Monday, August 22, 2022

A Day at the Denver Art Museum


It is hard to believe that school in our part of Colorado has already been in session for one week! A few days before the new school year we brought our oldest granddaughter to the Denver Art Museum for the day.  She was very excited, as you can see by her big smile.




The Denver Art Museum is located in an area of Denver's "Golden Triangle." Within the boundaries of the Golden Triangle, you can find Civic Center Park, the City and County of Denver offices, the Colorado State Capitol, History Colorado, the Denver Art Museum, the U.S. Mint Museum, the Clyfford Still Museum, and the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art and the Denver Public Library.

The Denver Art Museum has exhibitions and collections of more than 70,000 diverse works from across the centuries and the world, as well as special exhibits.






 I was excited to see the special Georgia O'Keeffe Photographer exhibit that runs 
through November 6, 2022

Information from the exhibit website:
"Georgia O’Keeffe, Photographer brings a trove of newly identified photographs by the groundbreaking artist to Colorado in summer 2022 in an exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) with the collaboration of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe. The presentation reveals a new aspect of the modernist artist’s career through nearly 100 photographs, as well as several paintings, drawings, and related ephemera."



Please click on to enlarge

I think many are familiar with her macro-style flower paintings and it was interesting to see her photos that were her inspiration.




Please click on to enlarge

Her photo of her New Mexico studio door






O'Keeffe's painting of her patio and door with a cloud-filled sky above.









Some other paintings by O'Keeffe are part of the exhibit.



Please click on to enlarge

We were amazed to see the "Age of Armor" special exhibit which runs until September 5, 2022.  It is an immersive exhibition featuring more than 100 objects highlighting the artistry, function, and societal perceptions of armor shaped throughout time, from the Higgins Collection at the Worcester Art Museum of Massachusetts.





Please click on to enlarge


This two-handed sword was impressive!




Some beautiful glass was made in the Czech Republic, where glassmaking is a 1,000-year-old tradition.




An art museum visit would not be complete without looking at the Impressionists--just a small portion we saw are in the collage above.





There is also Outdoor Art outside the museum as well as an interactive garden. 

The thirty-five-foot tall "Big Sweep" sculpture is by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen and is located on Martin Plaza outside the Hamilton building.  

I was happy to see the horse sculptures made by Deborah Butterfield which were part of an exhibit I saw years ago at the Denver Botanic Garden called "The Nature of Horses--click here--to see them in that blog post.





Denver Art Museum is one of the largest art museums between Chicago and the West Coast with global art collections that represent cultures around the world as well as work by artists from Denver and the Rocky Mountain region. Internationally known for its holdings of American Indian art, the museum has also assembled an extensive group of pre-Columbian and Spanish Colonial art objects now considered one of the finest collections in the world.   To see some of these exhibits in past blogs click here and here.

 
We only saw a small portion of the exhibits on this visit and we will return many times in the future to see more.  



Our granddaughter was especially excited to see that there were many Creativity Areas in the museum where she could create her own artwork! There were many art supplies available and after seeing so much artwork and sculptures our creative juice was flowing and we both made drawings.  

She enjoyed the interactive poetry wall in one room and on the whiteboard that asked the question "Why do we need creativity?"  she wrote "Creativity Shows Passion," which I think sums up our day at the museum perfectly!



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31 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Hello Pat,

A visit to the museum with your granddaughter is a fun outing. I love the O'Keefe art and the horse sculptures. The Age of Armor exhibit looks cool.
I think the schools here start today. Take care, enjoy your day and the week ahead!

Penny Carlson said...

What a wonderful way to spend the day with your granddaughter! It was very interesting to see Georgia's photography that inspired her paintings!

Tom said...

...this is my kind of place. I haven't been to a museum since Covid.

Carol @Comfort Spring Station said...

I'd love to see the Georgia O'Keefe exhibit. She's remarkable. The other exhibits also sound interesting. I love the statues of horses made of wood or metal like you photographed. My fantasy is to have one in my yard where I can see it from my window.

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

What a fun day! And it's so great to learn about art and appreciate it when you are young. Being creative is important all through our lives.

Rainbow Evening said...

great exhibition ...
wish to visit and have fun in museum...
Thank you for sharing wonderful photos

Lydia C. Lee said...

