Creative-in-Residence Program

Meet the DAM's 2022 Creative-in-Residence

Kerrie Joy, a poet, singer/songwriter, and storyteller, is the DAM's 2022 Creative-in-Residence! For her residency, visitors will be able to find her inside the museum every Wednesday (11 am-2 pm) and Thursday (1 pm-4 pm) through July.

On Wednesdays, she'll be in the galleries for interactive poetry with museum visitors. On Thursdays in June, she'll be hosting an open mic for sharing music and poetry with visitors. And on Thursdays in July, she'll be hosting community fashion and textile activities in the Ruby Room in the Creative Hub. On select Sundays (June 5 & 12 and July 10), she'll be hosting special sound healing sessions.

Finally, her residency will culminate with the Poetic Fashion Show event on August 30.

Kerrie Joy posing outdoors next to the Denver Art Museum sign

Photo by Ryan Landell

About the Artist

Kerrie Joy (she/her/hers) is a poet, singer/songwriter, storyteller, educator, and revolutionary. Born in Brooklyn and raised on a church pew in Newburgh, New York, Kerrie Joy brings her East Coast flair and fervency to the stage for every single performance. The truth of her words and the power of her delivery have been said to lift her listeners out of their seats. It is that same magic that has brought her to stages such as the Red Rocks Amphitheater, TEDx MileHigh, the 2018 Denver Womxn's March, and MLK Marade. Kerrie Joy channels her creativity through poetry, hip hop, song, short story, graphic design, and fashion.

She uses these artistic mediums as vehicles to spread consciousness, inspire civic engagement, and plant seeds of self-actualization. Kerrie Joy has partnered with various organizations such as Project VOYCE, Tennyson Center for Children, Warm Cookies of the Revolution, and more, to serve as an organizer of ideas through creative delivery. She teaches each audience how their individual creative offerings help fortify culture and build collective power when done in true collaboration.

Kerrie is currently based in Denver and serves as the co-executive director of The Kaleidoscope Project, co-host of The SIP Podcast, and was co-writer of the Denver Dept of Peacekeeping Services to effectively abolish the Denver Police in 2020. She is working on her first music/poetry album. Learn more at kerriejoy.com.

Creative Statement

Honestly, I do too much. I’m sure you know what that feels like.

More than anything, I like to rest. I hope you know what that feels like.

But, in spite of all that I do, or practice, who I am is a poet. Everything I do is an expression of my relationship with poetry.

What I practice is connection. I am human: broken, flawed, beautiful, flying. Yeah. We are a complicated species. Or better yet, we have learned to practice complication for our entertainment. Interesting, huh? Lauryn Hill told us, "It could all be so simple…". And to me, in many ways, it is. Everything is about connection. We have forgotten this as a people. Connection asserts my humanity and makes sure there is plenty of room for everyone else to be fully seen, fully acknowledged, and fully involved. We are energy. We need to view one another as the waves that ebb and flow. My work: my words, my delivery, my music, my harmonies, my fashion, my colors, my existence is about reminding us of this connection, and doing everything that I can to practice connection in a world that glorifies competition.

What are you looking forward to with this residency?

In this residency, I am specifically looking forward to the platform that poetry will have. It isn't often that we celebrate poetry for the star that she is as an art form. However, I'm mostly looking forward to the incredible collaborations that I hope to have along the way. I hope to do whatever I can to contribute to, and celebrate, the brilliance that resides in Denver, especially the brilliance of Black queer women. Let's have some fun. — Kerrie Joy

The Opportunity

The DAM’s Creative-in-Residence program offers a unique opportunity to take inspiration from on-view exhibitions and collections while working with visitors from around the world. Utilize DAM visitors as a resource, collaborator, point of inspiration, or active participant in a project that you create in the museum environment. The first two months of the residency are dedicated to ideating, experimenting, and exploring–both ideas and materials. The subsequent months will focus on implementing your creative project, working with DAM visitors, and presenting a culminating moment.

The Creative-in-Residence home base is a public flexible workspace inside the Creative Hub. Custom worktable configurations, pop-up display, outdoor spaces, and areas for larger group work or performances will be available options for the resident. The resident will also have access to art workshop spaces for additional equipment and resources.

A minimum of 10 hours onsite per week is a requirement of the Creative-in-Residence program. Two 3-hour blocks (6 hours) will be regularly scheduled “office hours” that need to include at least one weekday (ex. Tuesdays & Thursdays 1-4pm). The remaining 4 required onsite hours can be carried-out at the resident’s discretion. The Creative-in-Residence workspace is accessible any time during museum business hours.

    The intention of this residency is to expand the practices of local emerging creatives through the opportunity of creating and interacting with the public in a museum environment. We are committed to developing ongoing connections with Denver’s creative community to further develop engaging experiences for visitors and creatives alike.

    We are looking for creatives who:

    • Have a dedicated creative practice in visual art, music, performance, craft, spoken word, film, writing, or any other creative discipline.
    • Have a demonstrable interest in interactive, participatory, and/or socially engaged practice.
    • Want to share their practice with the public.
    • Currently live and work in the Denver metro area and can commute to the museum during the entire residency period.
    • Pass a background check.

    What is the Creative Hub?

    A new learning and engagement space that has been developed with feedback from local community partners. The community created vision of this space is:

    • It will feel like a comfortable place for gathering, having a welcoming, communal buzz.
    • It will be a platform for exchange, a place for diverse and changing, community-driven programming and convenings, partner meetings and events, pre- and post-gallery experiences.
    • It will celebrate local creativity, showcasing work from varied community groups, as well as being a place where our local Creatives-in-Residence can work with the public.
    • It will enable creative experiences, providing hands-on, self-directed learning opportunities where visitors can spark their own creativity through participatory experiences.