People’s Bridge of the Sun is an immersive public artwork by David Ocelotl Garcia that transforms the 51st Avenue bridge at Denver’s National Western Center into a layered expression of community, history, and place. Ceramic, bronze, cement, glass, and steel come together across the 250-foot-long installation, surrounding visitors with color, texture, symbolic imagery, and forms inspired by the natural world.

The artwork connects the Mexican heritage of the Globeville and Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods with the larger environment and the history of the First Nations of this land. Sculptural trees, hand-shaped metal leaves, ceramic self-portraits, monumental bronze faces, and mosaic-accented concrete forms reflect the belief that people come from many cultural, spiritual, and ethnic backgrounds while remaining part of one shared community.

Community participation is embedded throughout the work. Hundreds of children and adults contributed hand tracings, portraits, and ideas, working alongside artists, designers, and fabricators from across the country. Completed in 2022, the bridge creates both a physical connection across the South Platte River and a lasting gathering place that links the past, present, and future through collective creativity and human connection.

Watch the People’s Bridge of the Sun installation video
Watch the project documentary with David Ocelotl Garcia