The city is known for being active and outdoorsy, probably due to the often clear skies and nearness to the mountains. The NFL team the Denver Broncos make their home there, at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, and the City Beautiful movement in the early 20th century assured the city has plenty of green space. In 2014, Colorado was named the 6th most bike-friendly state in the US, and Denver's initiatives were a large part of this. Numerous art districts are also scattered around Denver, including Santa Fe and River North.

ART GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS

• One of the largest art museums between the West Coast and Illinois, the Denver Art Museum is best recognized for its collection of American Indian art, though it also houses more than 68,000 additional pieces from diverse cultures, movements, and eras. In 1918, the Denver Art Association officially became the Denver Art Museum, and in 1971, the completion of a new building made it possible for the full collection to be housed together.

  The museum is divided into separate departments. The Architecture, Design and Graphics department is home to 12,000 objects from the 16th century to today. The 20th and 21st century displays are separate from the displays of earlier items. The Asian Art collection is divided between galleries that display art from India, China, Japan and South/Western Asia respectively. Other departments in the museum include the Painting and Sculpture Department (including works by Warhol, Duchamp, Picasso and O'Keeffe), the Photograph Collection, and the Textile Art collection.

• At the Clyfford Still Museum, more than 800 canvases and 1500 paper artwork by the abstract expressionism artist (1904-1980) are showcased, along with an archive that contains Still's sketchbooks, journals and library. The collection was granted to the city of Denver by the late artist's wife in 2004, and the additional materials were received upon her death a year later. In 2013, the city opened the Clyfford Still Museum Research Center, which will explore the history and art of the period in which the painter was active.

• Located in a historically preserved, 1911 "Arts and Crafts" style building, the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art features three collections, and the original studio of painter Vance Kirkland. Art by Georgia O'Keeffe and Jackson Pollock with Lee Krasner is also featured, as well as decorative art pieces by Frank Lloyd Wright and other artists from the Bauhaus, Art Deco, Pop Art and Art Nouveau genres. The Kirkland pieces total 1200 and span his 54 year career, which included Realism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism and Abstraction. The museum's displays are a combination of decorative and fine arts, unlike most other exhibits, paired to show a specific art movement. Furniture is placed on the floor, in the layouts it would be seen in a private room.

• The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver was founded in 1996 by philanthropist Sue Cannon and volunteers. When land was donated to the museum in 2003, it eventually moved out of the renovated fish market in which it had been housed and into an environmentally sustainable building designed by architect David Adjaye. Designed to keep the boundary between street and gallery to a minimum, the facility includes large windows and skylights throughout its five gallery spaces, shop, library and rooftop cafe. The museum has no permanent collection, but showcases travelling exhibitions for two to four months, up to four times a year.

• A free gallery open to the public, the Dikeou Collection is an extension of a New York magazine and features works from thirty artists from around the globe. Opening in 2003, the collection is located in the 19th century Colorado Building, which has since seen an expansion to make room for more art. The intention of the exhibits is to showcase the full vision of each artist. The pieces are displayed within each intimate setting along with artist statements. Artists in the collection include Dan Asher, Giasco Bertoli, Janine Gordon, Lisa Kereszi and one of the founders herself, Devon Dikeou.

• Mizel Arts & Culture Center
• Museo de las Americas
• Robischon Gallery
• Dateline
• Pattern Shop Studio
• David B. Smith Gallery
• Native American Trading Company
• Plus Gallery
• Walker Fine Art
• Saks Galleries
• Svper Ordinary
• Gildar Gallery
• Ice Cube Gallery

Denver, Colorado


City Park, Denver.

ARTISTIC INSTITUTIONS

• At the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, artistic students can study animation, photography, fashion design, game art, graphic design, illustration, or fashion design. The school was established in 1963 by a well-known illustrator who wanted to encourage an academic training style that had been used in art education since the Renaissance. While originally only traditional art forms were offered, today students of the digital arts exist side by side with fine art majors. Located on what was once the world's largest free treatment center for those suffering from Tuberculosis, and then a cancer research center, the grounds were said to more accurately depict a college campus, and in 2002 that is what the space became.

• Art students can study ceramics, digital art, spatial media, and more at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. Established in 1965, the public university offers more than 50 Bachelor programs, and provides a selection of masters programs as well. The school offers the Visiting Artist, Scholar and Designer program, which encourages student interaction with professionals in their future field, and fosters community engagement as well. The university's off-campus gallery, The Center for Visual Arts, is a not-for-profit exhibit space and art lab that exposes students and the community to the wide world of art.

• At the University of Colorado, Denver, scholars of art history, digital design, illustration, photography, and more, come together in the College of Arts and Media to study their passion. Founded in 1912, the school has one campus in Denver and another located in nearby Aurora. Together the campuses regularly serve 18,000 students, while online courses are taken by an additional 10,000. Throughout the year, the College of Arts and Media offers an array of musical, dramatic and visual art performances to the student body and the Denver community.

• Take a class in metalsmithing from the Denver School of Metal Arts.
• The Art Students League offers classes in ceramics, sculpture, drawing, and printmaking.
• The Denver Body Art School certifies students in the art of tattooing.
• Study journalism, visual arts, or graphic design at the Community College of Denver.
• Canvas and Cocktails offers fun, single-session art classes for adults and kids.
• Enjoy a glass of wine while you construct your masterpiece at Sipping and Painting.

NATIVE ARTISTS

There are plenty of artistic people originally from, or currently living in Denver, Colorado!

• Vance Kirkland was an artist who dabbled in many mediums, from Realism to Abstraction.

• Artist and animator Manick Sorcar has won many awards and creates animated films based on Indian children's books.

• Jess E. DuBois is an award-winning painter who was commissioned to create a bronze statue of the city's first African-American obstetrician.

• Well-known bands The Lumineers, and The Fray were formed in Denver.

• George Elbert Burr (1859-1939) was a printmaker and painter who is best known for his images of the American West, and the Rocky Mountains.

ART AND CULTURAL EVENTS

Annual Events

• Each Memorial Day since 1999, the Downtown Denver Arts Festival has hosted an event supporting regional artists and craftspeople. Each yeah features a showcase of a select group of national artists, as well. The festival sees more than 100,000 visitors annually, who come to view the work of more than 100 exhibitors who create their masterpieces using fifteen different media, including metal, fabric, glass, sculpture, photography, leather, and clay.

• The Cherry Creek Arts Festival is held on the July 4th weekend and has been an annual event since 1991. Combining the visual, culinary and performing arts, the festival hosts special exhibits, demonstrations, and interactive activities. In addition to this popular and award-winning event, Cherry Creek offers educational art programs year round, including art-buying courses and a mobile gallery.

• Each year during the Christmas season, the Castle Clay Artists Holiday Show and Sale brings together dozens of artists from around the city who work in wood, clay, glass, metal and more. The event is a great chance to pick up holiday gifts, and support and enjoy the work of local artisans. With both functional and decorative pieces, the show offers something for everyone. Castle Clay began as a supplier of clay to schools in the 60s, and now offers a workspace for pottery artists. They host four shows each year.

Other Events and Sights to See

• See behind the scenes with the First Friday Art Walks held at the start of each month.
• Don't miss the Summer Art Market, hosted by the Art Students League of Denver.
• Check out the T-Rex at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
• The Downtown Aquarium proves that mermaids are more than myth with multiple shows each week.
• Take in a classy show at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
• Walk in the footsteps of a Jurassic creature, or find yourself a fossil at Dinosaur Ridge.
• The Denver Coliseum offers shows like Disney on Ice and the Ringling Brothers Circus, year round.

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