Colorado will be marking the 150th anniversary of our entrance into the Union. As the Centennial State, Colorado is the only state to observe twin anniversaries. Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) commemorates this milestone with the Creative Capitol Colorado’s Fourteeners Exhibition showcasing the natural beauty of Colorado’s unique landscape with an exhibition of prints of 53 watercolors of Colorado’s fourteeners (peaks over 14,000 feet). The Exhibit will be on display from April – July 31st, 2026 from 8am – 5pm at the Colorado State Capitol Monday – Friday.
Save the Date: We are having a special reception on Wednesday, June 17th, 2026 from 2-4pm at the Colorado State Capitol in Denver, CO.
Created by local Denver artist Mike Wilson, the watercolors are painted from unique perspectives inaccessible to usual hikers, using Google Earth images as references to “provide a look at each mountain’s most attractive side. Each mountain gets its best lighting, best background, and even its most striking snow cover.” Mike has donated this series of artworks to Cottonwood Institute, an organization that partners with schools and community organizations in Aurora, Denver, and Boulder to bring transformative programs into the classroom and beyond. All the artworks featured in this exhibition are available for purchase as high quality reprints; proceeds from these sales will go to Cottonwood Institute to aid in their mission to help break down barriers to get more kids into the outdoors who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity, and to inspire them to be leaders, problem-solvers, and changemakers in their communities.
We wanted to thank Great Big Canvas for their support towards the high-quality prints for this exhibit.
Cottonwood Institute, CCI, OREC acknowledge that the Colorado fourteeners are located on Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ute, and Pueblos land, who are the original stewards of this beautiful state. There are many ways to enjoy the Colorado mountains and 14,000 foot peaks. Enjoy these peaks in whatever way feels comfortable, but please protect them!
“CCI is excited to partner with the Cottonwood Institute on this exhibition at the State Capitol as part of our Creative Capitol rotating exhibition program. Displaying reproductions of Mike Wilson’s series of watercolors showcasing the natural beauty of Colorado’s unique landscape of fourteeners is a wonderful way to commemorate Colorado’s 150th anniversary as a state. We’re both excited that prints of these works are available to the public and that sales will benefit Cottonwood’s mission to get youth outdoors.” Ruth Wilson, Administration & Partnership Director, Colorado Creative Industries