Some really diverse painting of nature there...funny to see it thru different artists eyes. #NAturesnotes

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

It sounds like a person could spend years in that Golden Triangle and not see everything, especially when the Art Museum brings in such wonderful temporary exhibitions. We loved our visit to the Georgia O'Keeffe museum in Santa Fe (I never know when to stop typing the letter F in her name), but that was too many years ago. And we obviously have missed way too much of interest and beauty in Denver! Thank you for the virtual tour (and it was a wonderful grandparent opportunity as well. Your granddaughter's quote about creativity certainly shows that you picked a perfect outing.)

Ruth Hiebert said...

Looks like you had a fun day exploring this place.

Angie said...

Pat - how wonderful to share this experience with your granddaughter - I hope to engage in similar experiences one day! I am not a big admirer of Georgia O'Keefe's work - a little too modern and stark for me. Our son would love the armor exhibit. The glass from the Czech Republic reminded me of a glass factory that I visited in Poland - I have a couple of pieces from it - gorgeous! Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday!

Veronica Lee said...

A fun day to spend with your granddaughter, Pat.

Fascinating exhibits!

Happy Tuesday!

Jim said...

Cool design for the aet museum.

ann said...

The Denver Art Museum is amazing. It's been years since I've been there and Georgia O'Keeffe's flower art is one of favorites. Now I am inspired to take my granddaughters to the museum. Their parents have decided to home school so now there would be time for some educational field trips. But what struck me more was your trip to Golden! My home town. I grew up on a small farm just east of Golden and did my student teacher at Golden High School. My brother is a graduate of Colorado School of Mines. I've followed you from your blog's beginning. I certainly relate to your comment that you left me about taking my 1 year break from writing, but when I went back and looked at the years of photos and story telling, I knew that I should continue. One reason that I stopped was for just that reason--it was becoming so repetitive. Still the friendships that we have made along the way are so worth it. Keep writing.

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

Sounds like a wonderful visit. I would love to see the Georgia O Keefe... maybe a trip in the future. thanks for sharing

Phil Slade said...

Living here in the UK I must admit to not having hears of Georgia O'Keefe but I can see from your commentary and photos that she was a talented lady. That was a great day out for your granddaughter at the museum. It's good to see grandparents treating kids to good culture experiences rather than much of the current ephemeral rubbish.

Violetta said...

I´ve never been in the States and therefor also not to Denver. But I know it a the capital of Colorado and years ago there was a series in TV, which was called here "The Denver Clan" - like "Dallas" a series about rich oil magnats.
Nice fotos.
All the best
Violetta

Janice said...

What a smart young lady to enjoy the museum!

R's Rue said...

I’d love to visit.

William Kendall said...

I would thoroughly enjoy that museum.

Carol Benton said...

I've always loved being able to take my grandchildren (boys and girls) to art museums over the years. It's especially rewarding to watch them interact with the art materials in the hands-on creative areas for children. Looks like you had a wonderful museum visit with your granddaughter and viewed some super-interesting exhibits.
Thank you for participating in Talent-Sharing Tuesdays Link-Up 30.
Carol
www.scribblingboomer.com

Pisi Prkl said...

Fantastic arhitecture, art by it self. Kinda looks like an u.f.o. imho.

dee Nambiar said...

Oh wow! I love the idea of creativity centers in art museums. With so much inspiration around, it's the best place to create some art. :)

This is a lovely way to spend time with a granddaughter. :)

Rambling Woods said...

Pat..you remind me of what I loved about my maternal grandparents as they took us to museums...I guess that they both being teachers realized how important it is...Michelle

Spare Parts and Pics said...

Wonderful that you got to see the O'Keeffe exhibit. Thanks for sharing the experience!

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

What a treat going to the Denver Art Museum. It's been years since since we have been there but it is always top notch and has great exhibits.

I'm so jealous of the Georgia O'Keefe exhibit. Such a revolutionary artist she was and when she moved to New Mexico it just blossomed even further.

Roberta said...

Che bella visita,guardando le tue foto ho visitato anch'io questo museo così lontano:)
Buon fine settimana

Photo Cache said...

Museum days are fun.

Worth a Thousand Words

diane b said...

Snap I visited our Gallery of Modern Art this week. Like you I will have to return because there is too much to see in one trip. GOMA as it is called for short is next to the Queensland Art Gallery where the 'normal' art is shown. There is also the State Library, Performing Arts center and the museum. Similar to what you were describing. Your exhibition looks very interesting. I can't say that 've heard of her before.

Joanne said...

OH I would have loved to see that O'Keeffe exhibit too! I love her works.

Lowcarb team member said...

Lovely photographs from the Denver Art Museum.

Our grandchildren go back to school on the 5th September.

All the best Jan

Andree said...

Thank you for the tour! Loved it.