Announcing 2016 Downtown Denver Prototyping Festival, Open Call for Projects to Support Strengthening Vitality of the 16th Street Mall

DENVER (April 1, 2016) – The Downtown Denver Partnership and Downtown Denver Business Improvement District announced today the 2016 Prototyping Festival, an opportunity for the community to submit prototype ideas to make the 16th Street Mall a more vibrant public space. The Prototyping Festival is a component of The Mall Experiencean ongoing collaboration with the City and County of Denver and involving the Regional Transportation District, that aims to bring more people to the Mall and encourage them to stay longer. Community members spanning all walks of culture, practice and discipline are encouraged to submit creative proposals for the Prototyping Festival that are sustainable, engaging and create a unique sense of place along the Mall.

The Prototyping Festival, to be held July 23-24, is an opportunity to experiment with ideas for public spaces, and showcase ideas for how participatory design, art and technology can create connections and greater ownership of public spaces and how they are used. Accepted submissions will receive a $2,500 stipend to support project creation and installation.

“The 16th Street Mall is one of our most vital public spaces, and we are focused on ensuring its future as an authentic, self-sustaining place that is supported by the entire community,” says John Desmond, executive vice president of downtown environment for the Downtown Denver Partnership. “We encourage the entire community, including artists, designers, entrepreneurs and all those interested in ensuring the vibrancy of the Mall to submit their ideas for installations that can transform the visitor experience Downtown.”

Accepted submissions will be showcased during the final weekend of Meet in the Street, which returns for five consecutive weekends this summer, beginning June 25. Analysis of Meet in the Street, including the Prototyping Festival, will help hone in on long-term changes to the Mall and adjacent sites following an initial report and recommendations from Gehl Studio released earlier this year. This is the third year of Meet in the Street, which is funded by the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District.

The application process will be open from April 1 through May 15, 2016. Accepted submissions will be notified by June 1. The application and additional details are available at downtowndenver.com.

The Partnership will co-host an information session on April 5 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at The Commons on Champa (1245 Champa St., Denver) on the Prototyping Festival, Meet in the Street, and other opportunities to support strategic planning efforts for Downtown including The Next Stage and The Outdoor Downtown.

Additional details about activation programs to make Downtown Denver a premier summer destination, will be announced later this spring.

For more information visit www.downtowndenver.com.

About the Downtown Denver Partnership
The Downtown Denver Partnership, Inc. partners with public, private and non-profit entities to implement high-impact strategies, outlined in the organization’s long-term strategy the 2007 Downtown Area Plan, to support its vision for an economically healthy, growing and vital Downtown Denver. For more information, visit www.downtowndenver.com.

About The Downtown Denver Business Improvement District
The Downtown Denver Business Improvement District (BID) is a public organization funded by private commercial property owners. It strives to provide a clean, safe and vibrant Downtown environment for workers, residents and visitors. Through their annual assessments to this quasi-governmental entity, BID property owners fund a series of district-wide programs that enhance Downtown Denver, including cleaning and maintenance efforts, safety initiatives and targeted visitor marketing. The BID is an independent organization that contracts with the Downtown Denver Partnership to manage its work program. For more information, visit www.downtowndenver.com/about-the-bid.
 

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Contact: Brea Olson
[email protected]
03.775.4712