When the Denver Art Museum (DAM) set out to land DIVA, its team didn’t just wait around for a polite email. After hearing about the exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, DAM director Christoph Heinrich and board chair Sarah Anschutz traveled directly to London to make the case for Denver as the exclusive U.S. stop on the tour.
And they pulled out all the stops. With nearly 250 objects, 60-some head-turning costumes, 40 video clips, and an immersive soundtrack, DIVA is a full-throttle multimedia spectacle. But Denver didn’t simply host the party; the museum added to it. The DAM team brought in 50 additional objects and 10 more show-stopping costumes, adding heavy hitters like Dolly Parton and Taylor Swift alongside Latina legends Celia Cruz, Selena Quintanilla, Carmen Miranda, María Félix, and Yma Sumac.
As Jill D’Alessandro, director and curator of the Avenir Institute of Textile Arts and Fashion, explains, “Projects like DIVA can be a challenge to mount, but as the saying goes, ‘This is not our first rodeo.’ Combining our expertise in fashion exhibitions, interpretation, pop culture, and exhibition design made the DAM the perfect venue for DIVA.”
The exhibition takes visitors on a two-part journey through the evolution of the “diva.” Act I begins with the word’s 19th-century opera roots, while Act II explores how modern performers reclaimed the term, transforming it from an insult lobbed at women deemed “demanding” into a badge of unapologetic, boundary-breaking power.
The fashion history alone is pure eye candy. You’ll find the revolutionary, corset-free “Delphos” gown worn by Isadora Duncan alongside Bob Mackie’s legendary 1978 “Flame Dress.” Created for Tina Turner as she launched her solo career, the fiery costume was designed to evoke a phoenix taking flight.
Behind all the glitter and high notes, however, are stories of courage and resilience. Take a 20-something Dolly Parton, who turned down Elvis Presley when he wanted to record “I Will Always Love You” because his manager demanded half of Dolly’s publishing rights as part of the deal. Decades later, Whitney Houston’s cover generated massive royalties, some of which Dolly put toward purchasing a building in a historically black Nashville neighborhood, something she later affectionately connected to “the house that Whitney built.”
Ultimately, DIVA isn’t simply an exhibition. It’s a celebration of talent, grit, reinvention, and stage presence that might just leave you ready to strut into the Denver sunshine feeling a little more legendary yourself.
“I hope visitors leave feeling uplifted and inspired by the sheer talent of these individuals and feel motivated to learn more about their careers,” Jill says.
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