Museum of Contemporary Art / Denver

The Museum of Contemporary Art / Denver (MCA) is an innovative forum that inspires and challenges all audiences and creates understanding and dialog about art of our time.
In 1996, the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver was formed to provide Denver with a major contemporary art museum. MCA is located in a 7,000 square foot renovated fish market in the Sakura Square in downtown Denver. MCA is a non-collecting space and functions like the European model of a kunsthalle, offering the ongoing presentation of innovative and challenging artwork. MCA sees its role to be an incubator for art and ideas, artistic exchange and dialogue, and a place for the infinite exploration of the human imagination.

Our new home

In 1996, Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver (MCA) was formed to provide Denver with a major contemporary art museum. MCA has been instrumental in garnering widespread enthusiasm and support for the art of our time. In 2006, MCA will deliver a long overdue museum for world-class contemporary art to the Denver Metro area with the opening of our new 25,000 square foot home at 15th and Delgany.

In 2004, an Architect Selection Committee was formed and an international search was conducted for an architect to design "a place where architecture supports rather than defines the museum's mission." To activate public interest and challenge the selection process, MCA engaged in a six-week educational interview process with six architecture design firms engaging graduate students, high-school students, museum patrons, and thousands of new faces at public presentations where attendance grew to more than 900 people per lecture.

After much consideration, the Selection Committee and the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to select Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye to design the new building. David Adjaye is "more artist than architect. Known as an innovator with materials and a sculptor of light, he's also a rising international star," states the international architecture journal Azure (Spring 2004). The MCA commission is Adjaye's first U.S. building and his first museum worldwide.

MCA's new facility is visionary and elegant. It will be a 21st century city landmark and a tourist destination. It will contribute to the revitalization of Lower Downtown, in particular the Central Platte Valley district near the historic Union Station building.

MCA's visionary project is a vital component of Denver's growing cultural landscape and complements other important cultural development projects. According to CBCA "metro Denver cultural and scientific organizations generated $1.3 billion in economic activity in 2003 driving $497 million in new revenue to the metro Denver economy." MCA's new building will contribute to the city's economic strength and towards its growing reputation as one of the most exciting cities in the United States.

Whether your commitment is to art, architecture or to Colorado's long term cultural and economic well being, this exciting project needs your support. We’ve received a generous $1 million gift of land as well as generous lead gifts from our Trustees and patrons of $6 million more. That still leaves a significant fundraising challenge. Outstanding naming opportunities exist and pledges of $25,000 or more may be paid over 5 years. Pledges of $10,000 or more may be paid over 2 years. Planned gifts are also welcome.

Contributions of any amount are greatly appreciated. We need your support, at whatever level, to realize this vision for Denver together. Special donor recognition is available at a full range of giving levels.

For more information, please contact Scott Anderson, Development Director, at 303-298-7554 x206 or scotta@mcartdenver.org

Programs

Programs at MCA focus on celebrating the artistic strengths of this region, while also integrating national and international artists, curators and writers to create rich, cross-disciplinary dialogues. Exhibitions include Will Boys Be Boys? Questioning Adolescent Masculinity in Contemporary Art; PILLish: Harsh Realities and Gorgeous Destinations; Dots, Blobs and Angels: John David Rigsby; OVER ONE BILLION SERVED: Conceptual Photography from the People’s Republic of China; Blood: Lines and Connections; Colorado Biennial: 10+10; Elegy: Contemporary Ruins; POPjack: from Warhol to Marakami and 5 Abstract. MCA offers Multi-Disciplinary Outreach Programs such as Reel Love, an experimental film series, Slidejam, an artist’s slide presentation of the work of pier artists, and Visual Soundings, a program that introduces new forms of music into the gallery setting. Education Programs are based on the exhibits and include lectures, tours, and art talks by artists, writers, and curators as well as gallery guides, catalogues, and video documentation, as well as Contemporary Laboratory a teacher training/artist residency program for schools. Over 2,000 children and adults participate in MCA Programs annually.

