"Art Ignites Change”
Art makes people feel represented, fosters community ties, and gives people a sense of ownership and belonging in their neighborhoods- Jane Golden
I See What You Mean, Lawrence Argent
The 40-foot tall Blue Bear, designed by Lawrence Argent, is formally named “I See What You Mean™, 2005”. The Bear can be found peering into the Colorado Convention Center and has become a favorite of tourists and locals alike. Argent felt it essential to focus on what it is like to be a resident in Denver when a convention is taking place. “I’m always interested in what might be going on in there, the exchange of information, ideas, and ideologies, but there’s never really any indication from the outside of what’s going on inside.” -Argent
See
Studies show that investments in public art can improve street safety, provide tourism and new jobs, and combat social isolation and anxiety. Look at these iconic sculptures in American Cities. Can you recognize the city by its artwork?
Say
The Colorado Convention Center’s Blue Bear, known as I See What You Mean, has not only become one of the iconic symbols of the Colorado Convention Center but also an iconic symbol of the city itself.
Notice the scale, geometric planes, and intense blue color that make up the bear. How do you think these aspects help to create the mood of this sculpture?
What feeling would this sculpture evoke if it was realistic in size, color, and texture? Would it have become a city icon?
Imagine this curious bear coming to life after dark. What do you think he would do, and where would he go?
Do
Learn more about the Public Art above and where to find each one.
About Lawrence Argent
Lawrence Argent (January 24, 1957 – October 4, 2017) was a visual artist known for his public artwork; I See What You Mean, installed at the Colorado Convention Center.
Argent was born on January 24, 1957, in Essex, England, and grew up in Australia. He studied art at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia and received his MFA in 1986 from the Rinehart School of Sculpture at the Maryland Institute, College of Art, in Baltimore, Maryland.
Argent accepted a teaching position at the University of Denver School of Art and Art History in 1993. He created a number of public artworks, photographs, and installations, including Cojones (1999), Library of Applause (1994), Whispers (2002), and three of his more visible pieces, I See What You Mean (2004) at the Colorado Convention Center, Leap (2011) at the Sacramento International Airport, and I am here (2014) in Chengdu, China. Argent was at the forefront of a movement known as digital sculpting, using "computer-aided design software to create sculptures with once-impractical whorls, warps, swirls, and bends." Argent died on October 4, 2017. The cause was cardiac arrest.
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