Art is everywhere in Grand Junction. It’s hard to miss on the street corners downtown and around the CMU campus, but it’s even in City Hall. The City of Grand Junction Commission on Arts and Culture has been working hard to get art into many of the buildings downtown.

According to the City of Grand Junction Commission on Arts and Culture’s website, they have over ten galleries for art. Most are located downtown, but some stretch all the way out to Palisade.

“They change every three months and are mostly 2-D art, but sometimes there is 3-D,” Dr. Gisela Flanigan said.

The City of Grand Junction Commission on Arts and Culture is chosen by the Grand Junction City Council. Each member specializes in a certain area of the arts. Dr. Flanigan is a pianist who has played in three countries as well as at DePaul University and Duke University.

“There are always new people on the Commission on Arts and Culture, but we always try to expand the word of arts,” Flanigan said.

This last Friday, the Commission on Arts and Culture hosted an event called 1st Annual Grand Valley Creative Writing Contest, along with their First Friday art display. Students ranging from second to 12th grade submitted writings on the topic, “What art means to me.”

“This is our first year,” Dr. Flanigan said. “We are looking to raise the awareness about the arts.”

Students that won the event read their pieces at the event and were recorded as part of their prize.

“The event is in celebration of National Arts and Humanities month,” Flanigan said. “This is going on all throughout the country.”

The City of Grand Junction Commission on Arts and Culture also connects artists to other groups in the community. There is a page on the City of Grand Junction Commission on Arts and Culture website detailing groups and spaces available for artists to connect with.

The current exhibit at City Hall features paintings by Jera Gross and photography by Derrick Ballard.