The Denver Art Museum (DAM) has served as a home for global art collections and cultural representation since 1893. As one of the largest art museums between Chicago and the West Coast, the mission of DAM is to “enrich the lives of present and future generations through the acquisition, presentation, and preservation of works of art.”  

In an effort to renovate and unify the campus, the north side of the museum (also known as the Lanny and Sharon Martin Building) was closed for the past three years while undergoing $150 million worth of renovations. Now, just in time for the building’s 50th anniversary, the revamped campus will reopen with a free general admission day on Oct. 24, 2021. Visitors will get to explore the eight-floor Martin Building as well as the newly constructed “Anna and John J. Sie Welcome Center.” 

The updated Martin Building was designed by Machado Silvetti and Fentress Architects, a Denver-based architecture firm, and inspired by Italian architect Gio Ponti, who designed the original Martin Building that opened in 1971. In addition to design and infrastructure upgrades, the building will include a variety of galleries, including a Northwest Coast and Alaska Native gallery, reenvisioned Latin American Art and Ancient Art of the Americas galleries, textile art and fashion galleries and more. 

Significant upgrades to the museum are not the only reasons why DAM’s reimagined campus is so important for the Denver community. “The events of the past year have reaffirmed the importance of art as a source of inspiration, healing and hope, and we look forward to showcasing the museum’s global collections through a new lens and providing new spaces for learning and engagement with the reopening of the full campus,” said Christoph Heinrich, the Frederick and Jan Mayer Director of the DAM in a press release.

The transformed campus is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. MDT beginning on Oct. 24. Until then, the museum continues to offer several free-admission days throughout the year. Join the DAM and experience the newly finished campus which, as Lanny Martin, chair of the board of trustees, said in a press release, “ensures that the Denver Art Museum continues to serve as a beacon of creativity for the widest possible audience for decades to come.”