The Denver Art Museum, which is one of the largest art museums between Chicago and the West Coast, was founded in 1893 as the Denver Artists' Club and today features a collection of more than 70,000 works of art. One of the Denver Art Museum's more well-known pieces is 'Linda', the sleeping, life-like sculpture of a woman by John DeAndrea. Linda is made out of polyvinyl and human hair (on head and arms) in an effort to make her look as real as possible. While Linda is always a massive attraction, she only comes out periodically, in an effort to preserve her for the future. When Linda isn't on display she is safely stored in the Museum's dark, temperature-controlled storage. In 2006 the Denver Art Museum opened the doors of its newest building addition, the Frederic C. Hamilton Building, designed by Daniel Libeskind. While designing this building, Libeskind let himself get inspired by the peaks of the Rocky mountains and the geometric rock crystals found in the foothills near Denver. The architect was also inspired by the light, which is why he decided to cover the building in 9,000 titanium panels that reflect the sun.
My collaboration with the Denver Art Museum started two years ago, after someone passed along my line sheets to one of the gift shop's buyers. They immediately liked my work and I began to make a wide range of pieces for them on a regular basis. The pieces featured in the slideshow above are an example of some of the work displayed in the giftshop. My pieces fit well with the Denver Art Museum because it's the perfect thing to take home with you after visiting the museum - artful, unique and yet can be enjoyed everyday. If you're in Denver, please stop by and have a look, the building itself is worth the visit.
Photo Credit: Kwong Yee Cheng