Denver Community Design Festival Debuts Five Reusable Installations at Performing Arts Complex
The first-ever Denver Community Design Festival, a collaboration between Leyuan Li and the Denver Mayor's Office of Community Outreach, is scheduled from September 24 to October 7, 2026, at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Named Common Ground, the festival brings together CU Denver students, designers, city officials, and local organizations to delve into community-driven architecture. Five temporary installations, developed in partnership with community members, feature a flexible assembly system for straightforward disassembly. These installations cater to specific community needs, such as a performance stage for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition and a mobile bookstand for Empower Media Exchange. The initiative is spearheaded by the Office for Roundtable, with contributions from designers Leyuan Li and Danny Wills, alongside a CU Denver student team.
Key facts
- The inaugural Denver Community Design Festival takes place from September 24 to October 7, 2026, at the Denver Performing Arts Complex.
- The festival is titled Common Ground and is co-developed by Leyuan Li and the Denver Mayor's Office of Community Outreach.
- Five temporary installations are created in collaboration with five community-based organizations, including the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition and Empower Media Exchange.
- The installations use a flexible assembly system of wood, ratchet straps, and metal joints, designed for easy dismantling and reassembly.
- Each installation responds to the needs and stories of its partner organization, taking forms such as a performance stage, storytelling kiosk, or mobile bookstand.
- The installation for the Colorado Nepalese Community is a contemporary interpretation of a Falcha.
- After the festival, the structures will be relocated to the neighborhoods of their partner organizations for continued public use.
- The project is led by Office for Roundtable, with lead designers Leyuan Li and Danny Wills, and includes a student team from CU Denver.
Entities
Artists
- Leyuan Li
- Danny Wills
- Elaine Minjy Limmer
- Zach Kotel
- Meg Touborg
- Andrea Malta
- Santiago Aguilera Cepeda
- Camden Cramer
- Esra Hima
- Kevin Harris
- Andrew Kauffman
- Mickkail Cain
- Christina Vergopoulou
Institutions
- Denver Community Design Festival
- Denver Mayor's Office of Community Outreach
- Office for Roundtable
- CU Denver
- Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition
- Empower Media Exchange
- Colorado Nepalese Community
- Greater Denver CARES Mentoring Movement
- Lavender Hill Cultural District
- Denver Performing Arts Complex
- designboom
- The Unfound Door
Locations
- Denver
- United States
- Colorado