Visitor Profile

MCA's innovative programs attract over 20,000 visitors a year. About one-half of MCA’s visitors are citizens from within the Denver metro area, one-quarter from larger Colorado and one-quarter from national or international destinations. Demographic surveys have determined that MCA draws its membership from the city's inhabitants who are educated, affluent, professional, well-traveled, and aesthetically aware.

Community Needs

A relatively young city located between the two coasts, Denver continues to search for its own cultural identity. MCA plays an important role in this pursuit by bringing stimulating exhibitions and programs by artists and curators of diverse cultural and experiential backgrounds and sensitivities. MCA acts as a window to the world while tirelessly acting as a mirror that reflects the art of its place.

Evaluation

The Director/Curator and staff hold high standards in the administration of exhibitions and programs by constantly evaluating, reflecting, and documenting MCA's processes. Comments from the general public are taken verbally and through comment diaries throughout MCA. Surveys are available at all lectures, tours and other special programs to evaluate the success of the programs.

Volunteer

MCA Interns/Volunteers provide the much-needed assistance to MCA and are an integral part of creating a cultural identity for Denver. Interns/Volunteers at MCA assist in a variety of Museum work. Depending on interests, skills and availability, Interns/Volunteers could be involved in one or all of the following areas.

Visitor Services/Museum Shop
Education/Docent
Special Events
Membership
Public Relations
Development
General Office Support

VOLUNTEER APPLICATION PROCEDURES
Join Now! MCA actively recruits volunteers through its membership pool. Volunteers who are not yet MCA members are encouraged to join Denver's first and only contemporary art museum. Applications for volunteers are now being accepted. Volunteers are asked to give a minimum of 5 hours per month. Volunteer assignment are based on availability, skills, and interest. Evening opportunities are available. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please complete the online application or call Scott Anderson, 303-298-7554 x203. scotta@mcartdenver.org

INTERNSHIP APPLICATION PROCEDURES
Interns are required to give at least a three-month (one semester) commitment. All internships are unpaid, part-time positions and can be done for credit through an area college. Internship assignment is based on availability, skills, and interest. If you are interested in becoming an intern, please call or e-mail Aaron Bowles, 303-298-7554 x211. aaronb@mcartdenver.org

2005 BIENNIAL BLOW OUT

For the 2005 BIENNIAL BLOW OUT London-based curator Kenny Schachter selected ten artists throughout the Rocky Mountain West from an open call for entries. The call actively sought challenging work that pushed traditional aesthetic boundaries and was sent to artists living and working in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Schachter traveled from London to review all of the submissions and site-specific proposals and, in the end, chose artists in a diverse range of media who he thought best fulfilled the goals of the Biennial and the mission of MCA. The selected works include a wide range of media from photography to sculpture, from ceramics to digital art and site-specific installation.

[link]http://www.mcartdenver.org/public/directorsessay.pdf[alias]Click here[/link] to download the gallery guide essay.

Artists:
Louisa Armbrust (Denver, CO)
Angela Ellsworth (Scottsdale, AZ)
Denis Gillingwater (Phoenix, AZ)
Patti Hallock (Longmont, CO)
Jessica James Lansdon (Tucson, AZ)
Susan Meyer (Denver, CO)
Jason Patz (Denver, CO)
David Sharpe (Denver, CO)
Jeff Starr (Denver, CO)
Sherlock Terry (Corrales, NM)

[link]http://www.mcartdenver.org/public/biennialbios.pdf[alias]Click here[/link] for more information on these artists.

[link]http://www.rovetv.net[alias]KENNNY SCHACHTER[/link] lives and works in London as an independent curator and writer. Schachter has curated numerous shows at cultural institutions worldwide, including PS1, NY; The Sculpture Center, NY; Artforms, London, UK; Hoenthal und Beren, Cologne, Germany; Chopo Museum, Mexico City, Mexico. In 2002, he established and led an experimental exhibition space in New York City, conTEMPorary, the first interior space designed by Vito Acconci. Schachter has also taught intermittently at the School of Visual Arts, New York University, and Columbia University. He has lectured throughout the US, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, 91st Annual Conference of the College Arts Association, University of Texas, Kansas City Art Institute, Duke University, Phoenix Art Museum, Guggenheim Museum, and the Rhode Island School of Design.
[title]Guest Juror:[/title]
Kenny Schachter

OFF-SITE PROJECT V: I Will Smile For One Year

Using a large media format typically reserved for advertisements, the “Smile” posters encourage viewers to contemplate what inspires happiness. While the smiling faces are anonymous, the diversity of language used to communicate their intent acts as an access point for viewers from around the globe.

