St. Lucia's eyeballs on a plate freaked me out...

...but what really traumatized and upset me was when I was told my dog wasn't going to heaven. It sent me into a tailspin of existential angst at the ripe old age of 8. After arguing with the Sunday School teacher about it, the next week I told my Mom that I thought church was "over my head" and I just didn't get it. I didn't want to go anymore, so she shrugged and let me stay home.

Long story, but little did I know that she was Jewish and converted to Catholocism for my dad -- she didn't really care one way or the other. I remember working up my nerve to tell her like it would break her heart!

I also freaked out my Sunday school teacher by asking repeatedly about where Cain and Abel's wives came from. I don't think I went far enough to think it through, but I found it profoundly disturbing that it wasn't explained, and any time you asked adults they got uncomfortable.

In fact, I still find that a little disturbing!

Sneak Preview of the New Denver Art Museum!

The new Hamilton wing of the Denver Art Museum, designed by architect Daniel Leibskind, is opening this weekend to the public. I went to a member's preview the other day, and it's a fantastic building. Somewhat problematic for the art in places (the paintings are hung off of slanted walls, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't), but the staff has found some marvelously creative solutions in the space, such as projected video that fits perfectly into little faceted walls, a Carl Andre that reflects it's pattern high up into one of the points of the building (what we've been calling "the prow"). I look forward to watching them continue to evolve their installations into the space.

Best of all, the new Vicki and Kent Logan collection bequest is stunning. (And makes the rest of the collection look somewhat humble, by comparison.) Several huge Takashi Murakami works, an amazing Matthew Ritchey installation, Katarina Fritsch, Yasumasa Morimura, Nara...just stunning. Unfortunately, my camera died before I got there. But here's a few sneak peak pics before it opens:

The Claes Oldenburg at the entrance, sweeping up:


A Louis Bourgois Spider, a small, but still 9' tall mock-up of a room sized piece to be installed later:


Looking up at the skylights:


Over a balcony:



Part of the Atrium, showing artist Tatasuo Miyajima's "ENGI" installation, in which 80 local residents set the intervals for flashing numbers:

Richard Serra piece, nicknamed "killer" by the staff since according to some apocryphal story it fell on someone when being installed and killed them! (I've never seen this anywhere else, by the way, don't know if it's true.) It's only held in place by gravity.


Over a balcony, Calder and Ruscha on view:


Stairway and Calder, Damien Hirst's controversial ashtray peaking from underneath the stairs (famous for being mocked by Morley Safer!):


Another view, Warhol's portrait of Russell Means in there:


On the roof, Donald Judd in the foreground, which unfortunately resembles a row of rooftop air conditioners in context (would have been better installed somewhere else!):


From the roof, looking towards the original museum (now called the North building) designed by Geo Ponti:


Looking down off the roof towards the library, Red Grooms piece on the roof and Mark DiSuvero's Lao Tsu towards the center: