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Lonnie Hanzon

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Lonnie Hanzon
Born1959 (age 66–67)
Occupationsartist and designer
Known forEvolution of the Ball sculpture at Coors Field

Lonnie Hanzon is an American artist based in Colorado who designed the gateway sculpture Evolution of the Ball at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado.[1]

Career

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Hanzon was raised in Pine, Colorado.[2][3]

Chandelier Chardin commissioned by John Madden Company. Installed at the Palazzo Verdi in Greenwood Village, Colorado.
Gateway sculpture at Coors Field baseball stadium in Denver, Colorado. Mixed media, 1995

A largely self-educated artist, he made his own costumes and sets.[1][4] 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]

His Christmas window display in Omaha in 1987 was the first for which retailers were charged a one dollar admission to control crowds.[7]

Using LED, halogen bulbs, fiber optic lights and other light sources, Hanzon designed Christmas light displays for Denver's Parade of Lights and for a large mall in Hong Kong, which was at the time the largest holiday light array in Hong Kong.[2][3] He also did work in Houston, Dallas,[8][failed verification][9] Las Vegas, and, most frequently, in Colorado.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]

He installed displays on the mile-long pedestrian mall that included 22 artists.[11] in Larimer Square and around Lower Downtown. He has been called "a bit of a wizard"[12] in residence and creative director at the Museum of Outdoor Arts[13][failed verification] during which time he designed the Hudson Holiday display at the Hudson Gardens and Events Center in Littleton in 2009 and 2010.[2] Hanzon also rebuilt the annual Parade of Lights in Denver by creating 13 new electrical floats with the idea of creating a narrative through visual art.[3][14]

Film and television

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Hanzon was involved with a HGTV holiday special, and a Neiman Marcus' annual holiday season window displays.[3] A 2008 window display he designed for a store in Cherry Creek North was featured on a special holiday windows program on HGTV.[15] In 2005, The Food Network aired a special in which Hanzon took the ultimate BBQ Rig Design Challenge.[16]

Select installations and displays

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  • Stone Clouds 1,2,&3 Neiman Marcus Art collection – Walnut Creek, California - 2012[3]
  • Hudson Holiday – produced with Museum of Outdoor Arts and Hudson Gardens. Littleton, Colorado - 2009, 2010[2]
  • Emry Gweldig’s Wondrous Keep – produced with Museum of Outdoor Arts and Cherry Creek North. Denver, Colorado - 2008[15]
  • Ice + Snow – Holiday light show and performance. Museum of Outdoor Arts. Samson Park, Greenwood Village, Colorado - 2006[17]
  • 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. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Colleen (18 December 2009). "Hanzon's magic transforms Hudson Gardens for holidays". The Denver Post.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 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". Reuters. 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. ↑ Ellingboe, Sonya (11 May 2010). "Lights, music and magic".
  9. ↑ Staff (18 November 2021). "Sneak-peek preview of Camp Christmas draws lots of happy campers". The Jeffco Transcript. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  10. ↑ Tobias, Lori (November 21, 1998). "Panes Taking Artist Works Holiday Magic on Larimer Square". Rocky Mountain News Denver.
  11. ↑ Worland, Gayle (November 19, 1998). "Out of the Box". Denver Westword. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  12. ↑ Froyd, Susan. "100 Colorado Creatives: Lonnie Hanzon". Westword. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
  13. ↑ Ellingboe, Sonya (12 April 2008). "Magic awaits at outdoor museum".
  14. ↑ Will, Ed (1 December 2000). "Parade of Lights Kicks Off Holiday Season Downtown". Denver Post (Extras). Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  15. 1 2 "Magical Holiday Machines: The Wondrous Keep of Emry Gweldig". Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  16. ↑ Huntley, Dan; Lednicer, Lisa Grace (2013). Extreme Barbecue: Smokin' Rigs and 100 Real Good Recipes. Chronicle Books. p. 183. ISBN 9781452133102.
  17. ↑ "Best Wizard-in-Residence Denver 2008 - Lonnie Hanzon - Museum of Outdoor Arts". Retrieved 16 February 2014.
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