Gio Ponti, Gotta Give a DAM
Colin St. John
Driving down 13th Street in Denver used to be so pedestrian. It was nice to roll by the Gio Ponti-inspired Denver Art Museum and the main branch of the Public Library, but it was always really just a quick way to get from East Denver and Capitol Hill to Speer (a major boulevard diagonally connecting the city’s east and west). Now, all of that has changed. It’s just a matter of time before 13th Street becomes known as Daniel Libeskind Way.
The Frederic C. Hamilton Building (the Libeskind-designed expansion to the Denver Art Museum) doesn’t officially open until Fall of 2006, yet it already rules over the block it occupies. Libeskind has Denverites believing he’s the Superman of architects and his building’s shooting crags and spears have them thinking Jor-El built the place. But what’s really super is that it dwarfs most, if not all, architectural attempts and achievements in Denver’s history.
So it’s no surprise that it carries a big price tag, too. The total amount raised for the expansion is around $150 million, with a $62.5 million public bond paving the way. When you’re spending that much money, you’d better expect results. And expecting is what the staff at the Denver Art Museum is doing. I recently spoke with Andrea Fulton, the PR and Marketing Manager at the DAM, and she sounded as optimistic as they come. Not only does the Museum expect one million visitors in its first year, they believe they’ll level off in the 600,000 – 700,000 attendance region (which is quite a jump from their average of 400,000).
In addition, the Museum thinks the new addition will attract bigger and better exhibitions to Denver, not only because of its aesthetics but also because of its size. The building will put Denver on the map says Fulton, "Denver is one of the most geographically isolated metropolitan areas in the country, meaning we serve a very large area. I don’t think it is unreasonable to believe that Denver will become a primary stop for exhibitions in this region of the country–it is a logical place to draw audiences from the western states." Geography is becoming more and more of an issue in the art world as cities like Minneapolis, Cincinnati and West Palm Beach draw crowds that used to travel to exhibits further away from home like Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.
Still, the DAM wouldn’t be talking about major exhibitions if Libeskind hadn’t designed the new building. Much praise must be given to the DAM for casting Libeskind as their Superman; he is quite de rigueur. The DAM had the foresight to commission Libeskind to build his first structure on North American soil for them before he became well-known figure he has since then. He has been receiving much press since his design won the contest for the redesign of the World Trade Center site, even though it was later changed more to the liking of the Lower Manhattan Design Corporation, sacrificing much of his vision.
One hopeful sign for Denver to keep optimistic comes from a town of similar size and situation: Milwaukee. In 2001, the Milwaukee Art Museum opened its new doors to the public. Designed by another architect of the moment, Santiago Calatrava, the white bird-like structure has doubled the attendance rates and brought new exhibitions to Milwaukee. But, as Vicky Reddin, Marketing and Communications Manager for the MAM explains, the most rewarding result of the new building is its mark: "The Milwaukee Art Museum has really become the icon for the city, both locally, and nationally/internationally. The Milwaukee convention and visitors’ bureau has taken on the image of the Museum as their city logo."
As Calatrava’s name becomes more and more recognized, the attendance will go up at the MAM and the same will go for the DAM. But there’s more to these buildings than turning a profit or getting the next exhibit on loan from the Hermitage. Denver is a young city that is still building its cultural identity. And, as it stands, that identity and its symbol now rest squarely on the shoulders of one man.
