Tag Archive for: local art

Pulse Collaborates with Local Artist Amelia Furman

When thinking about Pulse’s commitment to connecting the community, the first thing that may come to mind is that it’s the Fastest Internet in Colorado, or our commitment to volunteerism, but there’s another thing that Pulse does to connect the community; we support local!

A recent example that we’re excited about was teaming up with local artist Amelia Furman. Amelia is a Loveland based artist who creates collaborative art. In 2023, Amelia was featured at the Colorado Broadband Office’s BEAD Press Conference, held here in Loveland at Forge Campus.

The Creative Process

At the event, Amelia invited the attendees to participate in a collaborative art piece to commemorate the occasion. During the event, Pulse employees and community members drew dots paired with a number on a canvas.

“I love collaborations and community connecting types of projects, and this seemed to fit perfectly,” said Amelia when asked about why she decided to work with Pulse on the piece.

After the event Amelia took the canvas back to her studio and began connecting the dots. She then brought a vision to life by overlaying various pieces of paper material that connected with Pulse. These included drawings of fiber, pictures of internet pioneers, the Pulse logo and more.

After this Amelia continued with her unique art style where she painted over the other layers of the piece. The lower layers of  the piece continued to show through in some spots as the art began to look more like a traditional painting. The painted overlay is of an aspen grove that Amelia says is inspired by Colorado forests. The aspen grove was chosen because when Amelia began researching fiber lines, the thin, illuminative pieces of glass that deliver internet via pulses of light reminded her of the famous trees. Similarly, each individual aspen grove is one singular organism, all connected and intertwined.

Community Focus

Much like Pulse, Amelia’s art is often focused on community. She does a plethora of community projects including one that she is just finishing up for the House of Neighborly Services in Loveland.  Amelia believes in the power of community coming together and supporting each other.

“If there’s no heart and no soul in the community in the form of creativity and beauty, then it’s not a place you’re going to want to hang out,” said Amelia.

With Pulse moving into a new office, we have the unique opportunity to create a space that is both practical and comfortable. For that reason, the art will be hung in our new office as a reminder of our commitment to the spectacular community we serve.

New AIPP Artwork Maintenance Reserve made possible with Pulse support

A much-needed artwork maintenance reserve for the City’s public art collection became a reality this past August thanks to the collaboration between the City’s Arts In Public Places (AIPP) program and Loveland Pulse, the City’s high-speed internet service provider.

Mark Dedecker works to maintain and restore artwork through Loveland’s Art in Public Places program.

AIPP is funded by the 1% contribution from all City of Loveland capital projects of $50,000 or more. The additional revenue from the Loveland Pulse project will support the reserve starting in 2023.

According to Susan Ison, director of cultural services for the City of Loveland, the City has needed a maintenance reserve of this nature for more than 20 years.

 

“The expense of annual maintenance grows as new pieces are donated or purchased,” said Ison. “The additional funding from the Pulse project is significant—and helps confirm that we can finally make this option a reality for Loveland.”

 

In January, the Visual Arts Commission (VAC) approved a proposal from Joe Bernosky, director of Loveland Water and Power, to defer Pulse payments to 2023. This approval allows Pulse to retain the 1% funds during initial construction years so the utility can get further with construction faster, have more flexibility and contingency with the project, and offer additional value-add services to customers.

Pulse will contribute approximately $700,000 to the AIPP Artwork Maintenance Reserve by 2029. The reserve will set aside revenue for the future that is earmarked for maintenance of the City’s growing and diverse art collection, which sits at 513 pieces today. The current maintenance budget is $75,000 per year.

“This is truly a win-win for Loveland,” said Bernosky. “Pulse will bring educational, commercial, and artistic benefits to citizens throughout the community and even greater (and possibly unknown) benefits in the future. We are grateful for the collaboration to support both Loveland’s public art and its trusted new utility.”

The new AIPP Artwork Maintenance Reserve has been created thanks to Pulse support. It will add more funding to maintain the city’s public art collection.

 

One key benefit of this fund – more dollars to maintain and plan for unexpected deterioration or vandalism of the complete collection, including the well-loved and well-used Benson Sculpture Park with 160+ sculptures on display.

 

“Loveland’s public art collection is one of the best in the nation, and thanks to Pulse, we have confidence we will be able to keep up the caliber of maintenance needed on an ongoing basis,” said Maryjo Morgan, Visual Arts Commissioner. “Not only is Pulse supporting our public art collection, but the utility is also adding value to the community by bringing affordable, dependable internet services to our residents and business when we need it most.”