And for a truly unforgettable experience for all ages, check out Meow Wolf Denver's Convergence Station, the Santa Fe, New Mexico-based arts and entertainment company’s new permanent installation. Discover immersive, mind-bending art across the four alien worlds of C Street, Eemia, Ossuary and Numina. Uncover the secrets within. Inside the bustling multiverse transit station known as Convergence Station lies HELLOFOOD, an oasis of combined culinary cultures serving QDOT for 2,500 years and counting! Here, visitors can recharge from their cosmic exploration, and find sustenance in tasty treats and bold brews from local vendors.
Blockbuster Exhibitions
WHEN: Thru May 28, 2023
WHERE: Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
Vance Kirkland was among the most important Colorado and regional painters of the 20th century. During the last half of his career, Kirkland’s paintings made a break from the earthly environment and explored outer space, first with his Nebulae paintings, beginning in 1954 pre-Sputnik, using his unique mixtures of oil paint and water. His imagination led him to create numerous series depicting the evolution and expansion of his own universe, culminating in his vibrant Dot Paintings. The museum's first temporary exhibition of Kirkland’s work in 20 years will feature examples from eight series of the visions of his cosmos from 1954 to 1981. The exhibition includes some of the artist’s impressive large-scale paintings, seldom seen on public display. A lecture on Vance Kirkland will accompany the exhibition.
WHEN: Thru Aug. 27, 2023
WHERE: Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS)
Precision flight, swarm intelligence, mind control … enter the world of bugs! This exhibition, created by Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand and Weta Workshop (the creative studio behind the Lord of the Rings films’ fantastical sets), reveals the secrets of insects and arthropods in delightful, dazzling ways. From immersive activities that get you thinking to hands-on games that get you moving, Bugs inspires us to be curious about the tiny-but-mighty creatures among us, appreciative of the vital role they play in the natural world, and energized to help them thrive.
This Month
WHEN: Thru May 23, 2023
WHERE: History Colorado Center
Pages from the original Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo—a document that transformed this part of the world forever by significantly expanding the United States and setting the stage for Colorado’s statehood—will be exhibited in Denver for the first time ever.
WHEN: Thru May 27, 2023
WHERE: MCA DENVER — Museum of Contemporary Art Denver
This juried group exhibition is a collaboration with RedLine Contemporary Art Center to celebrate their fifteenth anniversary of artist residencies and fostering education and engagement between artists and communities to create positive social change. It reflects the current creative practice of artists living in Colorado, as well as artists who have recently lived in the Denver area. Breakthroughs will present artworks made within the last two years, the majority of which will be on view for the first time in Denver.
WHEN: Thru May 28, 2023
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
French Orientalism refers to artworks produced by French artists during the 1800s inspired by North Africa and the greater Islamic world. Their creation paralleled French colonial expansion into Algeria beginning in the 1830s and, as the United States expanded westward, presented a template for how American artists depicted landscapes and people of the American West. This exhibition presents more than 80 artworks exploring the many ways that the style and substance of French Orientalism directly influenced American artists and their representations of the American West in art and popular culture during this period.
WHEN: Thru May 28, 2023
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
Open a window into the artistic and utilitarian innovations of weavers, domestic consumption and the cross-cultural exchanges between present-day Turkey, Iran and the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia) from the 1500s to the 1900s. The stories in Rugged Beauty showcase the living traditions of western Asia, a vast and culturally rich region of the world. Each of the more than 40 objects on display were made by hand, predominantly dyed by hand, and hand-woven using the knotted-pile weaving technique. Although the individual identities of the makers are mostly unknown, the rugs' designs of rich colors, intricate patterns and complex symbols reveal a deep history of trade, diplomacy and foreign relationships.
WHEN: Thru May 29, 2023
WHERE: Denver Botanic Gardens
Contemporary artist Melanie Yazzie was born in northeastern Arizona to a family from the Salt Water and Bitter Water Diné (Navajo) clans. In this exhibit, she weaves together nature and narrative in multi-layered prints, paintings and sculptures to explore the experiences that shaped her. Yazzie employs iconography featuring animal, plants, land maps and female figures to tell a story that is deeply personal but also communal in nature. Her work conveys qualities of wonder and healing, while encouraging viewers to engage with complex Indigenous experiences.
WHEN: Thru May 29, 2023
WHERE: 3900 Elati St.
This innovative celebration takes you inside the greatest films of Walt Disney Animation Studios, from their very earliest, groundbreaking features to the beloved hit movies of today. Imagine stepping into the Casita with Mirabel from "Encanto," or being at Pride Rock as Rafiki presents Simba. Imagine hopping on a train with Judy Hopps and going into "Zootopia," or taking a magic carpet ride with Aladdin and Jasmine. Now you can! Step into the art and legacy of Walt Disney Animation Studios.
WHEN: Thru June 18, 2023
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
Lares Feliciano's Memory Mirror is an immersive installation that invites visitors to explore their relationship with memory through animation, dioramas and interactive storytelling. Designed to evoke the memory of a relative's living room, this exhibition will transform the museum's Precourt Family Discovery Hall into a surreal domestic den that is both familiar and fantastic.
