Sunday, January 25, 2026

The Madden Gallery at the Museum of Outdoor Arts in Colorado




Our daughter works in an office building in the Greenwood Village area of Colorado and wanted to view an exhibit in a new gallery, part of the Museum of Outdoor Arts (MOA), which opened in the fall of 2025. We had a prior visit to the Marjorie Park Sculpture Park in July of last year, and we were also interested to see the indoor gallery.  We met our daughter at her office during her lunch hour to walk over to the Palazzo Verdi, a 15-story office building located at 66363 Fiddlers Green Circle. 



The Palazzo Verdi's building lobby space was recently renovated to include the 10,000 sq foot Madden Gallery, which will host three to four temporary art exhibitions each year.
Formerly known as The Madden Museum of Art, the gallery space was founded by MOA Co-Founders John and Marjorie Madden and first opened in October 2008 alongside the debut of the Palazzo Verdi office building. The Madden Gallery now offers regular hours, is open to the public, and is currently free of charge.



The first exhibit was "Metaphorming TIME" by Todd Siler.

Exhibition Dates: October 21st 2025 – February 13, 2026


According to the Madden Gallery's web site: 

This exhibition showcases a selection of Todd Siler’s paintings, sculptures, drawings, monotypes, and artist’s books—works he calls “Metaphorms.” Rooted in the creative processes of the human brain, Siler’s art fuses symbolic language, metaphor, and invention to explore time as the universal connector linking all aspects of life.

Through neural-inspired textures and thought-provoking imagery, Siler examines humanity’s past, present, and future: how we confront urgent global challenges, how civilizations rise and fall, and how creativity can shape a more sustainable future. His practice, grounded in the principles of ArtScience and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics), invites viewers to engage as “Metaphormers”—lifelong learners, creators, and problem-solvers.

Metaphorming TIME is both a reflection on human ingenuity and a call to collective action, inspiring audiences to imagine and build a better world together.



Siler explains his predominantly mixed media art on his website:

"I’m a Cerebralist! I meld abstract and representational forms with sensual and conceptual elements, using all media and means of communicating. For the past three decades, I’ve explored the nature of the human mind and creative process: how we think, create, learn, invent, innovate, and communicate. My art shows how the mind is connected to all of its creations: from the words we use to describe our thoughts & feelings to the technologies we build to see everything in the world that words cannot fully describe...




...Cerebralism encompasses all forms and expressions of art. Through art, we can connect and transform everything (information, knowledge, ideas, experiences) to create new meanings and purposes for everything. Art makes life meaningful. It inspires wonder, while challenging the limits of our vision and imagination."



Please click on the photo above to read more about the exhibit and the artist's descriptions.





We all enjoyed getting a close-up look at all the elements incorporated in his artwork.



A small section of the Madden Gallery still had some of the former exhibits when the space was called the Madden Museum of Art before the renovation.



John W. Jr and Marjorie Madden were avid art collectors and together amassed an impressive and diverse collection. The Maddens' collecting philosophy centered around the places they were inspired by in their travels and the relationships they developed with artists.

In January 2016, the University of Denver was pleased to accept the Madden Collection as a permanent addition to the University’s holdings. John W. Madden, Jr., developer of the Fiddler's Green campus in Greenwood Village, CO., donated a collection of 133 artworks valued at $10 million to the University of Denver.




Please click on the photo above to enlarge it to read more about John Madden.



There was also a wonderful tribute to his wife, Marjorie Madden, and their family history.


There was some "rare to us this winter" snow on the ground when we left the Madden Gallery this past December...


...but our spirits were warm with the 
Joy of all the beauty we just saw inside!


The pretty snowy mountain view from our daughter's office's outdoor parking lot.

We enjoyed our visit to the Madden Gallery and agreed that their mission to "make art a part of everyday life" has certainly been accomplished through their generosity!

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Monday, January 19, 2026

The Argo Gold MIne and Mill and the Argo Tunnel in Idaho Springs Colorado


Every other month, a group of our friends---we jokingly call ourselves "The Motley Crew"-- take turns to plan an outing where we all visit a local place of interest or have dinner together at the host's home.  In September, we visited the historic Argo Mine and Mill, located at 2350 Riverside Dr. in Idaho Springs, Colorado. 

On January 5, 1859, during the Colorado gold rush, prospector George A. Jackson discovered placer gold at the present site of Idaho Springs, where Chicago Creek empties into Clear Creek. It was the first substantial gold discovery in Colorado,
and the town became the center of the region's mining district throughout the late nineteenth century.


We took a pre-reserved tour. The tours are professionally guided and last about an hour and a half.


While we waited for our tour to begin, we were able to look at a few exhibits inside the visitor center. The drawing above shows the Argo Mine and Mill on the left and the Mighty Argo Cable Car on the right, which is under construction and is expected to open this year.With only a 10-minute ride, the cable car will reach an elevation gain of 1,300 feet and will provide access to more than 500 acres of hiking and biking trails.


There were old photos of the mining operation on display...


...and examples of minerals and artifacts found in the mine and on the grounds.

The photo will enlarge for easier viewing when clicked on.


A photo of a group of Cornish Miners and examples of the pay in 1927 for men working different jobs in the mine, earning from $3.50 to $7.50 a day in wages.


The first stop on the tour was the Argo Tunnel, which extends over four miles from Central City to Idaho Springs, under an area of extensive mining. The purpose of the tunnel was to drain problematic water from overlying mines and to provide a direct route to ship ores from the mines to the Argo Mill. The tunnel took 17 years to complete and was the world's longest tunnel when it was completed in 1910.  It operated until January 1943, after a major hydraulic accident in the tunnel killed four miners. World War II closed all gold mines, and the Argo Tunnel never reopened. 

You can read more about the Argo Tunnel and Mine and Mill on the website at this link. 



Next, we entered the mill, where we walked from station to station as the tour guide told us the extensive step-by-step process of extracting gold from the ore that contained it.
Various techniques were used to extract gold and other minerals, requiring different machines to process the ore diversity.

The Argo Mill extracted pure gold and minerals from raw ore. At its peak, the mighty Argo processed ore from more than 30 nearby mines, playing a major role in shaping the economy and growth of Idaho Springs and the state of Colorado as a whole.


An example of a gold ore.


The end of the tour lead into a large museum area that had mnay mining displays and artifacts..



As part of the tour, we also had a chance to pan for gold flakes, similar to how placer gold was panned from the creeks during the Gold Rush days.


After leaving the Argo Mine and Mill we all visited the charming town of Idaho Springs...



...and enjoyed pizzas at the popular Beau Jo's Pizza, which is known for its distinctive "Mountain Pie" hand-rolled crust.

It was a fun outing to learn more about Colorado's Gold Rush history and end with a delicious treat!

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