A collaborative mural between Fin Dac (left) and Kevin Ledo at Cheltenham.

The Denver Arts & Venues Urban Arts Fund, which started ten years ago as a graffiti prevention program, has announced its 2018 grantees.

In the mix are such locals as Anthony J. Garcia Sr. and Birdseed Collective, national artists like Shepard Fairey, and international artists including Ahmad Alwazzan, aka Balance.

The grants are divided in two categories – the traditional Urban Arts Fund Grants and the Urban Arts Fund: Engage program, now it its second year, which is designed to build community and work toward social change.

“We are excited to see the Urban Arts Fund continue to grow and expand,” says Denver Mayor Michael Hancock in a statement announcing the grantees. “The Urban Arts Fund: Engage projects are perfect examples of how Denver is dedicated to incorporating diversity, equity and inclusiveness values through our work.”

The Engage projects include a partnership with Re-Imagining Arts Worldwide (RAW) that has brought dozens of artists from Denver and around the world to paint murals at Eagleton, Cowell and Fairview elementary schools.

In 2018, the partnership expanded to include Garden Place and Cheltenham elementary schools (see Westword's photos of the 2017 RAW murals here and the 2018 murals here).

Other UAF: Engage projects involve work at methadone clinics, youth service centers, homeless shelters and more.

“Through community partnerships, UAF: Engage supports our agency’s diversity, equity and inclusiveness initiative. These efforts go beyond merely outreach,” says Tariana Navas-Nieves, Denver Arts & Venues director of cultural affairs. “It’s about commitment; it’s about engagement; it’s about amplifying the voices of the community.”

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Here is the full list of Urban Arts Fund grantees:

Melanie Kerwin, Denver

Ahmad Alwazzan, aka Balance, Kuwait

Eulalio Alvarez, aka Scotch, Manitou Springs

Yulia Avgustinovich, Lakewood

Leslie Minnis, Denver

Katerina Vuletich, Broomfield

Jerry and Jay Jaramillo (father and son), Thornton

Jason Garcia, Boulder

VSA/Access Gallery, Josiah Lopez and Javier Duran, Denver

Youth Employment Academy students, Denver

Annie Holyfield and Miguel Robledo, aka MPek, Denver

Victoriano Rivera, Centennial

Casey Kawaguchi, Denver

DINKC Galicia, Centennial

Daniel Chavez, Denver

Anthony J. Garcia Sr./Birdseed Collective, Denver

Seymon Gurule, aka UcSepia Ozjuah, Thornton

Chad Hasegawa, San Francisco

Elle Street Art, Netherlands, Australia

David Louf, aka mr.JUNE, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Mari Shibuya and Ashley Foreman, Seattle

Gina Franco, Greensboro, North Carolina

Rahmann Barnes, Chicago

Donald Rissler and Kara Higgins, Seattle

And here are this year's UAF: Engage artists:

Jonathan Lamb, Denver

Pipsqueak Was Here!, Amsterdam

Shepard Fairey, Los Angeles

The London Police, Amsterdam

David Louf, aka mr.JUNE, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Trek 6, Asheville, North Carolina

Luis Berros, Miami

Amanda Valdes, Miami

JC Rivera, Chicago

Otto Schade, Concepcion, Chile

Bikismo, Arecibo, Puerto Rico

Birdo, Toronto

Jazz Guetta, Los Angeles

FL Mngo, Miami

Dean McKeever, Boston

Kevin Ledo, Montreal

FinDAC, London

Word to Mother, London

Eric Skotnes, Los Angeles

INO, Athens, Greece

Paola Delfin, Mexico City

Dale Grimshaw, London

Zeus, London

Kai, Los Angeles

Santiago Rubino, Miami

Belove, Denver

Frank Garza, Denver