Raised on Norman Vincent Peale’s 'The Power of Positive Thinking,' Burt Payne3 is smiling as you read this.

'A smile is its own language.' – Burt Payne3

Artist's Bio: Colorado artist Burt Payne3 received a Masters of Fine Art from the California Institute of the Arts (CALARTS) in 1991 and a Bachelors of Fine Art, Women’s Studies Minor, from New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University in 1985. He was an artist-in-residence at the Bemis Foundation in Omaha, NE and was the recipient of the Villa St. Clair, Sete, France Fellowship where he organized a solo exhibition of his site-specific installation. Payne3 has been shown in numerous group shows nationally and internationally including at the Museo de las Artes, Guadalajara, Mexico; Museo de Monterrey, Mexico; Auditorio de Galicia, Santiago, Spain; Christopher Grimes Gallery, Santa Monica, CA; Track 16 Gallery, Santa Monica, CA; Mint Gallery, Valencia, CA; and Shepards Bush Gallery, London, England.
[title]Location: [/title]
Denver International Airport, Jeppesen Terminal
Level 6

WHITE OUT: Lighting Into Beauty

Artists in 'WHITE OUT' offered portraits of beauty in all shades of white, an architectural snowflake labyrinth, sugar caves, year-round smiles, photographic masterpieces, and women that looked like a cross between “Marilyn Monroe and the moon.” Udo Noger's paintings are composed of three thin layers of canvas that trap light, expressing the artist's preoccupation with phenomena of light and beauty. In the Cafe area, Denver installation artist, Jaeha Yoo constructed a light/shadow maze to shift the viewer’s perspective and perception, to 'white out' the field of vision without obscuring it. MCA also introduced an emerging New York artist, Tanyth Berkeley, with her series of female portraits titled 'Orchidaceae,' referring to rare species of orchids known for their unusual flowers.

Artists:
Tanyth Berkeley
Udo Noger
Jaeha Yoo
[title]Curator:[/title]
Cydney Payton

Will Boys Be Boys? Questioning Adolescent Masculinity in Contemporary Art

Will Boys Be Boys? questioned adolescent masculinity in contemporary art as the media's obsession with youth has increased. This exhibition brought together recent paintings, photographs, sculptures, installations and video works that are less about a specific age group than the idea of the boy as a socially determined type - from physical presentation via clothing, hairstyle and accessories to gender specific social activities, rituals and objects.

Exhibition organized and circulated by Independent Curators International (iCI), NY

Artists:
Slater Bradley
Larry Clark
Greg Fiering and Matt Luem
Lilah Freedland
Tim Gardner
Luis Gispert
Anthony Goicolea
Janine Gordon
Ryan Humphrey
Nikki S. Lee
Julia Loktev
Maria Marshall
Ryan McGinness
Chloe Piene
Jeff Reed
Tom Sachs
Dean Sameshima
Collier Schorr
Type A (Adam Ames and Andrew Bordwin)[title]Curator:[/title]
Shamim M. Momin

Exhibition Reviews

"I want to say clearly that I think it was a very bad idea to expand the geographic reach of the [MCA Biennial] show beyond Colorado's borders. The reason has nothing to do with the quality of the show, which is quite high, but instead it has to do with the bad feelings it's engendered."
- Michael Paglia, Westword

"Missing [from the Biennial] was the concept of limiting submissions for the show to artists from Colorado, as director-curator Cydney Payton expanded the field to include Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming."
- Mary Voelz Chandler, Rocky Mountain News

"While this state might not have as rich an artistic scene as, say, New Mexico, there is more than enough happening to justify a focused, well-curated and high-profile biennial devoted just to it."
- Kyle MacMillan, Denver Post

CAST YOUR VOTE AND TELL US IF YOU AGREE WITH THE CRITICS.
E-mail MCA's Exhibition Coordinator, aaronb@mcartdenver.org

Opinions will be posted during the Biennial BLOW OUT.

