DENVER OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS ANNOUNCES
DEDICATION OF NEW PUBLIC ARTWORK NATIONAL VELVET
AT 16th ST. PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE PLAZA
The Denver Office of Cultural Affairs is pleased to announce the dedication of new public artwork National Velvet by artist John McEnroe in the plaza at the base of the 16th St. Pedestrian Bridge over I-25, 16th St. and Platte St. The dedication will take place on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. A reception following the dedication will take place at Plus Gallery, 1490 Delgany St., from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Both the dedication and reception are free and open to the public.
WHAT: Dedication of new public artwork National Velvet
WHO: Artist John McEnroe
Mayor John Hickenlooper
Councilwoman Judy Montero
Christoph Heinrich, Polly and Mark Addison Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Denver Art Museum
Denver Office of Cultural Affairs Staff and Commission
Community Members
WHEN/WHERE: Tuesday, November 18, 2008
4:00 p.m. Dedication: Please meet at the base of the 16th St. Pedestrian Bridge over I-25, 16th St. and Platte St.
5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Reception: Plus Gallery, 1490 Delgany St., Denver, 80202, 303-296-0927,
http://info@plusgallery.comArtist John McEnroe’s latest public sculpture, National Velvet, provides downtown Denver with a striking new work of art that continues the artist’s trademark unorthodox approach to materials, form and contemporary ideas. Utilizing sand as the building blocks for a dynamic new visual motif, National Velvet conjures up multiple interpretations through its towering form and the tendrils that spiral through it. Viewers will delight in the sheer scale and playfulness of the work, the dominant red-hue piercing through the sky, both through the day and when lit from within at night.
In the last decade, Denver artist John McEnroe has built a formidable career as one of the more progressive and respected contemporary artists in the region. He has created a sculptural oeuvre that includes major public art commissions in Denver including the renovated Colorado Convention Center, a work for the Dry Creek Light Rail Station and the Omar D. Blair Charter School.
In addition to his major public works, McEnroe maintains a robust and unique studio practice, exhibiting in many solo and group shows. His most recent exhibitions include New Paintings at The Lab of Art + Ideas at Belmar, Decades of Influence at the Museum of Contemporary Art | Denver, Young Moderns at the Gallery of Contemporary Art at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs and Art Miami, in conjunction with Plus Gallery. Most recently, Christoph Heinrich, the Denver Art Museum’s Polly and Mark Addison Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art has invited John to exhibit in Embrace! alongside some of the top contemporary artists in the world in a showcase that will electrify the unique architecture of the Denver Art Museum’s Hamilton Building in the fall of 2009.
McEnroe exhibits exclusively with Plus Gallery in Denver and his work is in the permanent collection of the Denver Art Museum, as well as select public and private collections of note.
The Other Side Arts (TOSA) will host a free lecture with John McEnroe the following evening, Wednesday, November 19 at 6:00 p.m. at 1644 Platte St., Denver, 80202. For more information, please call TOSA at 303-561-3000. The Other Side Arts is a nonprofit dedicated to encouraging personal expression, building community, creating dialogue and increasing tolerance through art. TOSA provides arts instruction and exhibition opportunities to historically underserved populations, youth, artists and the general public.
For more information on the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs’ Public Art Program, please call 720-865-4313 or visit
www.denvergov.org/publicart.
The mission of the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs is to advance the arts and culture in the City and County of Denver.