I was quoted in the Denver Post this morning regarding my interest in Riverside Cemetery, along with my friend Jan Allan and Father Joe Hirsch of Transfiguration Cathedral. The article, entitled “Group hopes to bring new life to cemetery” was written by Tom McGhee, and I’m really grateful to him for all he did to bring this story to light.

My personal interest in Riverside did not come about because of a personal relationship; unlike many of the people who are involved in trying to save (resuscitate?) the resting place of 67,000 people, I don’t have family interred there.

I’m interested in the cemetery partly as a historical site; it is Denver’s oldest cemetery, and the first in the Rocky Mountain West to have a ‘park-like’ design. There are a remarkably broad range of people buried there, from a Negro League baseball player, several governors and other famous people, hookers, newspapermen, civil war veterans, and an incredibly diverse range of race, religion, and background. I’ve walked around Riverside any number of times it seems I’m surprised by something every time I go there.

But perhaps even more than its history, I am drawn to Riverside by its enduring presentation of the cultural and creative artifacts of the past 150 years of Colorado history. There were some photographers and painters working in Colorado in the latter part of the nineteenth century, and there were artisans working with wood and stone. But for the average person, the gravestone might well be the single most important piece of sculpture and the most heartfelt expression of their lives and sorrows.

The truth is that Riverside has both historical and cultural significance, but has been sorely neglected over the years, and the Fairmount Cemetery (who have owned Riverside since 1900) didn’t do anyone any favors by losing the water rights in 2003. For whatever reason, Fairmount has treated those interested in supporting Riverside as an annoyance, even though our interest was based only in wanting to see the condition of the cemetery improved.

The only way to improve the condition of this little known historical gem is to increase the awareness to the public; I wrote back in April that the ideal solution would be to turn it into a park along the Platte River, but it seems unlikely that it will be taken over by the Denver and Adams County Government. Perhaps this bit of additional press will help Fairmount to understand that it is in their best interest to coordinate and collaborate with those of us in the general community who care about the welfare of their poorer, dustier, and more historic relation. In any case, Jan and I are planning to get a meeting of “Friends of Historic Riverside” scheduled in the near future.

Update October 31st:
Here’s the info on the next meeting of the Friends of Historic Riverside Cemetery:

Date and Time:
Sat., Nov. 17, 2007, 11AM

Holy Transfiguration of Christ Cathedral Meeting Hall
349 E 47th Ave
Denver, CO 80216
www.transfigcathedral.org

Let me know if you’re planning to attend.

Gene Sloan wrote and article that was posted in USA Today today about the burgeoning cultural scene in Denver. It’s not a fantastically in depth article, but it does show off a couple of Denver’s lesser known treasures, the Dikeou Collection and the Kirkland Museum.

The Dikeou has a fabulous collection of contemporary work ranging from a giant pink inflatable bunny by Momoyo Torimitsu (pictured above) to Vic Muniz and (personal favorites) The Royal Art Lodge. But, you would never know it was there unless you’re looking for it. It’s located in an old nondescript office building just off the 16th street mall in downtown, and is only open wednesday through friday from 11 to five.

The Kirkland Museum is of particular interest to designers for its extensive and fascinating collection of twentieth century decorative arts. It’s located at 13th and Pearl in Capital Hill, and is open every afternoon but mondays.

Since I moved back here 20 years ago, the Denver community has struggled to build an infrastructure that supports the creative economy – it’s good to see some results of this effort. Of course, the scene isn’t close to consistently good, and there isn’t the density of some of our coastal cities. But, there’s an increasing awareness of the benefit the cultural component offers to the texture of the city.

The newest addition to Denver’s cultural landscape is opening with a series of events this week; the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCAD) building is the first designed by David Adjaye to be built in the United States, and it is a jewel, and serves as a fascinating counterpoint to the Libeskind addition to the Denver Art Museum.

The building is still very much under construction, but Hadley and I have had the chance to see it a couple of times, first in a hardhat tour and then last evening at a members reception. Here’s a photo she took of the building exterior from a couple days ago:

Where the Libeskind is muscularity and gesture, the Adjaye is functionality and grace – the MCAD is unassuming with its square frame and translucent skin, inside it holds a surprising amount of exhibition space very efficiently organized. Once you enter the building, it feels that the outer walls serve as a shell around two separate spaces, each set on a slight angle from the primary grid. Within these there are openings that slice the space in slight diagonals.

The opening exhibitions are appropriately diverse, with the largest gallery dedicated to the work of David Altmejd of Canada. I snapped a couple of phone photos last night of his installation; with its fractured reflections and creatures looking like something out of the transformers movie, it may not be the richest in terms of meaning, but it’s an impressive presentation in any case.

It’s unfortunate that the building wasn’t open a couple of weeks earlier – I heard from a number of attendees at the AIGA National Conference that they were hoping to get to see the space. Nonetheless, having a notable space dedicated to the presentation of contemporary work bodes well for Denver’s maturing art and design community.

And, we’re looking forward to making use of the members cafe on the rooftop, which also includes some gardens planted by Karla Dakin. The gardens were built and planted at Ironton, and then hoisted to the roof by crane. Hadley took some photos and turned it into this charming animation:

Thanks to Andy Bosselman for youtubing it.