Truss Thrust: The Artifice of Space

Truss Thrust: The Artifice of Space advanced the dialog being generated amongst artists about the next layers of dance, movement, and video, and their intertwined futures. Through three distinct visions from the Blue Noses Group, Peter Welz, and Sergio Prego, Truss Thrust explored the physicality of the body, movement, space, and architecture articulated through video installations.

[link]http://www.mcartdenver.org/public/trussthrustgalleryguide.pdf[alias]Click here[/link] to download the gallery guide essay.

Artists:
[link]http://www.guelman.ru/eng/gallery[alias]The Blue Noses Group[/link]
[link]http://soledadlorenzo.com[alias]Sergio Prego[/link]
[link]http://peterwelz.com[alias]Peter Welz[/link]

Mezzanine Exhibition:
By and By
recent prints by [link]http://www.sharksink.com[alias]Brad Brown[/link]

[link]http://www.mcartdenver.org/public/trussartistbios.pdf[alias]Click here[/link] for artist bios.[title]Curator:[/title]
Cydney Payton

PILLish: Harsh Realities and Gorgeous Destinations

PILLish: Harsh Realities and Gorgeous Destinations explored the dichotomy of drug culture, its enchantments and pitfalls. The exhibition looked at all forms of substances from pills to alcohol, legal to illegal, while considering that they are a mirror into our evolutionary track- biologically, psychologically and culturally. The psycho-sexual appeal of substances as immediate or long-term escape from reality, as well as the consequences of such impulses and patterns, was part of the platform of experience that the exhibit put forth.

[link]http://www.mcartdenver.org/public/pillishessay.pdf[alias]Click here[/link] to download the gallery guide essay

Artists:
Barton Lidice Benes
Glenn Brown
Richard Billingham
Albert Chong
Larry Clark
David Critchley & Dr. Elizabeth Lee
Elizabeth Diller & Ricardo Scofidio
Barnaby Furnas
Tom Fruin
Nan Goldin
Damien Hirst
Carsten Holler
Andy Diaz Hope
Mr.
Takashi Murakami
Roxy Paine
Thomas Ruff
Fred Tomaselli[title]Curator:[/title]
Cydney Payton

Opinions

- "I don't agree that Colorado doesn't have "... as rich an artistic scene as, say, New Mexico ..." Colorado's art scene is very rich, diverse and lively, even though some would have us believe otherwise. Those who argue for only a Colorado Biennial, are short sighted. We are too insular here and can use an overview of what is happening in the region. There are SIX artists out of TEN in the current exhibit, why the "bad feelings?" Sounds to me like these sentiments are being expressed from some disgruntled artists who didn't get in the show, and complained to the critic. MCA is already doing a superb job of representing artists from this state, both in important solo exhibits, and group exhibits. A regional overview every two years doesn't seem to me like a bad idea at all."

- "Only critics try to limit art, artists spend their whole lives exploring the creative possibilities of their mediums. I think opening the biennial to the surrounding states was a good idea."

- "I think what you did with the 2005 Biennial is just fine, I can't wait to come and see it. I'd like to see a greater sampling of work throughout the territory, but I would put forth the distinctly American proposition, that if its your show, you should do what you think is best for your institution and your public as everyone should. I don't understand the uproar over the inclusion of a larger geographical territory. Denver is clearly a regional capitol. Besides, I believe the Biennial for the MOCA Ft. Collins included the same territory and no one complained about that. The unhappiness seems to stem from nothing more than the fact that your political incorrectitude seems to have been committed on landscape in which the chronically dissatisfied exist in numbers nearly equal to those of a certain (lower) eternal resting place. Too bad for them."

- "Who's traditional aesthetic boundaries were being pushed?"

- "Overall interesting ... where are the paintings?"

