Basalt Public Arts Commission (BPAC)

The Basalt Public Arts Commission, commonly known as BPAC, was established in 2015 by the Basalt Town Council to act as a formal advisory board on public art matters within the Town.  BPAC is also tasked with exploring and cultivating partnerships that can support the implementation of the Town's arts goals, reviewing and making recommendations on financing for public art, acting as a referral agency on development applications when appropriate, and working with the Town's other committees and boards to help further the goals and objectives of the Basalt Master Plan.  

BPAC may consist of up to nine total members.  At least three of the BPAC members shall be Town of Basalt residents.  Prospective members must have a strong interest in the arts, a desire to work with the Town of Basalt to promote public art in various forms, and be available to attend monthly meetings that may occur in person or via Zoom.  The Commission will also meet occasionally with Basalt Town Council to discuss work plan items and budget requests.

Those interested in BPAC are asked to attend a couple of meetings, after which current BPAC members will make a recommendation, and prospective members will be interviewed and appointed by Town Council.   BPAC currently has four members and welcomes more!  If you are interested please contact Sara Nadolny at 970-279-8112 or at sara.nadolny@basalt.net.

Ordinance No. 5, Series of 2015 approving BPAC as a Committee of the Town of Basalt can be found here.

2023 Projects & Programs.  
BPAC facilitates several projects and programs every year.  This year BPAC has engaged in the following:

Call to Artists.  BPAC is excited to announce a Call to Artists for a permanent sculpture at the Basalt River Park.  The Basalt River Park has been undergoing significant changes over the past couple of years, and is finally nearing its completion.  The park boasts a beautiful great lawn and is interwoven with walking trail and river access.  A bandshell will be constructed in the coming months that will make the River Park a truly unique Basalt experience.  

The sculpture that is the subject of the Call to Artists will be placed in a designated location between the Free Range restaurant building and the great lawn, as further outlined in the materials.  Submissions were accepted through November 15, 2022.  

BPAC received six River Park Sculpture submissions.  Click on the name of the artist below to view their submission.  

The submissions are currently under review and BPAC expects to bring a recommendation to Town Council in January 2023.  The sculpture is anticipated to be added to the park during the summer of 2023.

Ice Sculptures.  In January ice sculptures returned to Basalt for the second year.  The theme of this year's sculptures was Objects of Nature.  Sculptures were created by Carbondale artist Thomas Barlow and Front Range artists from Colorado Ice Works.  A live demonstration was held by Barlow at Arbaney Park where visitors had the opportunity to watch a beautiful snowflake scene come to life.  This year's sculptures included:

  •  Rainbow trout which lived for a very short time at the Basalt Regional Library; 
  • Colorado bluebird outside of Alpine Bank;
  • Pinecone outside of The Arts Campus at Willits (TACAW);
  • Snowflakes at Arbaney Park (live demo by Thomas Barlow).

Annual BPAC Grant Program.  Since 2018 BPAC has offered a yearly small grant program to artists and organizations as a way to encourage the arts as a central role in the social and economic fabric of the Basalt community and to explore partnerships with artists that can support the implementation of the Town's art goals.  This year's grant recipients include Challenge America, TACAW, Aspen Strong, and Art Base.