The streets of downtown Denver are a little brighter thanks to a new mural commissioned and funded by the Denver Art Museum (DAM) and Bellco Credit Union. The mural—located at 15th and Market in downtown Denver—was created by Denver muralists Jaime Molina and Pedro Barrios to celebrate DAM’s Free for Kids program and a new two-year partnership with Bellco.

The Free for Kids program, which launched in March 2015, encourages kids and families to visit the DAM by offering youth ages 18 and under free general admission to the museum every day, as well as $5 youth admission to special ticketed exhibitions (like Star Wars and the Power of Costume).

The partnership with Bellco adds additional support to the existing program, including enhanced learning opportunities and materials for youth, plus funding for outreach to underserved communities.

To commemorate the occasion, children from Swansea Elementary and their families gathered at the museum to create a replica mural alongside the artists.

The concept for the mural was directly influenced by the artists’ visits to the museum. “Watching my own kids experience the interactive spaces really shaped our idea of what kind of story we wanted to tell,” says Molina. “The mural narrative is a grownup teaching a child how to create and build, and embodies the power of showing a child how to create and then giving them the freedom to run wild with it.”

The mural is nearly complete, so be sure to swing by and catch a glimpse of the final product before your next visit to the museum.

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