What is beautiful?
Is it a captivating piece of art? A perfectly framed scene of nature? A building or a green space that challenges, and opens up, our aesthetic senses?
No doubt, the answer is up to you, dear beholder. But here are 10 places that, right in this moment, might meet that elusive definition.
At Denver Botanic Gardens, a rug to remember
Denver Botanic Gardens works hard to coordinate the human-made objects it exhibits in its indoor art galleries with the natural plants and flowers it displays outdoors. It has found a perfect match in Alexandra Kehayoglou’s massive woven textile piece titled “Paraná de las Palmas River.” The hand-tufted wool rug is more than 39 feet long and 13 feet wide, and it stretches from the wall right down to the gallery floor where visitors are invited to walk, crawl and lie down upon it (shoes off, of course!). Kehayoglou, who is Argentinian, shapes her textiles as aerial landscapes that bring attention to environmental conditions along South America’s Paraná River.
Through Dec. 8. DBG is at 1007 York St. Info at 720-865-3500 or botanicgardens.org.
In downtown Denver, a local art masterpiece marks a centennial
It was 100 years ago that Allen Tupper True began work on what would be one of the greatest pieces of public art in the city’s history. His “Happy Hunting Ground” is a series of 16 oil-on-canvas murals that capture views of Native American life as it existed before Western expansion. True painted them for the lobby of the then-new Colorado National Bank, the stately, neoclassical building that now houses the Renaissance Denver Downtown City Center. The hotel has served as an excellent steward of the works, and the public can still wander in and see them in their original glory. They can also savor the murals’ centennial with a cocktail or meal in the elegant lobby space. It’s a lovely afternoon or evening.
Stop in anytime at 918 17th St. Info: 303-867-8100 or viamarriott.com
In RiNo, beauty in the making?
All of Denver has watched with astonishment as the apartment building One River North has risen from the ground over the past year. It’s impossible not to be awestruck by the daring of the place, if not the actual design, which features a dramatic canyon winding down the center of its facade. The jury is out on how beautiful this project, still getting its finishing touches, will end up. Will it live up to its promise once the canyon is overflowing with flora that its creators — Beijing-based MAD Architects — have planned? Or will it become known as the “crack building?” My bet is on something approaching magic.
See it at 3930 Blake St. Info:onerivernorth.com.
At MCA Denver, a transformative “painting”
It is easy to overlook the exhibitions that are installed in the Museum of Contemporary Art’s basement gallery, but that is often where the real treasures can be found. This summer, that is true once again with the exhibition “The Lost Paradise” featuring works by Ken Gun Min, including the show-stopping “Passing,” which was commissioned specifically for this event. Min works with oil, but enhances his two-dimensional objects with thread, beads, crystals and textiles, and it all comes together in this portrait of a life-size female figure emerging into a world of her own making.
Through May 26. MCA Denver is located at 1485 Delaney St. Info: 303-298-7554 ormcadenver.org.
At the Colorado Convention Center, Denver’s best new view?
The Colorado Convention Center’s expansion is the architectural masterpiece nobody noticed. The project, which opened in December, added 115,000 square feet of exhibition and ballroom space to the existing building without ruining the original design that makes the place a landmark. The secret: tucking the addition in on the building’s west side, right over the top of its massive parking garages. The best part: a new, 20,000-square-foot outdoor rooftop terrace that captures stellar views of the Rocky Mountains and the city skyline. It is hard to make the familiar feel new again, but this effort, helmed by Atlanta-based TVS Architecture and Design, made it happen. Locals can access the space during any of the major events that occur during the year at the CCC.
The Colorado Convention Center is at 700 14th St. in Denver.
At DAM, lighting up nature
The Denver Art Museum’s upcoming “Biophilia: Nature Reimagined” is full of people-pleasing possibilities. It has that immersive edge that art fans seem to enjoy these days and an easy-to-grasp theme: Who doesn’t love nature and want to explore how it inspires artists and designers to make innovative works? The lineup is full of international stars across creative disciplines, including Iris van Herpen, StudioGang, teamLab and Joris Laarman. What piece will stand out? From the media material, it is looking to be the light-up installation “Meadow,” by the Dutch duo that goes by the name drift.
“Biophilia” runs May 5-Aug. 11 at DAM, 100 W 14th Ave. Parkway. Info: 720-865-5000 or denverartmuseum.org.
In East Denver, a park for the times
Visiting Babi Yar Park is always a meaningful experience, but especially so in this political moment. The 27-acre open space — never crowded, forever stunning — is a place to stroll, walk a dog, or do a little exercising, but it is also a living memorial to the many who died during the 1941-1943 Nazi massacre of Ukrainian Jews. Current events can divide us — yes, there are varying opinions on happenings in both Ukraine and the Middle East right now — and Babi Yar is right there, with its incredible layout by design legends Lawrence Halprin and Satoru Nishita, offering space to sort out realities and myths. It’s a beautiful gift.
Babi Yar Park is 10451 E. Yale Ave. in Denver.
In Lakewood, a human-propelled light show
Mike Lustig’s “Whee” is the perfect destination for a sunny, summer day. The public artwork, located on the grounds of the Creekside West senior housing complex, is a towering, interactive sculpture that invites visitors to grab on, give it a spin and watch as the sky’s natural light is converted into a rainbow of colors that light up the ground. It’s family-friendly, refreshingly low-tech, and a lot of fun for all. For an even more perfect day, pair a visit with stops at the galleries on the campus of the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, which is right next door.
Creekside West is at 1700 Pierce St., Lakewood.
At the Dairy Arts Center, a show of strength
Arvada’s Bala Thiagarajan has carved out a niche in the Colorado art scene, making contemporary works that employ folkloric traditions from her native India. Thiagarajan is deft at using both rich color and intricate patterning, but she also understands the power of texture, piping layers of acrylic paint onto her surfaces — sort of in the same way bakers apply frosting to a cake — that give the works shape and emotional depth. Her show at the Dairy, “Shakti: The Source of Strength,” is a new series of portraits of Indian women that embody the spirit of shakti, “the divine feminine energy that symbolizes empowerment, creativity, and strength,” as the gallery’s website puts it.
May 10-July 14 at the Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder. Info: 303-440-7826 or the dairy.org.
In Boulder, a new gallery opens with promise
Nick Ryan is a well-known figure in the region’s visual arts scene, having spent the last two decades representing and promoting numerous artists in Denver. Starting May 16, he moves his operation to Boulder, opening his own namesake gallery in The Hill neighborhood. The full roster of the new Nick Ryan Gallery remains a mystery, but if the signature work for his opening show — a new painting by local art hero Bruce Price titled “Dissonance — is any indication, Ryan will make the most of the deep connections he has cultivated with Colorado talent.
The Nick Ryan Gallery opens May 16 and will be located at 1221 Pennsylvania Ave., Boulder. Info:nickryangallery.com
Ray Mark Rinaldi is a Denver-based freelance writer who specializes in fine arts.
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