Lonnie Hanzon

Lonnie Hanzon
Photo of Lonnie Hanzon
BornSeptember 1, 1959
OccupationInstallation artist
Known for''Evolution of the Ball sculpture at Coors Field

Lonnie Hanzon (born September 1, 1959) is a Colorado-based installation artist and television personality, best known for designing the gateway sculpture Evolution of the Ball at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado.[1] His work includes outdoor urban entertainment projects that extend across many acres, and immersive visual merchandising displays.

Career

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Hanzon was raised in Pine, Colorado.[2][3] Immediately after completing high school he performed as a singer, dancer and magician between 1974 and 1981.

Chandelier Chardin commissioned by John Madden Company. Installed at the Palazzo Verdi in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

A largely self-educated artist, he made his own costumes and sets.[1][4] He later transitioned into design when other performers such as Paratakeori, Foan Family Circus, the Berg & Prince Mime Company, among others began requesting costumes. He started designing store interiors and window dressings in 1981, and high fashion jewelry in 1982. In 2010 he won first place in the Paper Fashion Show put on by The One Club For Creativity Denver (Formerly Art Directors Club of Denver).[5][6]

Gateway sculpture at Coors Field baseball stadium in Denver, Colorado. Mixed media, 1995

Lanzon's window dressings garnered local, and then national attention, and led to commissions for increasingly larger and more complex interior and exterior commercial design projects and installations. His Christmas window display 12/25: A Holiday Store in Omaha in 1987 was the first for which retailers were compelled to charge admission to control crowds.[7] He uses a variety of materials including "fabric, steel, glass, sugar, paint, foam, music, water, and electricity".[8]

Hanzon went on to design major public works and commissioned displays throughout the 90s to the present, including installations in Hong Kong where he did the Christmas decorations for a mall that measured 1,000,000 square feet (93,000 m2).[2] At the time it was the largest such holiday installation in Hong Kong's history.[3] He also did work in Houston, Dallas,[9] Las Vegas, and, most frequently, in Colorado. In addition to his "Evolution of the Ball" display at Coors Field, Hanzon has produced other installations throughout Colorado[10] including at the Red Rocks Community College, Kenneth King Performing Arts Center, Denver Botanic Gardens, and Olde Town Arvada.

Hanzon directed and designed the revitalization and renovation of Denver's downtown holiday scene between 1998 and 2000. He installed displays on the mile-long Pedestrian Mall[11] in historic Larimer Square and Union Station, and around Lower Downtown. He held the title of wizard in residence and creative director at the Museum of Outdoor Arts[12] during which time he designed the Hudson Holiday display at the Hudson Gardens and Events Center in Littleton in 2009 and 2010.[2][8] Hanzon also rebuilt the annual Parade of Lights in Denver,[3] giving new life to thirteen electrical floats and hundreds of costumed paraders. His projects emphasize storytelling through interactive art and multi-media.

Film and television

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Hanzon worked with LucasArts Attractions, a division of LucasFilm, from 1990 to 1991 as Lead Show Producer, where he worked on the re-development concept for 42nd Street and Times Square as well as entertainment projects in Hawaii, Japan, Houston and Hollywood.

Hanzon headlined three HGTV holiday specials, from 2003 to 2005, that featured his work on Neiman Marcus' annual holiday extravaganza.[3] A 2008 window display he designed for a store in Cherry Creek North was featured on a special holiday windows program on HGTV.[13] He also hosted HGTV's Holiday Windows Specials in 2006 and 2009, a program produced by High Noon Entertainment. In 2005, The Food Network aired a special in which Hanzon took the ultimate BBQ Rig Design Challenge.[14]