- "Sometimes one wonders if the point of art is to edify, entertain, or merely to confuse. I think it's fair to say that the current exhibition is a mixed set of all three."

- "Diverse & provocative. This exhibit made me think a lot about America. Thanks for always being thoughtful, accessible, and challenging."

Over One Billion Served: Conceptual Photography from the People's Republic of China

Over One Billion Served examined present-day China through the lenses of eleven gifted conceptual photographers. Although a popular art form in the West, it has only been since the mid 1990's that Chinese photographers have experimented with conceptual photography. The results, featured at MCA, chronicled intriguing personal interpretations of the ongoing restructuring of China's culture, society and its dramatic economic growth. The latter factor, coupled with rampant social change and erratic political reforms, have left this country in a state of constant transition. Chinese life-styles and values are challenged on a daily basis, influencing such issues as identity, sexuality, and self-expression for Chinese men and women alike.

Organized by Julie Segraves, Executive Director of the Asian Art Coordinating Council in conjunction with MCA

Artists:
Bai Yiluo
Liang Yue
Liu Jin
Liu Wei
Sheng Qi
Wang Jingson
Wang Qingsong
Wu Xiaojun
Zhang Dali
Zhao Bandi
Zhu Fadong
[title]Curator:[/title]
Julie Segraves

POPjack: Warhol to Murakami

POPjack: Warhol to Murakami examined the relationship and origins of Pop Art from Andy Warhol to Takashi Murakami and beyond. This exhibition elaborated on the interconnection between two distinct styles of Pop art and their shared artistic influences. While American Pop commenced by examining everyday symbols, advertising and star-culture, it continues today as a new breed with influences from the work of contemporary Japanese artists. Japanese Pop evolved from more diverse sources. This movement blends the use of ancient techniques of composition and pictorial space with contemporary anime and manga, (animation and comic books) and other commercial iconography. This flipping back and forth of ideas gave the show its title 'POPjack.'

Artists:
Matthew Abbot
Jim Dine
Keith Haring
Robert Indiana
Jasper Johns
Hideaki Kawashima
Masahiko Kuwahara
Roy Lichtenstein
Mr.
Vik Muniz
Takashi Murakami
Yoshitomo Nara
Tam Ochiai
Tom Sachs
Aya Takano
Andy Warhol
Tom Wesselman
Brenda Zlamany
[title]Curator:[/title]
Cydney Payton

BLOOD Lines & Connections

BLOOD Lines & Connections exhibited an international body of video, photography and installation-based work that was created from diverse cultural backgrounds. The viewpoints, while shaped by circumstance, provided perspectives on our shifiting global community and its interconnected realities. Artists from China to Bulgaria commented on the detritus of a new world order.

[link]http://www.mcartdenver.org/public/bloodessay.pdf[alias]Click here[/link] to download the gallery guide essay

Artists:
Art for Humanity
Adel Abdessemed
Sama Alshaibi/Joe Farbrook
Heman Chong
David D’Agostino
Boryana Dragoeva
Lea and Pekka Kantonen
Ivan Kiuranov
Oleg Mavromati
Sabah Naim
Yoko Ono
Tarja Pitkanen-Walter
Marcos Ramirez (ERRE)
Stadtblind: Jesse Shapins, Celia Di Pauli & Philipp Schwarz
Victor Sydorenko
Krassi Terziev
Veronika Tzekova
Zhang Huan
Zhu Ming
[title]Curator:[/title]
Cydney Payton

See Into Liquid

See Into Liquid presents national & international contemporary artists who address the sea's stunning polarities - at once calming and cruel, serene and terrifying - in their work. These epic contradictions provide us with an example of 'the sublime' described by Kant as 'a vibration, a rapidly alternating repulsion and attraction produced by one and the same Object' and by the Greek philosopher Longinus as that which 'reduces all else to nothingness.'

