Summit Studios - PIECES OF THE PRAIRIE

PIECES OF THE PRAIRIE

Located less than 5 miles away from Summit Heights Junior High, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is one of the largest urban wildlife refuges in the country. Transformed from a former weapons manufacturing site, the refuge is now a remarkable conservation area that is home to bison, deer, bald eagles, and more than 300 species of birds.

In 2020, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal tasked the middle schoolers of Mr. Finamore's art classes to create a permanent artwork to adorn twin sheds on the property near Lake Mary. The final installation titled "Pieces of the Prairie" reached completion in the Fall of 2025.

The completed installation features life-size depictions of iconic species found at the Refuge and tells the story of its conservation achievements.

ABOUT THIS PROJECT

Pieces of the Prairie is a collaborative mixed-media art installation created by middle school students at Summit Heights Junior High School which celebrates the rich biodiversity and powerful conservation story of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Over the course of more than five years, multiple groups of students and classroom partners have played a part in bringing this project to life. Each piece represents a distinct species found at the refuge and honors the resilience of the prairie ecosystem and the ongoing efforts to protect and restore it.

Creating the project was no easy feat - students transformed thousands of magazine pages to accurately represent the colors and textures of animals that call the refuge home. Throughout the school year, Summit Studios looked like a well-oiled machine - students dissected vintage magazines, carefully sorted and managed a shared color library, and thoughtfully cut and placed colors to shape each animal form.

This project was made possible through a collective effort that reached beyond the classroom, drawing on the support of community partners, volunteers, and families. As a result, Pieces of the Prairie has been realized as a permanent art installation and will allow future generations of visitors to connect deeply with the Rocky Mountain Arsenal and its wild inhabitants.

LEFT SHED: A family of American Bison introduces the composition to our viewers. A calf, seemingly ready to sprint outside of the frame, draws the eye forward. Birds such as the American kestrel, Yellow warbler, Bullock's oriole are flying overhead.

RIGHT SHED: A trio of White-tailed deer look ahead as a family of burrowing owls pops out of their tunnel. A group of prairie dogs huddle together while a magpie flutters above. As the mural nears completion, two symbols of the Arsenal become the final subjects - the Bald eagle, responsible for the initiation of the site in 1986, and the Black footed ferret, whose species is gaining new traction with the Refuge’s conservation efforts. In an act of symbolism, several different species of butterflies flutter around the ferret and will help to make it the focal point of the composition.

PROCESS

Bringing each animal in Pieces of the Prairie to life involved a multi-step process that began digitally. Students first traced contour lines and key details on iPads using Procreate. Because the animals were created at life scale, many of the larger forms were transferred by hand onto plywood using a projector. These large-scale pieces were then carefully cut by hand with a jigsaw, a process that often required multiple hands to ensure safety and accuracy. Smaller creatures followed a different, more technical path: digital drawings were converted into vector files and exported for cutting and engraving on a CO₂ laser cutter.

An American kestrel being cut on our OmTech CO2 Laser cutter. Here the machine is making its final passes to cut out the shape of the bird.

Taking inspiration from Denver-based artist Dolan Geiman, our animals were brought to life through the art of collage using vintage magazines. Hundreds of pages were carefully cut, sorted, and arranged to recreate the rich colors and textures of each animal. Many of these pages were sourced from upcycled Arizona Highways magazines dating from the early 1950s through the late 1970s.

To manage a project of this scale, students began by deconstructing each magazine page and sorting shapes by color into a flat file that became our shared paper library. Using reference photographs, students matched specific sections of each animal with colors found in the drawers before arranging them on the plywood.

Every piece of paper was then individually cut to match the texture of each animal with many requiring multiple layers of paper to create the illusion of fur and feathers. The final cutouts were then sealed to the surface using Mod Podge.

To prepare each animal for permanent exhibition outdoors, volunteers helped to coat them with several layers of UV-resistant resin. The pieces were then left to cure in Summit Studios for several days. This part of the project was certainly the messiest but also the most necessary part of our process - the resin not only secures protection from the elements but also provides them a permanent, watertight seal to ensure our pieces last for many years to come.

While the finishing touches were being added to our animals, volunteers from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal were hard at work painting the background of the sheds. The project officially was installed in late November of 2025.

GRATITUDE

Summit Studios expresses our deepest thanks to the community members, students, staff, and volunteers who donated materials, shared their expertise, and helped guide our vision. In no particular order, we are especially grateful to the following organizations and individuals who supported this work behind the scenes:

JENNA NERI (ARTIST YEAR)

For your unwavering support and dedication to our students and this project. Your guidance and partnership made this work possible, and you were truly the heartbeat behind every step of this undertaking.

OPTIV & AMBER PEACHER

For your continued investment in Summit Studios and the kids of Adams 14. Thank you for providing the 21st century technology essential for a project of this magnitude and for giving our students an opportunity to gain hands-on experience with S.T.E.A.M. tools.

ISIS RIVERA-LOPEZ

For standing at the helm and helping us to navigate this project. Thank you for providing materials, volunteers, field trip opportunities, patience, piping hot pizza, and for creating a lasting partnership with RMA and Adams 14.

FRIENDS OF THE FRONT RANGE WILDLIFE REFUGES & VANESSA THURK

For providing the grant money necessary to purchase materials, power tools, and (most importantly) snacks for this project as well

Special thanks to our high school volunteers & Studio 4 Alumni Jaiden, Jayla, and Marissa; as well as to all of our volunteers from RMA who helped make this project a reality.