Reader: The DAM ain't gonna make a difference in local artists heating and eating

Next month William Morrow will join the Denver Art Museum as the new Polly and Mark Addison Associate Curator of Contemporary Art. He's coming from Louisville, Kentucky, where he was founding director of the contemporary art space at 21c, a combination boutique hotel and museum. Michael Paglia met with Morrow...

By Patricia Calhoun

September 18, 2012

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Next month William Morrow will join the Denver Art Museum as the new Polly and Mark Addison Associate Curator of Contemporary Art. He's coming from Louisville, Kentucky, where he was founding director of the contemporary art space at 21c, a combination boutique hotel and museum. Michael Paglia met with Morrow when he was in town looking for an apartment, and asked if he was going to feature examples from the vibrant scene we've got going here in Colorado. yes, Morrow replied; as he was at 21c, he's very interested in putting regional art together with international work.

But some local artists will believe it when they see it.

Says Bob Ragland:

The new guy at DAM is OK. But Colorado artists will have to row their own boats. The DAM ain't gonna make a difference in a lot of Colorado artists heating and eating.

I am a museum member, so I will have a good art life without being shown at DAM. That's the way I roll.

What's the first thing William Morrow should know about the local art scene? Post your suggestions below

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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