Guest Editorial
Guest Editorial Series
One of the new ideas you got a chance to vote on in our survey is a guest editorial series. So this is the first one. They’ll be written by gallery owners, curators, artists and designers, and whoever else has something interesting to say about contemporary art in Denver.
We’re starting off with a broad view, answering another request from the survey about comprehensive gallery listings. And db art is proud to feature top gallery owner Ivar Zeile, the owner and founder of Plus Gallery and a great supporter of Denver contemporary art.
If you’d like to place your own votes, see the Survey links under LINKS at the right of the pate. And thanks again for reading.
IVAR ZEILE | Guest Editorial
Deciphering Denver’s Vast Art Scene
One of the things I love most about db art news is how it distills the most interesting happenings in Denver’s vast art scene down to a bite-size chunk that would suite the more astute contemporary enthusiasts on any given week. At Plus Gallery I get asked all the time about what else to see or check out in the contemporary market and while I’d love to spend all of my time informing patrons, it’s nice to have great sources to recommend for information, particularly one’s they can receive easily via email or online.
But Denver’s scene is burgeoning and many of you adventurous types would also like comprehensive listings to explore individual artist studios and other genres of art. Wouldn’t it be nice if every gallery or hotspot was situated within the same zone? Some claim that’s what the Santa Fe Arts District is about, but then again there’s RINO, and LODO and ……the list goes on, and on. Most visitors will find one or the other, but rarely get in depth, which is a problem that dogs many hard-working gallerists as well as artists.
The odds of Denver ever have a centric zone where everything is combined into one is not likely to happen in my lifetime. Besides online information that is increasingly available and direct, there are still various printed guides that are useful for looking at the big picture, no matter how daunting that might appear! The Denver Office of Cultural Affairs initiated a handy “Denver Gallery Guide,” currently in its second iteration. This is likely the most useful guide for anyone to get a glimpse of the enormity of our scene, with approximately 100 galleries listed broken into 8 districts with fold-out maps and basic data on each. It’s an impressive feat and worth its weight in gold, that is if you can find one. The guide is printed every two years, which means it’s rarely current. Initial distribution occurs throughout the city upon its release in limited quantities, and though I can’t vouch for whether there is any follow up thereafter or if it gets distributed at all in tourist zones, it is likely hard to find on the streets or in shops. Fortunately it is also online and can be found by visiting denvergov.org/DOCA
Each district likely has it’s own published guide outside of the official city brochure, and a great example is the River North Art District map, which for the last two years has been in the form of a large, foldout map, complete with reference images, an artist rendered dimensional map of the district, and listings for each of the district members broken down by categories. The large size makes it a little less handy when heading out on a journey, but the effort is supreme and generally pleasing to the eye.
Finally, members of the Denver Art Dealers Association have their own booklet produced on a bi-yearly basis, with each gallery being given a full page to display what is happening at their space or general advertising like one might find in an art-mag. While this is the most limited guide, it is also very useful for collectors as it covers the top tier of Denver’s scene, members admitted based upon criteria that relates to the specific model they use for displaying art and the ethical value of their business, which is certainly good criteria for those looking for the next Damien Hirst or, in our case, the next Jenny Morgan. This guide also includes a readable map that navigates the various corners where members are located, which is spread throughout the 8 districts covered in the City guide.
So if you are heading out and ready to tackle on your own the vast ground that Denver has to offer in the arts, locate one of these handy guides and see for yourself what’s happening in the many corners around Denver. I’ve found these to be useful and recommend asking for them when you visit one of the cities finer establishments, they might not always be out on display but quite possibly available in a backroom.
Ivar Zeile is the owner and founder of Plus Gallery, one of the leading contemporary galleries in the region since it’s inception in 2001. Plus Gallery recently relocated to the unusual and dramatic “Flue” building of the Benjamin Moore Paint complex at 2501 Larimer Street, and was named Art Space of the Year by the Denver Post, and Best New Gallery Space by Westword for 2009.