When you walk into the property at 240 Josephine Street, the hotel's playful style quickly becomes apparent; boxes of board games, stacks of coloring books and whimsical pillows deck out the lounge area. The art inside the hotel, which can be found on all eight floors of the building, matches this vibe, meshing found objects and colorful prints by well-known local artists. "Moxy as a brand feels bohemian, a little cheeky and playful," says Martha Weidmann, CEO of NINE dot ARTS.
Adds co-worker Deanne Gertner: "We wanted the hotel to have a quintessential Denver spirit, so we used some local artists and themes revolving around the Western ideal."
Guests can see these ideas throughout the building, starting with the Instagram-perfect "ski lift" right outside the elevator on the first floor. Each level sports a different theme; from the ground up, they're dubbed Camp, Eye See You (it's all about looking and being looked at), Pop!, Go Figure (figurative art), Gold Rush, Ski Lodge and Animal Kingdom.
In total, the new hotel boasts 775 artworks. Of those, 230 are found objects, 88 are original pieces, and three are installations: 43 tennis rackets arranged by artist Phil Bender; 72 wood circles with various bears in nature painted on them by Bill Waters; and 150 mirrors, many which are found on the third floor. If the art has a name plate, then you know it's a piece unique to the hotel. Otherwise, what you're seeing are pieces placed there by NINE dot ARTS.
Artist Phil Bender's tennis rackets, a found-object installation featuring 43 pieces.
Linnea Covington
