Museum of Contemporary Art Denver — Attraction in Denver

Going here is a real gamble. And I want to stress that I will be back. I've had a real good time in the past when there was interesting and wacky art, but this last time I went it was low effort college student type work with an unhealthy fixation on race. Maybe I shouldn't say low-effort. It might have been trying too hard. It was heavy on progressivism, but not in terms of artistic merit. But I'm sure the denver-ites who were there to see the art would disagree. Many people would deny that art could be good or bad these days. Most people going here know what they are getting into. I just like it when it is heavier on aesthetic. Again, I have had more enjoyable times here than otherwise. Consider pairing it with another museum visit and calling ahead to see what they are showing. Progressive seems to have ran out of barriers to break. Aggressively political but very much preaching to the choir.

Edit: I appreciate the response and for treating my view as valid. I recently saw the "Dirty South" exibit and it was again disappointing, but I would never fault the establishment. I didn't follow my own advice to call ahead. I want to emphasize that I have some very good memories here. Maybe just get more art from people that exhibit signs of genuine clinical insanity like you used to? It was interesting to recognize the street on the massive framed display with the music video on the second floor as being in front of the museum in New Orleans. Kinda surreal. I will definitely be returning when there is something universally mind-bending like there has been so often...

I visited the second weekend of April 2021, and it was a very charmed day. I had a chance to drive through the river front housing area and I was just amused by the amount of dog walkers and those using electric scooters. I found absolutely perfect parking literally across from the door. I did note that the vast majority of people in attendance were using Uber or Lyft services. I had secured a reservation earlier and I highly recommend that you do so also. There were three different exhibits open while I was there and I was not particularly attracted to any of them. I did feel like the vast majority of the audience were not particularly attracted to them either. If I had to make a cynical comment.... There were hundreds of us milling about, all trying to be "woke". That said, I really appreciate contemporary art, I like the reflections that has on modern society, and I like the idea of young artists discovering thoughts and ideas for the first time and presenting it to the public. I like to support local work and I do like traveling shows, and I do like a beautiful building that has use of the city and is nicely designed to be in a constant state of flux. If you're visiting Denver please put this on your schedule it will not take you 90 minutes to view it it...

I liked my visit. I found the installation by Derrick Adams to be the most interesting and exciting, especially "Future People." I was also intrigued by two other exhibits, "Honey" (strange and sort of fun, with a slight mythical twist) and "Spine" (strange, but very sad). I greatly appreciated how the exhibits supported minority artists or interests (Adams, Washington) or social justice concerns (Oppenheim). The fine arts - even contemporary arts - can harbor conservative sensibilities, but these exhibits were progressive in every sense of the word.

For a smaller museum, I thought the exhibits and the use of space were quite complementary. There was a flow and balance in the exhibit rooms that worked very well. I appreciated the posted texts about the exhibits and the artists; I felt that information was helpful and not intrusive. A small suggestion: it seems as though the very top floor could be utilized better. Sure, the revealed cityscape is striking, and the architectural design and patio garden are nicely done. But couldn't you display some statuary or other outdoor-friendly art up there? Again, only a small suggestion.

This was my first visit to MCA. It was inspirational, and I look forward...