A vibrant loop of suitcases, backpacks and even a Jokić jersey now hangs from the ceiling in DIA at the end of Concourse B.
Denver International Airport welcomed “It’s Not What You Take, It’s What You Bring Back” by Thomas “Detour” Evans into its collection on Jan. 22.
The sculpture, constructed using 183 donated bags, is painted with yellows, oranges, and blues to represent the colors of the rising and setting sun.
The shape of the sculpture imitates the up-and-down path of takeoff and landing.
“The design concept was inspired by my upbringing,” he said. “My dad was a West Point graduate, so we traveled everywhere.”
Plus, the artist went on his own travels in adulthood, including a massively influential seven- or eight-month volunteer trip to Tanzania that he took in his early 30s.
“That was a really a big [trip] for me,” Detour said. “I always traveled, but that was the first time traveling on my own.”
In Tanzania, he said, his eyes were opened to a new way of life. When he came home, he decided to go all-in on his dream of becoming an artist.
“There, it's like, you make a mistake and it can count against you for the rest of your life,” he said. “But out here you can fail a test and still take it again. You can decide to be a doctor at 50, go to medical school, that type of thing. So I was like, ‘If I fail, it's not a big deal.’”
The opposite of failing
Detour is a renowned local muralist and multidisciplinary artist, but this project marks a major leap forward for his professional career. It’s his first sculpture, and he hopes it will be the entry point to even more, and larger, public art projects across the country — maybe even the world.
“I want to thank the selection committee for actually taking the chance on me,” Detour said, “when I had zero 3D sculpture experience.”
Now he can boast a 3-ton sculpture, measuring 26 feet long by 12 feet wide by 8 feet tall, at the nation’s sixth-busiest airport.
“It’s Not What You Take, It’s What You Bring Back” is one of 35 permanent public art pieces in the airport’s collection. The work was funded by the city’s 1% for Public Art Program, which allocates 1 percent of all city construction projects to public art.
- Inside the artist studio: Learn more about how Detour made his new sculpture
Detour was selected for the opportunity by a panel of community representatives, arts and culture professionals, and civic leaders in 2022.
Following his selection, he put out a public call for luggage. The final sculpture includes 183 bags – all donated and upcycled.
There are some other items too, like a Nikola Jokić jersey donated by the Denver Nuggets, medals from the U.S. Olympic committee, and a pair of binoculars that used to belong to a local Fish and Wildlife employee.
In February, an interactive resource that provides the backstory of each item included in the sculpture will become accessible via QR code and on the airport’s website.
Baggage, art, and the meaning we give it all
“It’s a community thing,” said Sam McNeil, a bag donor and friend of Detour’s who came to the sculpture’s unveiling.
“It was, I think, my first bag,” McNeil said of his donation. “I’m 70 years old, so I’ve had it for over 50 years. That’s something.”
Another donor in attendance, Brittany Farber, said the title of the piece hit home for her. When she moved to Colorado for a job, she learned that her great-grandmother had moved here for tuberculosis treatment “back in the day.”
After she settled in Colorado, Farber also learned that her great-grandmother was buried in Denver’s historic Fairmount cemetery, right across the street from where she was living.
“When I told Detour the story, that was my connection to ‘It’s not What You Take, It’s What You Bring Back.’ I said, ‘My grandma brought me back!” Farber said.
“I hope you enjoy “It's Not What You Take, It's What You Bring Back” as you travel on your journey in life,” Detour said. “It's all about the endless journey in life and the bags we use to carry the things we hold there. You have to realize that no matter what community, nationality, background or what time period in history you explore, bags are universal. So what's more fitting than having 183 bags sourced from Colorado residents to make a portrait of Colorado?”
