EVANS HAS A LOT ON HIS MIND. Besides his many projects, the muralist and sculptor known as Detour is forever tinkering with new mediums and materials. Recently, an exploration of 3-D printing led Evans to university-level studies and 3-D printing expertise, and now Evans incorporates 3-D work into his sculpture, notably at the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building in Denver. “I like creative problem solving,” he said during a break from artmaking at his River North Art District studio in early August. “The more you can make unique solutions, the more unique your piece will be.” Unique is the only way to describe Evans’ work. The rainbow-colored suitcases that hang in Concourse B at Denver International Airport? That’s a Detour original called “It’s Not What You Take, It’s What You Bring Back,” created from 183 donated purses, suitcases, and bags. (Find it near gate B60.) The sculpture incorporates these pieces, plus their former owners’ memories, Evans explains. For example, a fellow artist named Collin Parson — learning about Evans’ project at a meeting — grabbed his 4-year-old daughter’s kitty purse from his car. Evans included that story — Did Parson meet with preschooler wrath? — and that of every other recycled luggage or bag at the website he created for the sculpture: detourxdia.com. From conception to installation, Evans’ foray into this large-scale public art at DIA took nearly three years. And it gave Evans more to think about, including: “How do I continue to scale up my work?” Besides people, it requires funding, bigger space, and time. DENVER VOICE SEPTEMBER 2026 9 Thomas Evans sits in front of “It’s Not What You Take, It’s What You Bring Back,” the large-scale, public sculpture he created from donated luggage and bags that’s located in Concourse B at Denver International Airport. Photo courtesy of the Denver International Airport
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