WHEN: Thru June 18, 2023
WHERE: Denver Botanic Gardens
Textile sculptor Tamara Kostianovsky presents 13 large-scale sculptures of tropical birds, flora and tree stumps. The works draw inspiration from her childhood home in Argentina and seek to envision a utopian future restored from past and present exploitation. Repurposing clothing from her own wardrobe as well as clothes, linens, upholstery and towels from family and friends, Kostianovsky forges connections to loved ones and childhood memories.
WHEN: Thru June 28, 2023
WHERE: East Window Gallery, Boulder
East Window is an exhibit window viewable outdoors from the east side of the building. Lights are on from 10:00 am to 11:30 pm every day. Kali Spitzer is an Indigenous, femme, queer, photographer living on the traditional unceded lands of the Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish and Musqueam peoples. Her heritage deeply influences her work as she focuses on cultural revitalization through her art, whether in the medium of photography, ceramics, tanning hides or hunting. She has documented traditional practices with a sense of urgency, highlighting their vital cultural significance.
WHEN: Thru June 30, 2023
WHERE: History Colorado Center
LGBTQ+ people have always been part of Colorado communities. They have pushed against stereotypes, transforming the way mainstream society views them. Rainbows & Revolutions is about more than just Pride — the exhibit explores how LGBTQ+ people’s very existence in Colorado has been a rebellious act beyond the rainbow, from quiet assertions of identity to loud and proud demonstrations for civil rights and equality.
WHEN: Thru July 16, 2023
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
This exhibition takes a nuanced approach to questions of artistic voice, gender and agency through more than 100 works of painting, calligraphy and ceramics from 1600s to 1900s Japan. Many of these artworks will be on view for the first time to the public.
WHEN: Thru July 30, 2023
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
This exhibition, traveling to Denver from the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, presents 57 artworks from 900 to 700 BCE, an expressive period of Greek art characterized by balance, symmetry and rhythm, all aimed at refining the concept of beauty down to its elemental core. These works, many of which have never before been on public display, open new windows into this formative period of Greek art history, revealing what beauty (Greek: kallos) meant to Greeks of the Geometric period.
WHEN: Thru July 30, 2023
WHERE: Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, Colorado Springs
In the first museum solo exhibition by the award-winning inter-disciplinary artist Eiko Otake, the artist's experimental, movement-based art practice engages and pushes traditions of dance, exploring themes of mortality, time and place. The Fine Art Center’s exhibition foregrounds Otake’s recent film and video works, which have developed alongside her dance, choreography and performance installations. The works feature a body as it moves in and through various places, including the urban infrastructure of Tokyo and New York, irradiated post-nuclear disaster Fukushima, and the vast landscapes of Wyoming and California. Viewers are strongly encouraged to return, as select media will rotate over the course of the exhibition in recognition of changing seasons.
WHEN: Thru Aug. 20, 2023
WHERE: Museo de las Americas
An identity story of the anxiety and the calm of the Colombian territory, this exhibition weaves a possible fabric about the complexities of the land as a point of divergence between the sacred and the mercantile. Exhausted from development driven by selfish interests, the alteration of the rivers, and the uneven expansion of the tombs of war, Colombia has reached a historical crossroads.
WHEN: Thru Aug. 31, 2023
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
A grassroots non-profit organization, Las Adelitas supports women who have endured acts of violence and trauma through the healing power of community, the arts and creative empowerment. This exhibition showcases the creative work of the organization’s artists, including paintings, poetry, video art and the vibrant dresses, stories and performances of the Las Adelitas Ballet Folklorico Dance Group.
WHEN: Thru Sept. 10, 2023
WHERE: Clyfford Still Museum
Awful Bigness fills the museum’s largest, skylit galleries and celebrates Still’s biggest, most ambitious works. This installation follows a chronological display of Still’s works in the museum's first four rooms, offering an overview of Still’s groundbreaking path to abstraction.
WHEN: Thru Sept. 30, 2023
WHERE: History Colorado Center
Return of the Corn Mothers marks a three-year effort to honor 22 new Corn Mothers in 2022. What began in 2007 with a small grant from the Rocky Mountain Women’s Institute and eight local women has now expanded to include more than 70 women. Join in the rich tradition of honoring Southwest women through this revitalized exhibit.
WHEN: Thru Nov. 1, 2023
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
The 23 ink paintings featured in this exhibit showcase some of the most important artists in twentieth-century China, including Zhang Daqian, Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, Wu Changshuo and Wu Guanzhong. The collection includes examples by teachers and students, friends and colleagues. The artists come from very different backgrounds: some traveled to Europe to study Western art, some went to Japan to study Japanese art and Western art as filtered through Japanese experience, and others never went abroad. Nevertheless, all were well versed in traditional Chinese ink art.
