You may have recently seen Scottish Angus Cow and Calf—the larger-than-life bronze sculptures by artist Dan Ostermiller—getting their annual summer bath. Above and beyond their cleaning with a specialized mild detergent, the Cow and Calf sculptures needed other treatments, including re-patination and waxing, due to the constant physical interaction they receive from the public.
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For kids, an art museum can be a magical place, full of fascinating objects and exciting new discoveries. Last week, the 15 students in the DAM’s From Painting to Performance class had a unique chance to make that magic. In just four days, these kids brought art from the gallery to the stage, creating original plays inspired by museum artworks.
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As you may have seen on Instagram, the Denver Art Museum held a Curator’s Choice: #DispatchPortrait contest in conjunction with the opening of the photography exhibition Alec Soth: Colorado Dispatch (on view through November 29). We received numerous stunning and moving contest entries and after some deliberation photography curatorial assistant Micah Messenheimer landed on a winner...congratulations @wildbluebug, more formally known as Jodi Jahrling!
This summer, visitors will have the opportunity to bring their museum experience home with A Field Guide to Flowers at the Denver Art Museum. Consider it a portable journey through many of the flowers in the museum’s collection.
In conjunction with In Bloom and flower-themed events at the Denver Art Museum this summer, Lindsey Housel of Moonpenny's is leading (sold out) flower-arranging workshops. Below, she shares tips for how you can create interesting and lasting flower bouquets at home.
Carleen Brice: How do you get ideas for creative arrangements?
The 2015 Denver Public Library Plaza Program is a collaborative after-school art program produced by the Denver Art Museum and the Denver Public Library. The DAM has partnered with DPL for over ten years to bring monthly art and creative projects to children at various library branches throughout the school year. Each artmaking project is inspired by objects in the Denver Art Museum’s collections and supports children exploring artists’ creative processes and their own creativity.
The highly realistic sculpture Linda by Colorado artist John DeAndrea has been a visitor favorite at the Denver Art Museum since it became a part of the collection in 1984. Linda is also an important work of contemporary art in which DeAndrea made innovative use of a material that was fairly new to art at the time: plastic. This is why Linda is of such interest to us in the museum’s conservation department. This is a material that has not yet stood the test of time, and we watch Linda carefully to understand how the plastic is aging.
Joan Miró: Instinct & Imagination is on view through June 28 at the Denver Art Museum. Enhance your visit with Miró-inspired artmaking, learning opportunities, and other creative activities!
Bonus: Unless otherwise noted, these activities are included with general admission (free for members; free for kids 18 and under).
In preparation for Creative Crossroads: The Art of Tapestry (now closed), the museum’s staff have been working on a Spanish Colonial table cover in PreVIEW (a behind-the-scenes visible staging area in our textile art gallery).
Curators have examined it and explored its history, and textile art conservators have been testing and repairing the tapestry. Follow this series of blogs to track their progress.
In celebration of Month of Photography Denver and the opening of our new photography exhibition, Barbara Bosworth: Quiet Wonder, our photography department staff wants to see what YOU can capture! We invite you to channel your inner Barbara Bosworth to capture photos of nature, landscape, or something that is not noticeable at first glance and post it on Instagram.
Show your love for photography and connect with other local photographers and creatives by participating in the Curator’s Choice: #DAMGreatShot Instagram Contest.
Conservation treatment of King Caspar is almost finished. Having completed the structural portion of the treatment which included filling cracks, repairing broken elements, and stabilizing loose joints, I moved on to the aesthetic portion of the treatment. The goal of this part of the treatment was to unify the overall appearance by filling areas where the paint and/or gesso was lost to bring them to the same level as the surrounding surfaces.
My initial examination revealed that the sculpture of King Caspar was in poor condition. Many of the wooden joints were loose; some pieces were broken and missing. The paint and barniz chinesco surfaces were actively flaking and the sculpture was very grimy. In collaboration with curator Donna Pierce, I designed a treatment plan that will restore the structural stability of the sculpture so that it can be handled, studied, and displayed safely. We also decided to pursue aesthetic compensation so that it can be effectively understood as a devotional object.