[link]http://www.mcartdenver.org/public/seeintoliquid.pdf[alias]Click here[/link] to download the 'See Into Liquid' gallery guide essay

Artists:
[link]http://www.kaikaikiki.co.jp[alias]Chiho Aoshima (Japan)
[/link][link]http://www.damelioterras.com[alias]Whitney Bedford (California)[/link][link]http://www.latinartmuseum.com/capellan.htm[alias]
Tony Capellan (Dominican Republic)[/link]
[link]www.mckeegallery.com[alias]Vija Celmins (California/New York)[/link]
[link]http//:www.didomenicostudio.com[alias]Rebecca DiDomenico (Colorado)[/link]
[link]http://www.gagosian.com[alias]Ellen Gallagher (New York/Rotterdam)[/link]
[link]http://damelioterras.com[alias]Amy Globus (New York)[/link]
[link]http://www.sharksink.com[alias]Don Ed Hardy (California)[/link]
[link]http://www.matthewmarks.com[alias]Roni Horn (New York)[/link]
[link]http://www.metropicturesgallery.com[alias]Robert Longo (New York)[/link]
[link]http://www.fraenkelgallery.com[alias]Richard Misrach (California)[/link]
[link]http://www.victoria-miro.com[alias]Jacco Olivier (The Netherlands)[/link]
[link]http://www.regenprojects.com[alias]Catherine Opie (California/New York)[/link]
[link]http://www.kavigupta.com[alias]Massimo Vitali (Italy)[/link]

* For more information on these artists, click on their name[title]Curator:[/title]
Cydney Payton

Inaugural Exhibit Coming Soon!

[title]Star Power: Museum as Body Electric[/title]

Decades of Influence: Colorado 85-06

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART | DENVER (MCA) in collaboration with the Metropolitan State College of Denver's Center for Visual Art (CVA) announces Decades of Influence: Colorado 1985 - 2006. Decades of Influence, curated by Cydney Payton, is a multimedia exhibition featuring 72 artists who have been instrumental in the region and beyond. Decades is presented at four locations:

MCA - 1275 19th St.
CVA - 1734 Wazee St.
The Gates Sculpture Triangle - 16th and Wewatta St.
The Carol Keller Project Space - 1513 Boulder St.

Creative Acts That Matter: YR 2 The Environment

WHAT IS CREATIVE ACTS THAT MATTER?
Creative Acts That Matter is a three-year, international project focusing on the power of art to stimulate dialogue and awareness of social issues.

In 2006 Creative Acts That Matter focuses on the environment, in particular water and climate. Throughout July, Creative Acts That Matter will feature the following projects near Confluence Park [link]http://www.mcartdenver.org/public/MapCATM.pdf[alias](map)[/link]:

PUBLIC ART EXHIBITIONS:
[link]http://www.mcartdenver.org/public/Confluence_0.pdf[alias]Confluence[/link]

[link]http://www.mcartdenver.org/public/NSEW.pdf[alias]NORTHSOUTHEASTWEST: 360 Degrees of Climate Change[/link]

PERFORMANCE:
[link]http://www.mcartdenver.org/public/River.pdf[alias]River, by Eiko & Koma[/link]

OFF-SITE PROJECT:
[link]http://www.mcartdenver.org/public/Canary.pdf[alias]The Canary Project[/link]

FAMILY WORKSHOP:
[link]http://www.mcartdenver.org/public/Canary.pdf[alias]Fantastic Creatures[/link]

LECTURES:
[link]http://www.mcartdenver.org/public/Canary Lecture.pdf[alias]The Canary Project's Susannah Saylor & Edward Morris[/link]

[link]http://www.mcartdenver.org/public/Rapley Lecture.pdf[alias]Professor Chris Rapley, Director of the British & Antarctic Survey[/link]

MCA wishes to thank our sponsors and community partners for CREATIVE ACTS THAT MATTER: THE ENVIRONMENT: [link]http://www.comptonfoundation.org[alias]The Compton Foundation, [/link] [link]http://www.jpmorganchase.com[alias]JP Morgan Chase, [/link] [link]http://www.westaf.org[alias]WESTAF, [/link]The British Consulate/Denver, The British Council, Climate Change, Denver Parks & Recreation, Denver Office of Cultural Affairs, The Greenway Foundation, [/link] [link]http://www.ecoartsonline.org[alias]EcoArts, [/link] Councilwoman Judy Montero, Jose Mercado and students from North High School, Jeff Shoemaker, JJ Clarke, Kim Bailey, Stu Baker, Lesley Roper, Erin Trapp, Pauline Herrera, Marda Kirn, Amy Byrne, Mark Stevens, REI, and the American Solar Energy Society.

