| Rich with history and culture, Denver is bursting with tales from days gone by, colorful personalities and an abundance of artwork. It has attractions and educational opportunities for all ages and walks of life. Maybe you're interested in soaking up stories about the famous 1800s gold rush. Perhaps you'd like to spend a leisurely afternoon surrounded by the latest in contemporary art. And if you've always wanted to get to know the real Unsinkable Molly Brown, there's no better way to do so than exploring the house where she lived, right down the street from our beautiful Capitol building. |  |
| Whether it's a break from the business day, a change-of-pace
visit with friends, or a culture infusion for you and the family
on vacation, Denver has the ideal venue from a diverse selection
of museums.
Unique among U.S. art museum exhibits is the Native Arts collection
at the Denver Art Museum. With a rotating display of objects,
the museum's American Indian collection, totaling more than
16,000 objects, offers artistic works from more than 100 tribes
across the country and Canada. When visiting this impressive
museum, you can also take in the only Asian art collection in
the Rocky Mountain region, and more than 4,500 modern and contemporary
works, emphasizing both internationally known and emerging artists. The mission of the most recent museum to come to Denver, the
Museum of Contemporary Art, is to establish a world-class center
that will educate and inspire artists, students and the public
about new developments in the visual arts. MCA offers educational
programs that invite visitors to see, experience and respond. For a great experience with the kids, don't miss The Children's
Museum of Denver, where programs and playscapes are designed
for newborns to 8-year-olds. These areas are created to engage
children physically while stimulating their minds and imaginations.
From arts and crafts activities, theatre performances and special
exhibits to a daily story time, the tots and their adults won't
want to leave this bright, happy place. Probably one of the most expansive museums in terms of educational
rewards and interactive experiences is the impressive Denver
Museum of Nature and Science. With its broad selection of IMAX
films, gallery presentations, traveling exhibits and permanent
installations, it offers something for everyone. Permanent exhibits
include Gems & Minerals, Space Odyssey and the award-winning
Prehistoric Journey, where you can travel back through time
to the age of the dinosaur. These museums are a bit off the beaten path and rich with diversity and culture. Stories celebrating the black cowboy and black men and women
who helped settle and develop the American West abound at the
Black American West Museum & Heritage Center located in
the historic Dr. Justina Ford House, just five minutes from
downtown Denver. Unique and rare artifacts, documents and other
memorabilia from black pioneers are on display year 'round.
The museum also houses a changing exhibition room currently
displaying Blacks in Mining and Mineral Exploration, 1859 to
the present. The mission of the Mizel Museum is to present the continuum
of the Jewish people within a multicultural context through
the arts. Bridges of Understanding, a multicultural education
program, includes Ceremonies and Festivals and Rites of Passage
of African American, Asian Pacific, Hispanic/Latino, Jewish,
Muslim, and Native American cultures, coming alive through artifacts,
craft projects, hands-on art objects and related educational
programs. The museum offers family and group tours. The only museum in the Rocky Mountain region dedicated to Latino
history, art and culture is the Museo de las Americas, located
near downtown. The purpose and mission of the Museo de las Americas
is to cultivate understanding and appreciation for the accomplishments
and culture of the Latino people of this area from ancient times
to the present. Ancient Art of the Americas and Art of the People
are ongoing exhibitions. A Denver landmark, the Byers-Evans House Museum, nestled in
the heart of the city, reflects the character of two influential
families of the late 19th and early 20th century Queen City.
William Byers, former editor of the Rocky Mountain News, built
the structure in 1883. William Evans, president of the Denver
Tramway Company, purchased the home in 1889 and resided there
until his death in 1924. Guided tours provide a well-documented
and carefully restored glimpse of the lifestyle of the era.
If antiquing is your passion, take a tour of the Trianon Art
Gallery and Museum, also located downtown. Sorry, you can't
buy the 18th-century furniture, jewelry, nor priceless artifacts,
but you might learn a thing or two and have a great time besides.
Experience the home of the Heroine of the Titanic on your visit
to the Molly Brown House Museum. Philanthropist, political activist,
suffragist, society matron, and historic preservationist, Molly
Brown was one of Denver's most famous residents. Learn Margaret
Tobin's rags-to-riches-to-heroine story, and how the effort
to save this house resulted in the creation of Historic Denver,
Inc., the city's leading preservation organization. Be sure
to pick up a couple of trinkets at the Carriage House Gift Shop,
which carries the area's only selection of Titanic memorabilia. The Kirkland Museum, established in 1996, shows a retrospective
of Colorado's distinguished painter, Vance Kirkland (1904-1981).
With a strong focus on the first three quarters of the 20th
Century, the museum documents Colorado art history with more
than 150 artists represented by more than 600 works. The museum
has a nationally important display of 20th-century decorative
arts, with more than 3,000 works on view of Arts & Crafts,
Art Nouveau, Wierner werkstatte, De Stijl, Bauhaus, Art Deco,
Modern and Pop Art. Kirkland Museum, including Vance Kirkland's
historic studio, is a National Trust Associate Site in the Historic
Artists' Homes and Studios group, the only one in the eight-state
Mountain/Plains region. Other artists in the group include Jackson
Pollack and Lee Krasner, Thomas Hart Benton, Charles Burchfield,
Grant Wood, N.C. Wyeth and Charles Demuth. |
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| Source: Colorado.com | Back to top | 
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