went on to describe how he only created the Puffed Up Prince for fun, never expecting it to be sellable, and it still reigns as one of his most popular pieces now. 

The joy that Art on the Corner has brought to the community is tangible as well within the artists who helped bring it to life. Price has traveled the world through his craft and created, taught, and guided the world into his own canvas to create and construct pieces for everyone to enjoy and observe. When asked what his years of travel and artistic exploration have taught him and opened his eyes to, Price said, “Life is about relationships. We are all connected so much deeper, so much more intrinsically than we can even imagine. Everywhere I go, it doesn’t matter where it is, life is about relationships. The most important thing is the connections we make with each other, the connections I’ve made through doing my art and connecting with cool people.” 

Price still sculpts and practices his craft to this day out of his work studio in Utah. He also conducts workshops on the topics of creation and manifestation, teaching how sculpting an ideal concept that one wants to bring into their life could help make that idea tangible and reachable. 

Art on the Corner is a piece of Grand Valley art that will truly stand the test of time, sculptures for the community that will remain as staples of the community for long after this generation has come and gone.