LOVELAND, Colo. — This year's Denver Pride will feature an ambitious art installation designed to spark conversation and encourage community members to put the finishing touches on the piece by painting banners.
Titled “Hearts on Fire,” the 17-foot-tall metal and glass sculpture is the vision of Loveland-based artists Monica Hsu and Drew “Torchmouth” Hsu. They stepped in to fill a spot left by another artist, beginning a months-long journey that has involved countless hours of planning, teamwork, and community collaboration.
"The energy that it takes to pull something like this off is insane," Drew said, reflecting on the size of the task ahead.
With the installation estimated to weigh in at 10,000 pounds, the artists faced a significant challenge.
"We found out that we were doing this project at the end of March, and so it's just been a lot of sleepless nights ever since then," Monica said.
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Monica and Drew own and operate Snakeblood LLC, a Loveland-based production company that has produced monumental metal sculptures for venues like Colorado State University, Meow Wolf, and Burning Man.
Both artists agree that the project’s scale required a robust support system.
"You need your electricians. You need your structural engineers. You need your structural welders and transport, grinding, grunt work, people to provide meals, drinks, make sure we’re still alive," Monica and Drew explained.
They are not alone; the artists have enlisted a team of almost 20, drawing members from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Here's the team:
- Monica Hsu - Lead artist
- Drew "Torchmouth" Hsu - Lead artist
- Graham White - Foreman
- Stanley Williams - Foreman
- Michael Weakley - Robotics engineer
- Casey - Engineer/welder
- Bones Belfontaine - Engineer/welder
- Creigan Wray - Electrical engineer
- Amanda Wray - Welder
- Jason Santiago - Painter
- Christian Nyzio - Welder
- Erin Jane - Welder
- Mark "The Welder" Murray - Welder
- Skylar Bach - Glass blower
- Xilla Koblinski - Transportation
- Baer - Painter
- Lindsay Walker - Painter
- Deborah Dohrmann - Painter
- Cassie Straub - Painter
As they designed the structure, Monica and Drew envisioned an installation that symbolizes unity.
“It kind of exemplifies, or demonstrates, how we each as individuals, coming from different backgrounds, we could join together and form a community,” Drew said.
The centerpiece of “Hearts on Fire” is designed as a "Tree of Life," featuring intricate branches that curl into heart shapes. In addition, attendees at Denver Pride will be invited to participate in the installation by painting banners on the roots of the sculpture.
“We bring people together to actually get it done, and then once it’s done, it draws people in,” Drew said.
Both artists hope that the installation will initiate conversations and promote understanding among individuals, particularly those who might not see eye-to-eye.
"The people that hate Pride are going to be watching and what kind of message can we send to these people that are actively hating this community?" Monica said. "Maybe we have a lot more in common than we’re led to believe."
As they prepare for the unveiling, the emotions run high.
“It’s really exciting and really scary, but we have a huge, epic community that has come to our aid, and thank goodness, because we wouldn’t have been able to accept this project without them,” Monica said.
You can see the sculpture on June 28 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and June 29 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Civic Center Park. The banner painting will take place on Saturday, June 28.
