Photo courtesy of Evan Forrest Mann & Visions West Contemporary.
At the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, Colorado Currents invites visitors to experience Colorado through a collection of stories, perspectives, and histories that reveal its complexities. The new exhibition arrives during a year of major milestones, including America’s 250th anniversary, Colorado’s 150th anniversary of statehood, and MCA Denver’s 30th anniversary, bringing together 28 artists with deep ties to the state to explore where Colorado has been, where it is today, and where it may go next.
For Miranda Lash, the Ellen Bruss chief curator at MCA Denver and co-curator of Colorado Currents alongside MCA curator Leilani Lynch, the exhibition is an opportunity to expand how visitors understand the state. Rather than presenting a single version of Colorado, the exhibition highlights the many communities and experiences that continue to shape it. “Our goal was to expand people’s understanding of the state and spark curiosity about the richness, complexity, and creativity that exists here today,” Miranda says.
Photo courtesy of David Ocelotl Garcia.
Spanning the entirety of MCA Denver, Colorado Currents features more than 100 artworks across a wide range of mediums, bringing together artists from multiple generations. It highlights indigenous communities and family stories, as well as the legacy of mining, the natural landscape, and the impact of environmental change.
As visitors move through the galleries, they’ll encounter “moments of extraordinary beauty alongside playful humor, deeply personal memories, and works that call for advocacy, reflection, and greater awareness,” Miranda says. The result gifts viewers with new perspectives while inviting them to make their own connections to Colorado.
Photo courtesy of Libby Barbee.
“One of the things I love most about the exhibition is its unpredictability,” Miranda explains. A translucent cowboy saddle sits alongside high fashion mushroom costumes, desert cacti, and a 3D-printed adobe structure, each piece offering a different interpretation of what Colorado can mean. Viewers will also find tributes to familiar cultural icons such as Stevie Nicks and Snoopy
Lively and diverse, the Colorado Currents exhibition offers something for everyone. Almost all the pieces in the exhibition have been created in the last three years, keeping the show feeling current and reflective of Colorado’s ever-changing identity.
“Whether you’ve lived in Colorado your whole life or you’re visiting for the first time, I think you’ll leave with a richer understanding of this remarkable state—and probably having discovered a few stories you never knew,” Miranda says.
Photo courtesy of The Artists.
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