For Boulder-based artist and educator Lee Heekin, Be the Spark began with a simple connection. A dinner conversation led to Christina Carlson, CEO of Urban Peak, visiting Heekin's studio. This introduction then turned into an invitation to tour Urban Peak's newly completed Denver campus, known as The Mothership, and imagine what a collaborative installation could look like inside.
Urban Peak is the only non-profit organization in Denver that provides a full convergence of services from shelter, housing, education, and healthcare, to youth aged 12–24 experiencing homelessness.
Heekin said the tour shifted her understanding of what a shelter can be, describing the building as “incredible” and noting how much it offers. She was especially inspired by Urban Peak's goal to not just provide a place to stay, but to help young people build stability and move forward.
From the start, Heekin wanted the youth at Urban Peak to shape the work. She organized three intentionally open-ended workshops, knowing participation would vary from person to person. “I left it very open,” she said, explaining that some youth were excited to create, while others were quieter or simply needed rest.
The group worked with alcohol ink on plexiglass, materials Heekin chose to encourage experimentation. The workshops focused on exploring, making, and talking through what the installation could offer the community.
The finished piece lives on the third floor of the shelter, designed first and foremost for residents and staff. Built from rotating wooden blocks mounted on a rebar structure, the installation is constructed and ordered by a grid, a necessary framework given the varied uses of color and approaches that emerged through the workshops. Heekin often revisits the grid in her work, and this piece is consistent with those themes. The work needed to be interactive, but also durable enough to last in a high-use environment.
Be The Spark also incorporates photographs by John Johnson Photography, a longtime Urban Peak volunteer and artist, whose images Heekin integrated into the wooden block elements. Donor names are also included, but engraved with restraint. “We didn't want it to be a big donor piece,” she said, so the recognition is present without overpowering the installation itself.
Shopworks Architecture's trauma-informed design shaped the approach as well. Heekin said she learned the building was designed with careful attention to safety and comfort, from the layout to the materials; these details influenced how the artwork was built and installed.
While the installation isn't meant as a public exhibit, Heekin's hope in sharing the project more widely is to bring attention to Urban Peak's work. Despite recent funding challenges, the organization continues to support youth through housing, resources, and pathways forward.
The piece will also continue to grow. As more youth come through Urban Peak, new workshops will add new elements, allowing Be The Spark to keep evolving alongside the community it serves.
Those interested in supporting Urban Peak can learn more at UrbanPeak.org/Support.
For more on Lee Heekin's mixed media work, including commissions, visit LeeHeekin.com. Walker Fine Art Gallery currently represents her; learn more at WalkerFineArt.com.