From 2005-2018, I served as the first full-time director of the Vicki Myhren Gallery at the University of Denver and founding Curator of the University Art Collections. I regularly taught a museum studies practicum in DU’s Art History program, featuring student-curated projects on the DU campus and at other venues such as the Clyfford Still Museum, Denver. At DU, I presented approximately 65 art exhibitions on both contemporary and historical topics, including Warhol in Colorado (2011) and Storm Warning (2017).
I also opened the region’s first academic art study center in 2010; I designed DU’s Hampden Art Study Center to host art research, conservation and collections access. It now houses approximately 4000 cataloged artworks, serving as a regional laboratory for training of studio art, art history and museum professionals, typically employing up to a dozen graduate students in career-relevant positions. I formalized and dramatically grew DU’s art collections, locating $3.6 million in existing art assets, and adding more than $21 million in gifted works.
A truly significant art gift came in 2016, when the University of Denver announced the fruits of a multi-year relationship I developed. The resulting Madden Collection at the University of Denver includes $10 million in artworks by masters ranging from Robert Rauschenberg and Grandma Moses, to Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran and Thomas Hart Benton, along with many significant works by 19th– and 20th century Italian masters.
A follow-up gift from the same donor brought $2.5 million in programmatic, scholarship and publication support in 2017, bringing the total of cash funding I secured for collections, exhibitions, and student support to nearly $5 million. Altogether, the value of University-owned artworks I brought under my stewardship, plus new art gifts, yielded a figure of nearly $30 million. I intend to match the success of these recent efforts as I continue to develop innovative ways to advance learning and cultural literacy, while creating opportunities for younger professionals.