An Exemplary Art Museum! A Museum Worth Visiting!
The Denver Art Museum in Denver, Colorado
by Susan M. Ward
Visualize...
An art museum that prioritizes making, touching, and doing! As you meander through the Denver Art Museum, you’ll find a place to weave a round pattern using yarn. You can paint a flower. You can listen to calming music
and doodle. Yes, museums have been adding maker spaces into their facilities, but the DAM weaves creating and making throughout the museum so that learning is much more than looking. And, as you're imaging spaces where you can make and create, also picture dramatic architecture, windows of all shapes and sizes, and art on the elevator doors.
My connection
When I first visited the DAM in the 1990s, I could tell that the museum was changing how art museums interact with their visitors. And, the person behind those changes was then-executive director Lewis Sharp. I had a small connection with him. When I was in graduate school, one of my classes was taught by a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lewis Sharp. He helped me navigate the process of applying for an internship at the MMA, which I got. I later enjoyed reading about his move from the Met to the DAM and the advancements he implemented.
My favorite moment
Watching a couple fit the pieces together for the archaeologist activity in the Korean art exhibit. Their interactions, conversation, and participation reminded me what museums do for both our minds and our hearts.
Why visit?
The DAM exemplifies how an art museum can provide multiple, hands-on, participatory experiences, instead of it only being a place of quiet contemplation. While visiting, you'll be wrapped in helpful, even joyful hospitality.
Description
The Denver Art Museum weaves together a diverse collection, an excellent visitor experience, delightful hospitality, and numerous opportunities to create and explore art. It’s known as the one of the largest art museums between Chicago and the West Coast.
Collection
The Denver Art Museum has a global art collection of more than 70.000 pieces of art. The art is from Africa, Oceania, Latin America, America, Asia, Europe, as well as artists from the Rocky Mountain region.
Hospitality
The DAM exemplifies positive, caring hospitality. When I stashed my coat in a locker and couldn’t get it to lock, a volunteer graciously helped. When I had a question about when an activity started, a staff person cheerfully looked it up for me. When I joined a guided tour, the docent was not only knowledgeable, but flexible and cheerful as she shared information she was passionate about.
Storytelling
First off, all museums in Denver, including DAM, have labels in both English and Spanish which speaks to inclusivity. The DAM tells it's stories through labels, QR codes to link info, guided tours, and maker spaces. Written text in the maker spaces is generally more fun than the object labels. An example of one of their more creative labels was for the painting "Madonna and Child with a Swallow" by Francesco Bartolomeo. The label, referencing the swallow in the painting, read, "Swallows are special birds. It was once thought they hibernated during the winter, burying themselves in mud to keep warm, and emerging from the ground in the spring. The child Jesus holds the swallow, connecting the bird to the story of his life. Imagine hearing the swallow's song. What is it singing about?"
Surprises
Even though I had been across it before, I loved walking above the street via the walkway connecting two of the buildings. Floor to ceiling windows. Cars passing underneath. Vista views across the city and on to the mountains.
Wellness opportunities
An important way to build wellness is by participating in creative activities and the DAM does this well! Throughout the museum there are places to paint, touch, make, weave, examine, and more. Few museums have as many maker spaces as DAM does. For all ages. All interests.
Wayfinding
The multiple buildings make wayfinding tools a necessity at the DAM. They have an online map, a printed map, signs at every elevator and stairwell, along with signage at each of the galleries. Well done!
Cafe and shop
There are two food options including the upscale Ponti and the Cafe Gio where I ate. The Cafe has a fun menu and the staff was pleasant and helpful. The gift shop is large and attractive. They have a wide variety of price points and well-selected products.
How to visit
There's a lot to see! Spend a few minutes looking at the floor plan and the current exhibits to plan your visit. Participate in one or more of the maker spaces. Use the numerous forms of seating to rest, admire the art, or people watch. Don't forget to notice the intriguingly shaped windows in the North Building designed by Italian architect, Gio Ponti - the only building of his in North America.
Mission statement
“Our mission is to enrich the lives of present and future generations through the acquisition, presentation, and preservation of works of art, supported by exemplary scholarship and public programs related to both its permanent collections and to temporary exhibitions presented by the museum.”
Images: Front facade (Ray Tsang from Irvine, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
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