“Ethereal Bliss” Installed at The Aurora Highlands, Expanding Community’s Award-Winning Public Art Program

The 23-foot stainless steel sculpture by artist Hunter Brown becomes the latest addition to the growing public art collection within the master-planned community​.

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AURORA, Colo. (March 27, 2026) – A new large-scale, stainless-steel sculpture, Ethereal Bliss, was installed at The Aurora Highlands on March 26, expanding the master-planned community’s award-winning public art program, which is free and accessible to both residents and visitors alike. The 23-foot-tall piece introduces a striking new visual landmark within the community’s evolving landscape.

Created and installed by nationally recognized artist Hunter Brown, “Ethereal Bliss” features flowing stainless steel forms that give the impression of motion frozen in time. The sculpture is prominently located within The Aurora Highlands in the roundabout at the intersection of Main Street and 46th Avenue in the heart of The District, the community’s future retail and gathering hub.

Developed using computational design and fabricated from more than 250 individually laser-cut components, the piece is connected by nearly 2,000 feet of welded seams. The sculpture traveled more than 1,300 miles from Brown’s Innovative Sculpture Studio in Little Rock, Arkansas and was installed using two cranes and a precision-engineered lift plan.

“This piece was about capturing a moment of pure movement, something that feels organic and almost weightless despite its scale,” Brown said. “I wanted it to feel like a frozen burst of energy or a joyful exhale made permanent in steel. The name Ethereal Bliss reflects that sense of something otherworldly, paired with the feeling of joy and wonder that art can bring into everyday life.”

Ethereal Bliss marks Brown’s third installation within the community, joining “Life Blood”, a ribbon-like steel sculpture located in the entry roundabout, and “Asclepius”, a sculpture inspired by the ancient Greek symbol of healing near the future medical campus.

These sculptures are all part of The Aurora Highlands’ Art in the Park program, a growing collection of more than 20 permanent works by internationally acclaimed artists. While many pieces are located within the community’s 100-acre Hogan Park at Highlands Creek, others are thoughtfully integrated throughout the master plan. Highlights include “Liberty”, a 58-foot modern interpretation of The Statue of Liberty by Michael Benisty and the most recent installation prior to Ethereal Bliss, which gained national attention after going viral, as well as “Umi” by Daniel Popper, another widely recognized piece. The program is expected to grow to more than 30 permanent installations over time.

Carla Ferreira, CEO of The Aurora Highlands, also serves as curator of the art program. She brings a background in fine art, including experience working in galleries across the country. Drawing on those relationships and her personal passion for public art, she has commissioned each piece in the collection and believes it plays a vital role in building a sense of place within a community.

“At The Aurora Highlands, we’ve always believed public art should be part of everyday life,” Ferreira said. “Each piece is selected with intention, to create moments of connection, spark curiosity and give people a reason to explore. Ethereal Bliss is a beautiful addition to the community and another step in building something truly unique for Aurora and Colorado as a whole.”

The Art in the Park program has received national and regional recognition for its innovative approach to public art and placemaking, including a Gold Award for Best Community Amenity at the National Association of Home Builders’ “The Nationals” Awards. It has also been honored with a Gold Award at the Denver MAME Awards, along with recognition from the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts and the Aurora Chamber of Commerce.

Visitors are encouraged to experience the growing collection of installations within The Aurora Highlands, all of which are free to explore and accessible to the public. Guests can also learn more about each piece online or download The Aurora Highlands app for an interactive map with exact locations to help guide a walking tour.

While the collection is available for all to enjoy, residents of The Aurora Highlands benefit from having world-class public art just steps from their homes, with select residences even offering views of the installations. For more information on available homes and community offerings, visit TheAuroraHighlands.com/homes.

ABOUT HUNTER BROWN

Hunter Brown is the owner of Innovative Sculpture Design in Little Rock, Arkansas. Each of Brown’s designs aim to provide a unique spatial experience for its visitors, while also contributing to the visual identity of a place and catalyzing community engagement. With emphasis on movement, elegance, space-activation and balance, Brown’s sculptures explore the potential for expressive variety in steel. Brown has created works that can be found in private, commercial, and public art collections in over 25 states and 3 countries.

ABOUT THE AURORA HIGHLANDS

Located between the mountains and the plains, The Aurora Highlands 4,000-acre master planned community expands the metro area to the east near Denver International Airport. The community will feature every category of housing from attached to multi-family and single-family residences, providing people with more than 11,424 housing units. The community will also incorporate Colorado’s active lifestyle with recreation centers and over 21 miles of trials, 12 neighborhood parks and 20 pocket parks. The community’s award-winning Hogan Park at Highlands Creek already features dozens of public art installations and will eventually be home to performance plazas, climbing walls, a zip line, embankment slides and gardens in its nearly 100-acre space. Aurora Public Schools will also build four new schools in the community, the first of which opened in 2023. For more information about The Aurora Highlands, please visit www.theaurorahighlands.com or check out the community’s press kit.