Last year on the first Tuesday in September, nearly 200 local artists hid original pieces of art around the city and nearly 200 lucky people walked home with a new creative trophy. This interesting and inspiring exchange of art is called World Art Drop Day and was created by Utah-resident Jake Parker, with the goal of connecting strangers through art. And it works, even if it’s just for one day.

After a successful day last year, Denver Arts & Venues is once again calling for artists in the Mile High City to participate in this year’s World Art Drop Day — falling on September 4. “It’s a remarkably fun and positive day,” said director Kent Rice. “On the surface, it’s about having a fun time, but on a deeper level it’s about bringing people together through acts of creation, participation and contribution.”

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Parker himself dropped a piece of his own art in Denver during Art Drop Day last year while he was on a cross-country road trip. And he didn’t stop there — he created an entire video showing his experience doing it. It even includes the three people who showed up at the same time to grab his art. In the video (below) he explains his reason for doing the art drops, saying “it connects me to others, it connects other to me. It’s a way to brighten someone’s day and put a little light back into the world. And… it’s just fun.”

Denver Arts & Venues will participate again by hiding mini statues of the iconic Big Blue Bear (though the real title is “I See What You Mean” by the late Lawrence Argent) — a worthy prize for any self-respecting Denver citizen. Just stay tuned to their social media pages for clues on those bears as September draws closer.

In part because of the excitement they witnessed last year, they’ve also stepped it up a notch and have provided city councilmembers with art to hide in their districts. Those pieces of art were purchased at Access Gallery by Denver Arts & Venues — giving those artists an opportunity to share their work in a way they wouldn’t otherwise.

“It was so exciting to see the momentum that Art Drop Denver gained last year,” said Brooke Dilling of Denver Arts & Venues. “The Facebook group had almost 900 members. Last year artists went all out, some of them even hiding several pieces of art. There were Art Drop Day art making parties. People went on all-day quests to find art. The stories that we heard and saw on social media were absolutely amazing, and we hope this year will be even bigger.”

In order to participate as an artist in Denver’s Art Drop Day this year, make sure to register online, here. Then, you’ll need to print out a form to leave with your artwork, which includes a space to leave your information (like your Instagram handle) in order for the seeker to find you and to, hopefully, thank you or share their appreciation in some way. When you’re prepared to hide your art on September 4 — and not before that — make sure to post on social media with clues and with the tags #artdropday and #artdropdenver. For the seekers, be prepared to scourge social media on that first Tuesday, looking for those tags and through your favorite Denver artists’ feeds. You might just be lucky enough to go home with a fresh, original piece — for free.