community advisors
For select exhibitions at the Denver Art Museum, community advisory committees are organized to help shape our interpretive and programmatic elements, create resonances with local issues and perspectives, and act as conduits to community partners.
For this exhibition, the DAM organized a community advisory committee made up of individuals involved in the arts, government, and non-profit agencies. The role of this group was to support the exhibition planning team in shaping a narrative that resonated with local issues and perspectives. The group met three times.
At our second meeting, we explored some of the challenges and opportunities presented by the advisory group at our first meeting. The brainstorm helped inform our interpretive approach, marketing initiatives, community partnerships, and programming. Our meeting notes are captured below.
For this exhibition, our exhibition advisory committee was made up of individuals who work with refugee and resettlement communities in Denver. They helped us articulate our visitor experience goals for this show as well as programming opportunities. We then met with staff from two of the agencies, many of which were refugees. They shared their own personal stories and helped with programming ideas.
“It’s been wonderful to see how intentional everyone at the DAM has been at making sure that the local refugee community has a voice in helping make decisions, and we feel honored to have been involved with this process.”
Representatives from the following organizations participated:
Project Worthmore (learn more)
Colorado Refugee Wellness Center
Colorado Refugee Services Program
Place Bridge Academy
Emily Griffith Technical College
Denver Public Library
Downton Aurora Visual Arts Center
Select committee members participated in public programs and assisted with docent training for this exhibition.
A dinner and private tour with Fazal Sheikh was organized for our advisory committee and their communities.
Two community advisory groups were formed for Mi Tierra. The first was a senior advisory committee who reviewed the artists with consideration to their themes, resonance, and voice within a broader dialogue. The second committee, made up of additional community leaders, helped shape the interpretive and programmatic elements within the exhibition. Many became part of the exhibition experience, led public programs, and were included in an in-gallery video featuring a Q&A with select artists. Learn more here.
Senior Advisory Committee, from left to right: Danielle St. Peter, Maruca Salazar, Rebecca Hart, David Dadone, Celeste Montoya Kirk, Rafael Fajardo, Jorge Rivas Pérez, Heather Nielson, and Kaitlin Maestas.