This lounge provided a space for visitors to contribute to larger conversations presented by the artists in the exhibition and to interact with one another via the prompt "I want to have a conversation about..." Visitors were invited to write a topic or to respond. It also included a conversational video of the artists responding to questions posed by community members.
Conversation Activity
For this activity, visitors had the opportunity to engage with one another around topics that surfaced within the exhibition. 65% of the conversation cards dealt with social topics related to politics, the environment, mental health, identity, and immigration. Here are a few examples:
What visitors had to say:
"I hope someone sees it and reads it and can think about different perspectives.”
"I guess I knew something and maybe that something could help other people.”
“I consider myself an artist so when I read a question that applies to my life that I think I can answer that will benefit other people then I answer it.”
“I just wanted to participate. I had something I felt I wanted to say.”
"I was hoping someone would read it and follow along through the conversation. Maybe it would change their perspective or their opinion, or I guess… maybe add something to the dialogue.”
As part of this exhibition, we worked with a community advisory committee that helped us develop an informed interpretive approach to the exhibition. Several of the committee members participated in this conversational interpretive where they asked the artists a question and then 3-4 of them answered. The artist answering the question remained on one monitor, while the other two monitors rotated between the other artists who appeared to be listening. Questions asked were:
As a woman and artist of color, do you feel an obligation to represent for ALL women and ALL artists of color through your work?
Looking towards the future where do Latinos fit into the American art world?
As an artist, how do you respond to contemporary issues like displacement and gentrification?
I’m just curious, who or what has the greatest impact on your work at this time?
How does your work inspire younger American-Latino generations?
In a space adjacent to the conversation lounge, visitors could watch short videos of the artists talking about their inspiration and creative process.
During the installation phase of this exhibition, the galleries were opened up for visitors to view these site-specific works come to life. In the center gallery, visitors could preview all 13 projects, with a focus on each artists project proposal, inspiration, choice of materials, and production of the work. They could also ask the artists questions.
Institution: Denver Art Museum | Design: McGinty Co.