Death-defying repair work at Denver Art Museum

The Denver Art Museum, designed by Daniel Libeskind, is an architecturally striking building on any day. But lately, it's been even more eye-catching than usual due to a noteworthy visual element: crews of repairmen walking gingerly on its radically slanted roof in order to avoid shooting off the edge and...

By Michael Roberts

September 1, 2009

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The Denver Art Museum, designed by Daniel Libeskind, is an architecturally striking building on any day. But lately, it's been even more eye-catching than usual due to a noteworthy visual element: crews of repairmen walking gingerly on its radically slanted roof in order to avoid shooting off the edge and creating a Jackson Pollock-like splatter piece on the sidewalk below.

Since March, DAM has featured a display Westword's Jared Jacang Maher dubbed "Giant Scaffolding to Repair Piece of Shit Leaky Roof" in an earlier post. But the presence of crews clinging to the structure like Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible III adds an element of risk that lifts the display to another level. It's proof that art can be dangerous.

Look below to see more photos of this DAM exciting exhibition.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

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