Courses

Each label in the Denver Art Museum lists the artwork’s materials. From traditional mediums (oil paint, bronze, clay) to everyday objects (bottle caps, fluorescents lights, pantyhose), these materials have larger human stories to tell.

In this three-session course, experience the museum’s collections with a look at creative processes and materials. Through interactive lectures, hands-on exploration, and time in the galleries, we’ll ask, “How’s it made?” and learn what materials and methods can tell us about global human contact, scientific and creative innovation, and changing definitions of art across time. Walk away with refreshed perspectives on the collections and discover new ways of approaching any work of art.

Where do paints and pigments come from, and how has that changed over time? Can you name the bug that artists have used for centuries to create red color? What technologies gave rise to a newly vibrant palette for the Impressionist artists? And how does a particular type of paint impact creative expression? Explore these questions and others as we investigate paint from earth to lab to canvas, textile, paper and more. Along the way, uncover stories of innovation, industrialization, and globalization.

One of our oldest art forms, humans have created objects from clay across cultures, geography, and time. What exactly is clay, and how have artists used this foundational, universal medium to tell stories, connect with the spirits, and create functional (and beautiful) objects? Explore porcelain, earthenware, stoneware, and other ceramic mediums and processes as we consider the many roles clay has played in society.

Celebrate Denver’s Month of Printmaking (Mo’Print) with a deep dive into printmaking processes and histories. Pre-social media, printmaking revolutionized communication, access to images, and creative expression. In this session, learn about printmaking techniques (engraving, woodcut, lithography, screenprint, and more), and consider how prints have helped us to rally for a cause, advertise, document, and share beauty.