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Written by: Chad Cabalka

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40 West Arts is one of the big reasons West Colfax in Lakewood feels like more than just a corridor of traffic lights. It’s a Colorado‑certified creative district that’s slowly turned an older commercial strip into a walkable mix of galleries, murals, small venues, and community‑driven art experiences.

Where 40 West Arts Sits in Lakewood

The district anchors northeast Lakewood along historic West Colfax Avenue, roughly between Teller and Depew Streets and extending several blocks north and south of Colfax. It’s organized as a nonprofit, state‑certified creative district whose mission is to energize and promote the area through art shows, events, and public art that are intentionally family‑friendly and neighborhood‑oriented. For locals, that means you can live in Lakewood and still have a genuine arts district five to ten minutes away, instead of having to go into Denver every time you want that vibe.

The city and neighborhood started planning for this back in 2011, producing an urban design and mobility plan and later a placemaking implementation plan specifically for 40 West. Those plans focused on streetscape, signage, and “feel”—how it looks and how people move—so the area functions as a real place to walk around, not just a row of disconnected businesses.​

What 40 West Arts Actually Includes

At the core, 40 West Arts is a cluster of:

• Galleries and co‑ops (like Lakewood Arts, EDGE, Core, Kanon, and others housed in the Colfax art buildings).
• Creative businesses—boutiques, studios, music and record shops, small performance spaces, and arts‑friendly cafés and breweries—strung along West Colfax.
• Regular events such as gallery shows, themed exhibitions, and hands‑on programming through their Artist in Residence and community programs.​

The district hosts recurring “First Friday” evenings where galleries open late, artists are present, and West Colfax turns into more of a slow‑walk art crawl than a driving corridor. Those nights are often the easiest entry point for Lakewood residents who want to support local art without feeling like they have to dress up or buy something expensive.

For working artists and creatives, 40 West offers studio opportunities, an artist‑in‑residence program (trading free public programming for low‑cost space), and a steady calendar of calls for entry and group shows. That infrastructure matters: it’s part of what lets creative people live and work on the west side instead of being pushed exclusively into RiNo or out of the metro entirely.​

The 40 West ArtLine: Outdoor Art as a Daily Experience

One of the most distinctive pieces of the local creative scene is the 40 West ArtLine, a four‑mile walking and biking art route that threads through the district. The ArtLine connects parks, transit stops, historic neighborhoods, and destinations along Colfax and the W Line light rail, using a painted green line and other wayfinding to guide people along the route.

Along those four miles you’ll find more than 70 (now over 100 in later phases) public art installations—murals, sculptures, fence art, and interactive pieces—many funded in part by a National Endowment for the Arts Our Town grant. It’s designed as a free outdoor art experience you can do at your own pace: walk part of it from a nearby park, bike the full loop, or treat it as a different kind of “trail” when you want something creative instead of just miles.

Audio tours—written and narrated by a local art advocate and featuring participating artists and businesses—add another layer, letting you learn about the district as you go by scanning QR codes along the route. For Lakewood residents, the ArtLine is an easy way to fold art into a normal day: you can ride the W Line, get off near one of the marked segments, and build a low‑key outing around art, coffee, and a short walk.​

How Locals Actually Use the Creative Scene

Over time, the way Lakewood residents use 40 West tends to fall into a few patterns:

• First Fridays and Art Crawls as social anchors: meeting friends, strolling galleries, grabbing a drink or bite, and seeing what’s new in the district.
• Drop‑in gallery visits when they’re already on Colfax—combining errands, food, and a bit of art, especially if they live nearby or ride the W Line.
• ArtLine walks and rides as an alternative to a typical park loop, especially for families and people who like a theme to their movement.
• Kids’ and family programming, workshops, and public events that provide low‑cost, creative things to do close to home.

For people who move to Lakewood from Denver proper, 40 West often fills the “I want an arts neighborhood” gap they worry about leaving behind. For long‑time west‑siders, it’s become a way to see local creativity without crossing town—and a point of pride that West Colfax is known for more than just traffic.

Why This Matters When You Live Here

From a housing and lifestyle standpoint, being near 40 West Arts changes how your evenings and weekends feel:

• You have built‑in culture: art walks, outdoor installations, and community events, all within a short drive—or walk/bike—of many northeast and central Lakewood neighborhoods.
• You get a different flavor of walkability than Belmar: less polished retail, more galleries and murals, and a sense that the district is evolving with community input instead of being fully “done.”
• You’re close to a scene that actively invites participation, not just consumption—whether that’s showing work, volunteering, or simply showing up regularly.

If you’re someone who wants parks, mountains, and creativity in the same daily orbit, 40 West is a big part of how Lakewood delivers that. It’s not trying to be RiNo; it’s trying to be a west‑side creative corridor rooted in historic Colfax and the people who live nearby.

If you’d like to talk through which nearby neighborhoods plug most naturally into 40 West—whether you’re an artist looking for studio access, a family who wants easy creative outings, or a buyer who wants “walk to galleries, bike the ArtLine” to be part of daily life—I’m always open to that conversation.

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