The Denver Art Museum
I don't remember going to museums when I was younger. I probably went to one on a field trip in elementary school. But my family didn't make a habit of visiting museums. I've since been to several museums as part of my travels - I saw Dolly the cloned sheep at the National Museum of Scotland, the Medici paintings at the Louvre and the artwork of the Wyeth family at the Farnsworth Museum in Maine. Sometimes it's not just the artwork or pieces in the museum but also the building itself. The Denver Art Museum, or DAM, was offering free family passes over the holidays so we traipsed on down to downtown Denver to check it out.
I broke the supreme rule of travel and didn't do my research beforehand - I must've been blinded by the word free. I had no idea how large the Denver Art Museum really is. Comprised of two buildings, the newer one is 4 floors and the older one is seven stories tall, DAM is one of the largest museums between Chicago and the West Coast.( A docent told us that it houses one of the largest collections of Western Art in the US) My feet knew it by the end of our visit and we didn't even see half of what there was to see!
Entrance to the museum is located in the newer Frederic C Hamilton building so that's where we started. Modern and airy, this building housed the Super Indian exhibit, which was an exhibit of 40 rarely seen pieces by the American Indian artist Fritz Scholder, some cubism pieces, some more modern pieces and an interactive exhibit on social media and art.
There is a glass pedestrian bridge connecting the two buildings which houses the Western Art pieces. And then you can take your pick of 7 floors of art that you want to see! I think my favorite was the Asian art floor - it was organized by country with everything from pottery, to tapestries, to scrolls, to ink drawings to ceremonial robes. Here are some Wyeth paintings on display -
One of the coolest things they have done is present the Rocky Mountains as art. There are horizontal windows which frame the mountains perfectly as if they are a painting. There is also a rooftop area, which wasn't open when we were there, that also uses the buildings to frame the surrounding landscape.
This is obviously just a general overview - I know I've left out quite a bit but if you'd like more information on visiting the Denver Art Museum, click here. And if you do decide to visit, make sure you have plenty of time and good walking shoes. You're gonna need both!
Have you visited the Denver Art Museum? If so, what was your favorite part?
I'm linking up with: Travel Photo Thursday at Budget Travelers Sandbox, Weekend Travel Inspiration at Reflections Enroute and Weekend Wanderlust at A Brit and A Southerner!
I broke the supreme rule of travel and didn't do my research beforehand - I must've been blinded by the word free. I had no idea how large the Denver Art Museum really is. Comprised of two buildings, the newer one is 4 floors and the older one is seven stories tall, DAM is one of the largest museums between Chicago and the West Coast.( A docent told us that it houses one of the largest collections of Western Art in the US) My feet knew it by the end of our visit and we didn't even see half of what there was to see!
Entrance to the museum is located in the newer Frederic C Hamilton building so that's where we started. Modern and airy, this building housed the Super Indian exhibit, which was an exhibit of 40 rarely seen pieces by the American Indian artist Fritz Scholder, some cubism pieces, some more modern pieces and an interactive exhibit on social media and art.
There is a glass pedestrian bridge connecting the two buildings which houses the Western Art pieces. And then you can take your pick of 7 floors of art that you want to see! I think my favorite was the Asian art floor - it was organized by country with everything from pottery, to tapestries, to scrolls, to ink drawings to ceremonial robes. Here are some Wyeth paintings on display -
One of the coolest things they have done is present the Rocky Mountains as art. There are horizontal windows which frame the mountains perfectly as if they are a painting. There is also a rooftop area, which wasn't open when we were there, that also uses the buildings to frame the surrounding landscape.
This is obviously just a general overview - I know I've left out quite a bit but if you'd like more information on visiting the Denver Art Museum, click here. And if you do decide to visit, make sure you have plenty of time and good walking shoes. You're gonna need both!
Have you visited the Denver Art Museum? If so, what was your favorite part?
I'm linking up with: Travel Photo Thursday at Budget Travelers Sandbox, Weekend Travel Inspiration at Reflections Enroute and Weekend Wanderlust at A Brit and A Southerner!
We are not big museum goers either. We usually go on free days too :) Having said that I find some of them interesting.
ReplyDeleteYea, we are much more outdoors enjoyers - but if I'm in a city I've found that I prefer a museum or live performance event than shopping. Unless it's a farmers market! Thanks for visiting Jan!
DeleteI am a museum lover but my husband is not. Therefore, I try to keep museums at a minimum when I travel. However, I keep an eye on the best museums on the city because they can be visited when it is raining or when other attractions are closed. Plus, sometimes they have free entrance time. it doesn't hurt to stop and take a look at the masterpieces.
ReplyDeleteI agree Ruth! My daughter and I couldn't believe we got my son and my husband there - I think the Free admission helped. I do enjoy visiting museums, especially when the weather is bad. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI like the idea of the windows framing the mountains. Kudos to the architect who designed the building to take advantage of the view. I've never been to Denver of to its museum but you make me want to go.
ReplyDeleteI loved the mountain framing windows, too! Thanks for stopping by - hope you make it to the Mile High City sometime.
DeleteI love a good art museum. I think the building is just as important as the galleries. The Denver museum looks wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly what I was trying to say - only you said it better! And I really enjoyed my afternoon there. Thanks for visiting!
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