Installation Art 101

Eleven Colorado high schools are taking part in “Design and Build 2004,” an annual program sponsored by the Denver-based Museum of Outdoor Arts which is designed to give students a chance to experience firsthand the challenges of designing, building, and installing a major piece of public art. The students create “technical drawings, topographical maps and conceptual statements” of their proposed installations, then consult with the museum on feasibility, cost, and other minutiae. Finally, their fully constructed works are mounted at various high-profile sites throughout the Denver metro, with all the attendant fanfare of a “professional” installation.