Artist Ken Marley working on “Sunset over the Northside” at Little Man Ice Cream in LoHi.
New mural in LoHi pays homage to the culture and history of North Denver
DENVER (June 14, 2022) — Little Man Ice Cream is proud to announce the unveiling of a new mural behind the LoHi ice cream shop (2620 16th St. Denver, CO 80211). The mural was created by Chicano artist Ken Marley, professionally known in the arts community as Aqua One, who is also the father of Little Man Ice Cream Assistant General Manager Kenny Marley. To celebrate the unveiling of the mural, Little Man Ice Cream will host a special “Meet the Artist” event on Thursday, June 23 from 7 to 9 p.m. The celebration, which is an homage to North Denver, includes an introduction from Ken Marley, live music by the local Los Mocochetes band, a pop-up Denver Fashion Truck owned by North Denver’s Desiree and Adrian Barragan, and, of course, Little Man ice cream!
“Our patio has always offered itself as a community center for the neighborhood and now we have a beautiful art piece to reflect those aspirations,” says Kenny of Little Man Ice Cream. “I’m so thrilled to see my dad’s artwork displayed and shared with the rest of Denver. It will definitely resonate with any local that comes by!”
Having grown up in North Denver, Ken Sr. has long admired the St. Patrick Mission Church in lower Highland. Featuring Mission Revival architecture, a 19th century movement inspired by the Spanish Colonial mission heritage of California, the St. Patrick Mission Church was built in 1907 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. When Little Man Ice Cream asked Ken to paint a mural that would celebrate the rich, cultural history of North Denver through his point of view, he looked no further than the church at 3325 Pecos St. where his friends and family have gotten married or said goodbye to their loved ones.
The mural, called “Sunset over the Northside,” features the St. Patrick Mission Church facing east during a beautiful Sunday Colorado sunset with local cruisers in low rider vintage cars cruising the neighborhood in the foreground.
“My style and approach to this specific mural is expressive Chicano art,” says Marley. “My shapes are originally inspired by the Aztec calendar and symbols turned into my own unique typography. I began including these shapes and symbols into representational imagery, such as the sky, church and the car. Even my brush strokes, colors, and shapes have very expressive characteristics. The goal was to combine all these concepts into a very visually compelling piece.”
Head over to Little Man Ice Cream in LoHi on Thursday, June 23 to take in the new mural, meet the artist, and enjoy what the Northside has to offer.
“This piece was truly the most significant and meaningful piece of my career. I poured my heart and soul into it,” says Ken. “With this mural I wanted to bless the neighborhood I grew up in with some real art that is important and relevant.”
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ABOUT LITTLE MAN ICE CREAM COMPANY
The Little Man Ice Cream Company was founded in 2008 with the launch of Little Man Ice Cream, a 28-foot tall milk can-shaped shop in Denver’s Lower Highland neighborhood. Inspired by vintage Coney Island hot dog stands, the shop serves as a community hub hosting a wide array of seasonal celebrations, fundraisers, and programming throughout the summer including weekly, live music, swing dancing, and bingo.
Since its founding, Little Man Ice Cream Company has focused on crafting micro-batch ice cream and sorbet with some of the finest, locally sourced ingredients possible and produced one small batch at a time to ensure premium quality. The company sells its ice cream through more than 45 wholesale clients as well as its six stores including the original Little Man, Sweet Cooie’s, Constellation, The Factory, Old Town Churn, and DANG Soft Serve. It is also available at Denver International Airport’s Little Man Ice Cream on Concourse C.
Committed to community improvement and global philanthropy, Little Man fights hunger through its “Scoop for Scoop” initiative. For every scoop of ice cream the shop sells, one scoop of rice or beans is donated to villages in developing countries. Donations have been made in Ethiopia, Kenya, Myanmar, Senegal, Haiti, Cambodia, Guatemala, and Peru. Little Man is equally committed to fighting hunger at home and works with Colorado food banks, farmers, and homeless shelters to provide relief. Since opening, the shop has donated over ten million scoops, making all who buy ice cream at Little Man philanthropists in their own right. For more information about the Little Man Ice Cream Company visit www.littlemanicecream.com.