Explore Three Artworks in 30 Minutes

One of the exciting things about the Denver Art Museum is its encyclopedic collection. The museum displays objects by artists from a range of cultures and backgrounds throughout history. And the wide variety of artwork on view allows us to make unexpected connections, giving us an opportunity to explore our shared experiences across time and space. This summer, we are launching a new tour that highlights the many ways that these unexpected connections can spark new ideas and perspectives.

3 in 30 Tours will explore 3 artworks from the DAM’s permanent collection in just 30 minutes. The tours will be held on Thursdays and Sundays at 1 pm throughout the summer. That means we’ll be spotlighting 72 artworks this summer alone! We’ll be exploring various themes that resonate with our human experiences, such as artwork that engages the senses and ideas of kinship and belonging.

Today, I’ll share three artworks that turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. These artists take inspiration from things we encounter in our everyday lives, but transform them through their artistic expression into meaningful works of art.

Colorful armchair made out of balloons — Seungjin Yang, *Blowing Armchair 1*, 2019, this example made 2022. Epoxy resin and balloons; 29 1/2 x 31 1/4 x 26 1/2 in. Denver Art Museum: Funds from the Architecture and Design Collectors’ Council, 2022.163. © Seungjin Yang

Blowing Armchair 1 by Seungjin Yang

Architecture & Design galleries
Martin Building, Level 2

Seungjin Yang used balloons to create the whimsical Blowing Armchair 1. The designer meticulously covers each individual balloon with eight layers of epoxy resin. Each layer takes up to seven hours to dry, resulting in a solid, glass-like surface. Ultimately, the designer has taken something fragile and ephemeral and transformed it into something functional and enduring. By placing this object in a museum, we elevate its status. This is no longer an ordinary chair, but instead it celebrates the mundane act of sitting by reimagining what a chair can be.

Tall slender sculpture made of stacked styrofoam cups — Tom Friedman, *Untitled (Styrofoam cups- Grey scale)*, 2002. Acrylic on cups; Gift of Polly and Mark Addison, 2015.251. © Tom Friedman

Untitled (Styrofoam cups—Grey scale) by Tom Friedman

Modern and Contemporary Art galleries
Hamilton Building, Level 4

Tom Friedman’s Untitled (Styrofoam cups—Grey scale) is a work that you could easily bypass in the galleries; it appears so unassuming. But upon closer inspection, there is more to this work than meets the eye. A careful attention to detail is required to create this seemingly simple stack of Styrofoam cups. Imagine creating this work yourself, how might you begin? Do you start by painting the black cup, then slowly adding white paint to each subsequent cup creating a subtle gradient? Or perhaps the reverse? Friedman said, "Art, for me, is a context to slow the viewer’s experience from their everyday life in order to think about things they haven’t thought about. Or to think in a new way."

Hanging installations with fur and synthetic hair — Eric-Paul Riege (Diné), *jaatloh4Ye’iitsoh 1-2*, 2020. Muslin, polyester fill, faux fur, and synthetic hair; 108 in. x 24 in. x 6 in. each. Denver Art Museum: Gift of Brian A. Tschumper and Benton Greer, 2023.490A-B

jaatłoh4Ye’iitsoh 1-2 by Eric-Paul Riege, Diné (Navajo)

Indigenous Art of North America galleries
Martin Building, Level 3

The oversized set of earrings created by Eric-Paul Riege are titled jaatłoh4Ye’iitsoh 1-2, which means "the earring for a big god." The artist imagined creating these pieces for the giant god-monsters of Diné storytelling, Ye’iitsoh. This artwork is also a way for the artist to connect with his ancestry. Reige said, "One way that our holy people recognize us is through our jewelry and turquoise and our squash-blossom necklace. This is how our ancestors and those we consider our holy people recognize us and protect us." Here, something as common as an earring takes on personal, cultural, and mythological significance through its monumental scale.

As you look at these three artworks, what do they reveal about our human nature? Why do we assign value to some parts of our experience over others? And how does it make you think differently about the objects you encounter in everyday life?

If you enjoyed this exploration, I hope you’ll join us for 3 in 30 Tours this summer to learn more about artworks in our permanent collection and have great conversations about art! We will also be offering tours of The Kirkland on Saturdays at 1:30 and tours of Confluence of Nature: Nancy Hemenway Barton on Mondays and Fridays at 1:30 throughout the summer.