For more information on climate change, please visit the following websites:

[/link][link]http://www.northsoutheastwest.org[alias]NORTHSOUTHEASTWEST[/link]

[link]http://www.canary-project.org[alias]The Canary Project[/link]

[link]http://www.globalgreen.org[alias]Global Green USA[/link]

EXTENDED REMIX

EXTENDED REMIX is MCA Director/Curator Cydney Payton’s riff on the ambitious 2006 summer exhibition Decades of Influence: Colorado 1985 – Present. EXTENDED REMIX interweaves 30 established, mid-career and emerging artists living and working in Colorado today.

SUSANNE KUHN

Public Reception Friday May 30, 2008

Susanne Kuhn represents the next generation of artists from Germany with reemerging interests in figurative narrative abstraction. Kuhn challenges the group known as the New Leipzig School that includes Neo Rauch, Matthias Weischer, Martin Kobe, David Schnell, and Christoph Ruckhaberle, by bringing her experience living and studying in America to the fore. Kuhn’s work offers painterly and formal connections between figures, landscape, and architecture through a vocabulary that is emblazed with gorgeous light and informed by German art and history. This solo exhibition of paintings and drawings was organized by MCA DENVER in collaboration with Kunstverein Freiburg, Germany.

All NEW EXHIBITIONS OPEN ON TUESDAYS DURING REGULAR MUSEUM HOURS 10AM - 6PM.
MCA DENVER IS OPEN UNTIL 10PM EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT.

The Peace Project

The Peace Project is an installation by Miami-based artist/architect team Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt. This large-scale sculptural work was commissioned by MCA Executive Director/Chief Curator Cydney Payton for MCA’s Temporary Contemporary located at 15th & Delgany. For The Peace Project, Behar and Marquardt have constructed a sensuous and color-drenched environment -- “an experimental space for the idea of hope.”

The Peace Pile

You can add a peace symbol to The Peace Pile, send us your message of Peace, buy a Peace Project T-shirt and more...

Click [link]http://mcadenver.org/peace[alias]here[/link] to go to The Peace Pile.

The Peace Project

MCA has commissioned Miami-based artist team Rosario Marquardt & Roberto Behar to create a large-scale installation around the idea of peace for new Temporary Contemporary space at 15th & Delgany opening on March 30, 2007. Best known for their large-scale public art projects, including The Living Room, the artists have also designed a new public art project for The Curtis in downtown Denver.

FADE, Denver

Erwin Redl's FADE, Denver was designed for MCA's Temporary Contemporary and is part of the artist's FADE series. Redl has installed FADE in Lille, France; Munich, Germany; and Tampa, Florida.FADE, Munich 2004 Photo by Florian Holzherr

Information Center & Book Store Is Open

The Museum of Contemporary Art | Denver exhibition space is closed as we prepare for summer education programs and the Inaugural of our new building this fall.

The book shop and information center will be open starting Tuesday July 24th.

Store hours are from 11:00 am – 5:30 pm Tuesday through Saturday and Sunday noon – 5:30 pm. The MCA Store is closed on Mondays.

Shop merchandise will continue to be offered, summer sales will be announced and you will be able to see documentation of our construction in progress.

The shop will also be a one-stop location for becoming a member, buying your Inaugural tickets and for getting all the information you need to become involved with this exciting institution.Store hours are:
11:00 am – 5:30 pm Tuesday through Saturday,
and Sunday noon – 5:30 pm.

The MCA Store is closed on Mondays.

