About

“The Sam Dunlap Wall of Inspiration” is an in-progress community-built mosaic in Colorado Springs led by Concrete Couch. This project brings high-quality, culturally engaged arts learning directly to under-resourced youth, connecting them to local history, empowering them as creators, and strengthening community identity. 

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This project commemorates the legacy of the late Sam Dunlap (1933-2019). Dunlap played for the city’s first all Black semi-professional baseball team, the Brown Bombers. He is known as an inspiring role model who gave to his community through education, athletics, and community service. The mosaic highlights not only Sam Dunlap, but the current community of service-driven role models, predominantly BIPOC individuals, who have made a positive and profound impact on Southeast Colorado Springs.

This project has been a collaborative effort between multiple community groups but primarily has served youth at John Adams Elementary School. Through our programming, students learn foundational clay and mosaic techniques and interview local community leaders to learn about their stories, resilience, and contributions to the region’s history. These youth interviews result in photo tiles with selected quotes which are installed onto the wall. By focusing on representations of past and present community heroes, the program helps students see themselves as emerging contributors to their community’s ongoing story and future.

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SITE

The mosaic is located off S Circle Drive, below the Highway 24 Martin Luther King Jr Bypass, and is installed on a vertical abutment. Circle Drive is a very busy road, making this mosaic highly visible. There is a very wide shoulder and sidewalk providing ample space for parking and safe distance between participants working on the mosaic and traffic.
 

The site is overseen by the Colorado Department of Transportation, Concrete Couch currently has a special use permit to work on the wall until January 2027 with the ability to apply for an extension. To gain permission from CDOT we had a professional engineer assess the project and give his stamp that the mosaic will not destabilize the abutment or other structural elements. 

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FOUNDATIONAL VISION & HISTORY

This site was brought to Concrete Couch’s attention by local pastor, Ben Anderson, as a highly visible yet neglected site in need of a community art project. Concrete Couch spent several years developing the project, meeting with neighbors, and connecting with CDOT to gain permission. The project finally got clearance in 2021. Tile making and installation began in 2022.

Concrete Couch’s approach to this project was inspired by Julie Keefe’s Hello Neighbor project in Oregon. In Keefe’s project, young people were taught how to interview and photograph their neighbors and the portraits culminated in large banners installed throughout the community. 

This project directly fulfills Concrete Couch’s mission to build community through creative projects. The project engages local community leaders and mentors, who participate in youth interviews and share their experiences. Their involvement provides positive role models and strengthens bonds between youth and trusted adults in their neighborhood.

COMMUNITY ALIGNMENT & INVOLVEMENT

This mosaic is a direct reflection of the people of Southeast Colorado Springs: capturing its leaders and youth, their values and insights to who they are at this time on a monumental scale. This gives attention and care to Southeast Colorado Springs which according to the Colorado Equity Compass, experiences greater systemic inequities than the rest of the city, including concentrated poverty, lack of resources, and lack of accessible opportunities for youth. Many families rely on free afterschool care, yet available programs rarely integrate free high-quality arts-based learning with community connection and leadership development. This project directly addresses that gap by providing free, accessible, sustained arts education led by professional teaching artists whose identities and lived experiences reflect those of the participating youth. The program also serves the broader Southeast Colorado Springs community, including residents who engage with the evolving mosaic. As youth install their artwork, family members, caregivers, and neighbors often participate informally by sharing stories, assisting with grout or installation, and celebrating student contributions. This intergenerational involvement fosters increased community pride and strengthens local identity.

OneBodyENT, an organization focused on serving and uplifting youth and adults by enriching lives and preventing crime through community engagement and positive reinforcement, has served as a crucial community-based partner who connects us with local community leaders for youth to interview. Their networks of elders and service-driven role models enrich the program by bringing diverse voices directly to the students. These community leaders are predominantly BIPOC individuals who have made a positive and profound impact on the community. Director of OneBodyENT, Dee Smith, has formed a committee to support this project’s fundraising and awareness. The committee consists of people who were all directly impacted by Mr. Dunlap including CO State Senator Tony Exum Senior. 

In recent years, Concrete Couch has offered different iterations of afterschool programming in partnership with John Adams Elementary School and has built relationships with the art teacher, parents, kids, and school administrators. The project has received support from city officials including Mayor Yemi Mobalade who participated in youth interviews. In this new phase of the Colorado 150 project we plan to expand our community sessions to serve other local groups including Mountain Vista Community School, Atlas Schools, and Silver Key Senior Services (all of which are within 5 miles of the mosaic site). Over time, we have developed trust, shared goals, and clear communication channels with these organizations and schools that allow us to facilitate quality youth-centered programming.