Astral Pendant Lights

I found these pendant lights in the Vivaterra catalog. The metal globe shade has small punctures in it to create a star burst effect - very cool. These would be great as accent lighting or over a dining table. The price is great too - $149 or $189 depending on the size you choose.

I'm not sure how they define "green", but Vivaterra has some really nice housewares and accessories - it's worth a look if you want something unique.

Denver Art Museum

I didn't know what to expect from the Denver Art Museum (hey - I'm from New York), but I was surprised and impressed. It has a recently opened wing designed by Daniel Libeskind that doubles the size of an already huge building. The galleries are large and spacious and the visitors few (compared to New York City), so visiting the museum is a pleasant and serene experience.

Although Libeskind's building doesn't necessarily blend cohesively with it's surroundings, it is dynamic and engaging. And Gio Ponti's 7-story castle-like North wing hardly sets an example for merging with the neighborhood, which is a mish-mash of architectural styles including the post modern Denver Central Library by Michael Graves and the neoclassical Civic Center Park with its Greek amphitheater.

The sharp angles of Libeskind's building are supposedly reminiscent of the nearby Rocky Mountains, and the sloping walls and angled plans of the galleries are meant to provide an "entirely new and exciting environment" to view artwork. It may not go quite that far, but I felt the galleries provided an excellent backdrop for the work on display.

They have a wonderful collection of Oceanic art that mixes pieces from the 18th and 19th century with the work of contemporary Oceanic artists working today. There is an interesting temporary exhibit on the airport architecture of Fentress Architects featuring Denver's own International Airport. I flew into this airport and I did love the translucent tented roof structure (also reminiscent of the Colorado Rockies). It is quite impressive viewed in the landscape, but when you get close to the building it is almost obscured by the boxy parking garages. Design Lab: Three Studios, another temporary exhibit with installations by members of Colorado's design community: DoubleButter, MATTER, and tres birds, featured some of the designers themselves working inside the exhibit - pretty cool. And I also enjoyed Open For Design: A DAM Community Challenge featuring submissions from anyone with an idea to transform an object or material into something that makes their neighborhood a better place.

There is so much I didn't see (and I didn't mention Garry Winogrand's photographs or What Is Modern?) that I will definitely come back some time in the future. Denver is lucky to have such an enriching and enlightening institution.

Frohawk Two Feathers

The exhibit "We Buy Gold, We Buy Everything, We Sell Souls" is at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver through September 9th. These paintings by the artist who goes by Frohawk Two Feathers depict his re-imagining of the history of the colonial period. His exploration of themes such as racism, power, and greed is lightened by contemporary details taken from hip-hop vernacular. Altogether a very interesting, entertaining, and funny exhibit - go see it if you are in Denver!

MCA Denver

I visited David Adjaye's Museum of Contemporary art in Denver yesterday. The building is clad in tinted glass panels that let a diffused light into the galleries through a white translucent interior skin. The entrance was one of the best museum "front doors" I've ever experienced. An opening in the exterior leads to an enclosed ramp that narrows as you proceed along it. The door is not apparent, but as you approach the end of the corridor it slides open on your right side to reveal another ramp leading to the lobby.

Clyfford Still Museum, Denver, CO

I visited the Clyfford Still Museum today in Denver, Colorado. I didn't know much about this influential Abstract Expressionist, probably because he retained 94% of his paintings in his personal collection. He was critical of the commercial art world, and felt it was important to view an artist's work as a complete whole. At his death in 1980, his will stipulated that his paintings should be given to an American city that would promise to build a museum to house them. After many years Denver was chosen, and the Clyfford Still Museum opened in 2011.

The building, designed by Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture sits next to Daniel Libeskind's addition to the Denver Art Museum. It is subdued and minimal from the outside, but inside the unfinished concrete and day lit galleries are a perfect backdrop for Still's work.

It turns out Stills was right - seeing his paintings together provides a unique insight into his development and progression as an artist. The paintings are arranged chronologically to depict his transition into complete abstractionism, but it's also interesting to note the forms, elements and techniques that consistently remain in his work throughout. I definitely recommend a visit if you ever find yourself in Denver.

"I never wanted color to be color. I never wanted texture to be texture, or images to become shapes. I wanted them all to fuse together into a living spirit." -Clyfford Still