Standing outside the Colorado Convention Center, on 14th Street between California and Stout in Denver, is a 40-foot (12.192 meters) Blue Bear Sculpture that peers into the center's windows.
The official name for the sculpture is "I See What You Mean," and it is a popular Denver Public Art sculpture that has been peering into those windows since 2005.
Sculpted by artist Lawrence Argent, the structure is clad in polymer-concrete and depicts an American black bear standing on its hind legs, peering into the Convention Center's lobby. Argent's decision to sculpt a bear was based on the wildlife native to the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The black bear is the only species of bear currently found in the mountain range, and is seen by many as a symbol of the region. According to Wikipedia, Argent was inspired specifically by a newspaper photo of a bear peering through someone's window, which he stated "resonated with him."
Artist Lawrence Argent did not originally intend the bear sculpture, made of steel, polymer, and concrete, to be vividly blue! In fact, the blue color was a complete accident. Originally, the bear was going to reflect the colors of Colorado in shades of sandstone, but a printing error for its prototype showed Argent just how remarkable this piece could be in a bold hue, reflecting Denver's deep blue skies.
Inside the wonderful History Colorado Center, there is a smaller replica of the Big Blue Bear peering in a window that children can stand in front of in an exhibit called "Denver A to Z."
My grandchildren are almost all teenagers now, but they loved to visit this very "hands-on" museum when they were little, and this photo collage shows three of them excited to stand in front of the bear.
Blue sculptures in Denver seem to be a theme... a few months ago, I blogged about another iconic giant blue sculpture of a Mustang that stands along the road as one approaches or departs Denver International Airport in this post.
In the History Colorado Center is a colorful replica of the "Welcome to Colorful Colorado" road sign that greet travelors of as they cross into Colorado from over 3 dozen major highway locations. These signs have greeted visitors since 1950!
There are many wonderful places to visit in Denver--I hope you'll come for a visit someday soon!
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