Select installations and displays

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  • Lakewood Legacy Trees - Mixed media public sculpture commissioned by Regional Transportation District - Lakewood, Colorado - 2013-2014
  • Stone Cloud 4 - Gates Family Foundation – Denver, Colorado - 2013
  • Stone Clouds 1,2,&3 Neiman Marcus Art collection – Walnut Creek, California - 2012[3]
  • Houston Zoo Lights – Designer - 2012, 2013
  • Heist D.C. Nightclub - Interior Vitrine Displays - Washington D.C. - 2012
  • Hudson Holiday – produced with Museum of Outdoor Arts and Hudson Gardens. Littleton, Colorado - 2009, 2010[2]
  • Puppet Theatre Bench – Monumental bronze sculpture - Commissioned by Museum of Outdoor Arts. Samson Park, Greenwood Village, Colorado - 2009
  • Emry Gweldig’s Wondrous Keep – produced with Museum of Outdoor Arts and Cherry Creek North. Denver, Colorado - 2008[13]
  • Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret – interior design - Clocktower Cabaret Inc. Denver, Colorado. - 2006
  • Ice + Snow – Holiday light show and performance. Museum of Outdoor Arts. Samson Park, Greenwood Village, Colorado - 2006[15]
  • Lucky Children – Chinese New Year display. The Bellagio Hotel. Las Vegas, Nevada - 2003
  • Chandelier Chardin – Monumental glass and LED chandelier and lighting system - Commissioned by John Madden Company. Palazzo Verdi, Greenwood Village, Colorado - 2008
  • Keepers Mandala – Glass doors and side lights installed in the Museum of Outdoor Arts - Commissioned by Museum of Outdoor Arts. Englewood, Colorado - 2007
  • Metamorphosis – Architectural sculpture. Dicroic and fused glass - Commissioned by Mazza Galleria. Washington, DC. - 2006
  • Eli’s Light – Outdoor memorial to Eli Perlman. Fused glass mosaic - Commissioned by Mizel Center for Arts & Humanities. Denver, Colorado - 2003
  • Sculptural Entrance, Fence and Mural - Commissioned by Denver Botanic Gardens. Denver, Colorado - 2001
  • Viatica: A collection of over 50 multi media works for the Kenneth King Performing Arts Complex - Commissioned by the Colorado Council of the Arts. Denver, Colorado - 2001.
  • Evolution of the Ball – Gateway sculpture at Coors Field. Mixed media - Commissioned by the Downtown Major League Stadium District. Denver, Colorado - 1995[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Sink, Mindy (2013). Walking Denver: 30 Tours of the Mile-High City's Best Urban Trails, Historic Architecture, River and Creekside Paths, and Cultural Highlights. Wilderness Press. p. 33. ISBN 9780899976754.
  2. ^ a b c d Smith, Colleen (18 December 2009). "Hanzon's magic transforms Hudson Gardens for holidays". The Denver Post.
  3. ^ a b c d e Ellingboe, Sonya (20 October 2009). "Lighting up the holidays". Littleton Independent.
  4. ^ Pahigian, Josh; O'Connell, Kevin (27 March 2012). The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip, 2nd: A Fan's Guide to Major League Stadiums. Lyons Press. ISBN 9780762783915.
  5. ^ "Art Directors Club of Denver Accepting Call for Entries for Paper Fashion Show". 6 January 2011. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014.
  6. ^ Murg, Stephanie (7 January 2011). "Paper Fashion Show Returns to Denver, Seeks Designers".
  7. ^ "Christmas Store Charges a $1 Admission Fee". Los Angeles Times. 25 November 1987.
  8. ^ a b "Lonnie Hanzon". FasTracks. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  9. ^ Ellingboe, Sonya (11 May 2010). "Lights, music and magic".
  10. ^ Tobias, Lori (November 21, 1998). "Panes Taking Artist Works Holiday Magic on Larimer Square". Rocky Mountain News Denver. Retrieved 2008-05-13.[dead link]
  11. ^ Worland, Gayle (November 19, 1998). "Out of the Box". Denver Westword. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  12. ^ Ellingboe, Sonya (12 April 2008). "Magic awaits at outdoor museum".
  13. ^ a b "Magical Holiday Machines: The Wondrous Keep of Emry Gweldig". Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  14. ^ Huntley, Dan; Lednicer, Lisa Grace (2013). Extreme Barbecue: Smokin' Rigs and 100 Real Good Recipes. Chronicle Books. p. 183. ISBN 9781452133102.
  15. ^ "Best Wizard-in-Residence Denver 2008 - Lonnie Hanzon - Museum of Outdoor Arts". Retrieved 16 February 2014.
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