WHEN: Thru Dec. 30, 2023
WHERE: Golden History Museum & Park, Golden
Seeking additional income for her family, homemaker-turned-entrepreneur Dorothy Harmsen heard about people making a fortune in Florida selling ice cream from newly invented soft serve machines. In 1949, Harmsen rented a store in downtown Golden and made a down payment on a new machine. Within a few years, she and her husband, Bill, built one of the most iconic confectionery companies in the world.
WHEN: Thru Dec. 30, 2023
WHERE: Golden History Museum & Park, Golden
Epic Events walks you through over three dozen moments that shaped Golden’s past. Those times range from big to small, happy to sad. Some are memorable and some are best forgotten. Step inside this exhibit and feel what it’s like to live through 150 years in Golden.
WHEN: Thru Dec. 30, 2023
WHERE: Golden History Museum & Park, Golden
People are the ingredient that makes Golden a vibrant community. Over the years, so many have called the area home, from nomadic Native Americans, adventurous miners and cunning politicians, to innovative business owners, hard-working students and curious tourists. Their interesting stories make for a rich history. Learn the biographical highlights of some little-known characters, like beloved educator Gertrude Bell, Olympic athlete Lindsey Horan and many more.
WHEN: Thru Dec. 30, 2023
WHERE: Golden History Museum & Park, Golden
Old signs are powerful evidence of the changes Golden has experienced. Simply put, signs are visual graphics we use to communicate information to each other. We’ve used them for thousands of years, and if you stop and look around, they’re everywhere. The permanent City of Golden collection currently cares for more than two dozen commercial and business signs.
WHEN: Thru Jan. 1, 2024
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
A series of thematic installations drawn primarily from the architecture and design collection, this exhibition illustrates the abundance and versatility of approaches to design. How does it come into being? Who creates it and for what purpose? What trends inspire it? And how does it serve society?
WHEN: Thru Jan. 10, 2024
WHERE: History Colorado Center
Over the course of his career, Robert Weinberg captured images of those who left their mark on Denver. Best known for his work with the Intermountain Jewish News, Weinberg focused on portraits of people in the Denver community. Weinberg's photography adds a valuable dimension to the visual record of the Mile High City during the 1980s and 1990s. Now legally blind, Weinberg created braille labels to accompany his work, ensuring that his photographs are accessible to all. He continues to advocate for the visually impaired community by promoting organizations to assist people with low vision to live independently.
WHEN: Thru July 19, 2024
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
Gio Ponti was one of the most inventive Italian architects and designers of his time. For more than 60 years, Ponti’s exuberant approach found expression in public and private commissions from buildings, interiors and furniture to glass, ceramics and flatware, influencing international design for more than 50 years.
Coming Soon
WHEN: June 11–Oct. 1, 2023
WHERE: Denver Botanic Gardens
Discover the early work of renowned landscape photographer Ansel Adams with photos of the American West. Known best for his high-contrast photos made in the 1970s and 1980s, Adams’ earlier prints feature a softer focus, smaller scale and warmer tones, providing a glimpse into the evolution of the photographer’s signature style. The exhibition features 39 vintage photographs, including some of his best-known works. Adams was a giant in the field of landscape photography, using his art to celebrate and protect the West.
WHEN: June 11–Oct. 1, 2023
WHERE: Denver Botanic Gardens
Justin Favela's large-scale piñata-paper installations exist at the intersection of cultural identity and pop culture. Vibrant and immersive, Vistas in Color honors and celebrates the sweeping desert landscapes of the U.S. and Mexico and the role that they have played in Latinx identity. A tissue paper floor-to-ceiling mural, created specifically for the Gardens’ exhibition, combines imagery from desert landscapes. The single panoramic image wraps the walls of the entire ellipse-shaped gallery. Plants from different deserts are featured, as well as plants from the artist’s own home and photos. Favela is a Latinx and first-generation American artist based in Las Vegas.
WHEN: June 21–Oct. 1, 2023
WHERE: Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
Kirkland Museum will host an exhibition of work by longtime Colorado artist and educator Dave Yust. The show, organized by the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery in Lindsborg, Kansas, will feature the artist’s most recent work and will be supplemented when it comes to Kirkland Museum with historical pieces from the museum’s permanent collection.
WHEN: July 2–Nov. 5, 2023
WHERE: Denver Botanic Gardens
Rich and alluring, the striking blue color known as indigo has served as inspiration for weavers, dyers, designers and sculptors across the globe. This exhibition features contemporary artists from the United States, Nigeria, Japan, South Korea and beyond. Indigo dye is derived from a variety of plants, most often true indigo (Indigofera tinctoria), Japanese indigo (Persicaria tinctoria) and woad (Isatis tinctoria). With a complex history that spans millennia and traverses thousands of miles, indigo holds an influential place in global art, trade and culture. Several large-scale installations are presented, including indigo-dyed yarn by local artist Theresa Clowes and indigo-dyed fabric by Rowland Ricketts, as well as a denim quilt by Anissa Mack and small sculptures by Luisa Uribe.
