Recent Acquisitions: Artworks by Former DU Faculty
On view in the Davis Gallery and Shwayder Art Building lobby, September 12 through October 11, 2024.
Art has long been a part of the curriculum at the University of Denver. The University, then the Colorado Seminary, boasted an art program starting in the 1880s, but financial hardship ended it before the turn of the twentieth century. After several decades, the School of Art at DU was reborn in its modern form with the purchase of Chappell House, home to the fledgling Denver Art Museum. In 1929, under the leadership of Vance Kirkland, the school grew quickly, attracting hundreds of students each year and featuring celebrated artists as part of the faculty. DU was deeply intertwined with other major institutions, including the Denver Art Museum, Denver Artists Guild, Denver Public Library, and Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. Together, they worked to establish a thriving art scene in Colorado. DU was unique in its early incorporation of art into the University, understanding art as a rigorous, intellectual endeavor, and serving as a beacon for academic artistic training in the West.
The DU Artist Initiative aims to preserve, steward, and promote the legacies of artists affiliated with the University through collection, research, display, and teaching. This exhibition celebrates recent additions to the University Art Collections of diverse artworks by artists who taught at DU as early as 1931 and as recently as this past school year. Along with the artworks, this exhibition features brief biographical and artistic sketches of each artist.
Gallery Guide
