Image: Denver Art Museum, Melbourne
The Denver Art Museum is marking Colorado’s 150th anniversary of statehood with a weekend of events on July 31 and August 1, including free general admission on Colorado Day itself. The museum says the free day on August 1 falls exactly 150 years after Colorado joined the Union in 1876, and that the celebration will extend through exhibitions, gallery talks and hands-on programs focused on Colorado art and artists.
The announcement arrives as the museum frames the milestone alongside the United States’ 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In a blog post by Christoph Heinrich, the museum’s Frederick and Jan Mayer director, the DAM describes the summer as part of a broader statewide commemoration, while also positioning its own collections and public programs as a way to highlight Colorado perspectives. The institution says organizations across the state have come together around the anniversary.
At the museum, the Colorado Day focus will center on works already in the galleries and on a new exhibition opening later in July. The museum points visitors to Sven Birger Sandzén’s 'A Mountain Symphony (Longs Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado)' and to 'Round the Clock: 24 Hours of Colorado in Prints' at The Kirkland. It also notes that 'John E. Thompson and Colorado Modernism' opens July 19, bringing further attention to a Colorado artist whose work and circle of friends and students shaped artistic production in the first half of the 20th century, according to the museum.
The Colorado Day programming begins the evening of July 31 with 'Untitled: Artist Takeover', which the museum says will feature artists Lilian Lara and Elle Hong. The event is scheduled from 6 to 10 pm and is included with general admission. The museum describes it as a celebration of Colorado artists, and the same evening the Civic Center NIGHT MARKET: Homegrown Colorado is also listed in the museum’s blog post as part of the citywide calendar.
On August 1, the museum will host a Colorado Day Art Market and its SCFD Free Day in conjunction with History Colorado’s Colorado Day Community Fest. The email newsletter lists several activities for the day: a Colorado Day Art Market from 9:30 am to 4 pm; Colorado Day Spotlight Talks from 10 am to 12 pm and again from 1 to 3 pm; a demo artist session with Larysa Medina from 12 to 3 pm; and gallery talks with Native Arts Artists-in-Residence from 2 to 4 pm.
The museum’s July newsletter also places the Colorado Day events alongside a fuller month of programming and gallery activity. It notes 'Fuse Box: Sarah Sze' closes July 12, 'The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art' remains on view through July 26, and 'John E. Thompson and Colorado Modernism' opens July 19. The newsletter also points to recurring programs such as demo artist sessions with Garrett Williams, Craft & Cocktails, and a Sensory-Friendly Morning, but the Colorado Day weekend remains the central summer focus in the museum’s announcement.
The museum’s blog says the weekend is meant to celebrate the state’s sesquicentennial through exhibitions, programs and partnerships, and it ties the observance to the DAM’s collection and to artists with local connections. For the August 1 free day, the museum says visitors will be able to enter the DAM without charge while exploring Colorado-inspired art, the new 'John E. Thompson and Colorado Modernism' exhibition, and the day’s scheduled talks and demonstrations.