Star Power: Museum as Body Electric

The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA | Denver), will inaugurate its new facility designed by David Adjaye, with an inaugural exhibition entitled Star Power: Museum as Body Electric and two permanent commissions. The opening exhibition, Star Power: Museum as Body Electric, curated by Cydney Payton, MCA | Denver’s Executive Director and Chief Curator, will feature seven emerging and established artists from seven countries including: Carlos Amorales (Mexico), David Altmejd (Canada), Candice Breitz (South Africa), Rangi Kipa (New Zealand), Wangechi Mutu (Kenya), Chris Ofili (UK/Trinidad & Tobago) and Collier Schorr (United States).

YU-CHENG CHOU

Closes Sunday July 6

Chou’s first US exhibition, a video installation for MCA DENVER, is immediately appealing and playful, and deconstructs the superficial world of fashion and glamour magazines.

Sponsored in part by the Council for Cultural Affairs, Taiwan; Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, TECO, New York, NY and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, TECO, Kansas City, MO.

JEFF STARR

Closes Sunday May 25

Starr’s artist-in-residence project at MCA DENVER presents a return to painting after several years of experimentation in sculpture, with work located somewhere between reality and fantasy.

LAST CHANCE

CARLOS AMORALES
CLOSES SUNDAY FEBRUARY 10
NEW MEDIA GALLERY

RANGI KIPA
CLOSES SUNDAY FEBRUARY 10
PROJECT GALLERY

CANDICE BREITZ

October 28, 2007 - March 2, 2008

Breitz’s thirty channel video installation LEGEND had its United States premier at MCA DENVER. LEGEND exposes the duality of Bob Marley’s image as an international icon and as an advocate for social justice.

CHRIS OFILI

October 28, 2007 - March 2, 2008

Ofili exhibited his new series of 23 rich watercolors in MCA DENVER’s Paper Works Gallery. His images of empowered women seduce with their directness and classical poses outlined in luminescent curves.

WANGECHI MUTU

October 28, 2007 - March 2, 2008

As a mixed media artist, Mutu often uses collaged elements rooted in the history of Kenyan story-telling combined with chimerical images of the African female body, thus challenging conventional notions of beauty and desire.

COLLIER SCHORR

October 28, 2007 - Sunday April 20, 2008

MCA DENVER presented the first solo museum exhibition of Collier Schorr’s Jens F. series in the Photography Gallery. Using Andrew Wyeth’s longtime association with model Helga as point of departure, the Jens F. series is an intensive study of medium, genre and gender.

DAVID ALTMEJD

Closes Sunday May 11

Altmejd has become well known for his sculptural installations that use reflective surfaces, bringing his audiences into ancient worlds where he creates a life that is seductive and enigmatic. Altmejd’s installation for MCA DENVER’s Large Works Gallery continues his “quest for the sublime, wondrous and fantastic.”

DAVID ADJAYE

Closes Sunday May 25

One of Britain’s leading contemporary architects, David Adjaye’s building designs reflect inspirations collected from travels around the world and from collaborations with artists like Olafur Eliasson and Chris Ofili.

Making Public Buildings has been produced by Whitechapel Gallery, London, United Kingdom in collaboration with MCA DENVER, CO; The Studio Museum in Harlem, NY; and the Netherlands Architecture Institute, Maastricht; as well as Arario Gallery, Beijing, China and Arario Gallery, Seoul, Korea.

Sponsored in part by the American Institute of Architecture, Denver Chapter.

TREVOR APPLESON

Public Reception Friday May 2, 6 PM

By providing an antidote to the artificiality of the studio, Trevor Appleson captures images that speak of immediacy and authenticity, as seen in his body of work from Mexico – on view for the first time in the US at MCA DENVER.

JASPER DE BEIJER

Closes Sunday August 3

Jasper de Beijer finds inspiration in historical records and photographs that range from Japanese modern and traditional culture to memories of Pacific Island rubber industries and First World War photography. Reconstructing this detritus into scale models in paper from which he creates his works, de Beijer brings the past back to life and leaves a new record of his reinterpretation.

Sponsored in part by the Mondriaan Foundation, Netherlands and by the Consulate General of The Netherlands, Dutch Cultural Servcies, New York, NY.

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TREVOR APPLESON

JASPER DE BEIJER