CARBONDALE, CO.- Art lovers around the globe who are including Carbondale, Colorado (center of the Roaring Fork Valley, which spans 50 miles from Aspen to Glenwood Springs) in their spring art-travel itineraries will arrive to a town adorned with public art, which is concealed in black plastic and caution tape. The national art scene is buzzing about Carbondale’s innovative new art awareness program, Carbondale Cover Up!

Carbondale Cover Up encourages residents and guests alike to take a moment to appreciate the beauty that is present every day, but too often is taken for granted.

On May 28th the public art around Carbondale will be covered up for four weeks. For a donation of $500 a plaque will be affixed to an artwork crediting the donor. Contributions of any amount will help to uncover a sculpture, and will keep the Art aRound Town program thriving. The goal, raise $20,000 toward purchasing new sculpture for Carbondale’s permanent collection, competition prizes, artists' honoraria, marketing, and maintenance of the artwork. All donations are tax deductible.

Carbondale Cover Up was innovated and organized by: CPAC (Carbondale Public Arts Commission), sponsor of Art aRound Town. (Commission Members: Sue Edelstein, Mark Yale Harris, Carol Klein, Nancy Kyner, Stephanie Schilling and Brad Sherman. Liaisons: Larry Ballenger, Jody Ensign, John Foulkrod and Sherrill Stone.)

Carbondale has long been a major center for the arts. Several nationally recognized artists call the town home, including sculptors: Mark Yale Harris, Sherrill Stone, James Surls and Daniel Sprick.

Mark Yale Harris, Internationally recognized sculptor, and the Chairman of the Carbondale Public Arts Commission, began to explore his lifetime fascination and passion for the visual arts in 1999. Harris began sculpting, and has since created an evolving body of work in stone and bronze, now featured in public collections, museums and galleries worldwide, including: Booth Western Art Museum - Cartersville, Georgia; Four Seasons Hotel - Chicago, Illinois, and the Open Air Museum - Ube, Japan. Twenty galleries throughout the United States represent Mr. Harris’s work. Previous to his immersion in the arts, Harris experienced a successful career in the business world. His many achievements include positions as Co-founder of Red Roof Inns, and Founder of AmeriSuites Hotels.

"Artists are leaving urban centers and revitalizing small towns, which now have a wonderfully plugged-in feeling," says John Villani, author of The 100 Best Art Towns in America: A Guide to Galleries, Museums, Festivals, Lodging, and Dining (The Countryman Press). "It's all about who lands in these towns — that's what makes them fascinating." Villani shares insights with USA TODAY's Shawn Sell on special towns where art plays a big part.

During the Carbondale Cover Up, the Roaring Fork Valley continues to offers a surplus of art related activities, including: Art aRound Town; First Fridays Art Walk; Roaring Fork Studio Tour; Aspen Art Museum; Red Brick Center for the Arts; Anderson Ranch Arts Center; Wyly Community Art Center; MARBLE/marble XXII Sculpting Symposium; Aspen Dance Connection; Carbondale Clay Center; Carbondale Mountain Fair, and the Thunder River Theatre Company, among many others.

The picturesque town of Carbondale is located in the heart of Colorado's central Rocky Mountains. At an altitude of 6,181 feet, and resting in the magnificent shadow of 12,953-foot Mount Sopris, the Carbondale area is characterized by an average of 295 days of sunshine.

With a pioneering spirit well known in the west, Carbondale Public Arts Commission invites art enthusiasts to join them in their support of public art!