Mural Immortalizes Coloradans Horan & Pugh: 'Women Empowering Women'
DENVER (CBS4) – Two Women's World Cup champions, who are also Colorado natives, are featured prominently on a mural in the River North area of Denver. It's all part of a campaign the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team started earlier this year.
The program commissioned murals of players in 11 different cities, including Denver.
"It's actually an entirely female artist team, which is really great," said artist Marissa Napoletano. "Kind of women empowering women."
Napoletano was commissioned to create the mural on the side of Improper City, a coffee shop and bar on Walnut Street. She finished the piece in mid-May.
"Really the composition is trying to play off American and Colorado iconography without being super obvious and also displaying the fact they're soccer players without having a soccer ball in the mural," she said.
The mural includes Lindsey Horan and Mallory Pugh, both Colorado natives.
"Actually, the players themselves reached out to me and that was the biggest honor is to have their approval and their support," she said.
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Along with creating the murals, each artist created posters featuring the specific players. The murals and posters are all part of launching a new app.
Ad campaign aside, some see an important message in the project.
"I think anytime that a young girl walks by and sees something that looks like them plastered on the larger than life stage is going to be a good thing," said Haley Smyser, a Denver tourist.
"This isn't just symbolizing a potential female that could potentially break through. It's symbolizing a real person who did a real thing."