As art pieces go, you’d think a broom and dustpan might be an odd choice as a subject for a giant sculpture. But the iconic Big Sweep, installed in 2006 by Swedish American artist Claes Oldenburg and collaborator Coosje van Bruggen, is sitting pretty outside the doors of the Denver Art Museum.
“Denver prides itself on being a cleaner than average big American city,” says Chris Schlag, my cycling guide for a half day two-wheeled Mile High Bike Tour of the Mile High metropolis (a nickname that references its exact elevation above sea level).
Denver’s also a big city, so my e-bike tour is the perfect way to see a lot of it in a short time. While I don’t spot a giant custodian who’s capable of wielding the artsy cleaning equipment, as we pedal through the city’s funky neighbourhoods, past the stately Capitol buildings and along the downtown Cherry Creek waterway, I do notice that indeed, Denver is exceptionally neat. So, I guess Big Sweep is a product of its environment, after all.
The street art and murals I do see are there by design, part of the annual immersive Denver Walls that takes place in October. This year, the female-owned mural festival celebrates street art in the RiNo (River North) Arts District with 13 new murals from 16 local and international street artists, using art to transform spaces and bring people together.
After a quick bento box of tempura mushrooms and spicy kimchi at Lunchboxx in RiNo’s Denver Central Market, a lively collection of 11 different food vendors, I wander along streets and laneways, admiring the colourful, expressive murals animating this vibrant art district.
My autumn visit is perfectly timed to take full advantage of exploring the city’s artsy side. Denver Arts Week takes place each November, highlighting local artists at First Friday Art Walks in the city’s creative districts like Santa Fe, and throwing the doors open to Denver’s many cultural institutions for the Free Night at the Museums event.
More than 17,000 attendees, including yours truly, took part, enjoying meanders through the Denver Art Museum’s (DAM) exhibits of Indigenous, Latin American and 18th century European art, and appreciations of the singular abstract expressionist works of Clyfford Still at his eponymous, purpose-built museum.
The event provides free shuttles to connect museums further afield, like the Forney Museum of Transportation, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Museo de las Americas and to the historic home of Titanic survivor and famed Colorado resident, the unsinkable Margaret “Molly” Brown.
It’s not possible to visit all of the museums in one night, but you can purchase the 3 Day Mile High Culture Pass which provides admission to nine participating attractions over the course of three consecutive days — a great deal available throughout the year.
The arts in Denver aren’t limited to murals and museums. The city is home to one of the largest performing arts complexes in the United States, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Enjoy a touring Broadway production of Hamilton one night, and a stirring evening of Opera Colorado’s performance of Puccini’s La Bohème the next.
After admiring the murals in the RiNo district, I choose to stay in this funky artistic neighbourhood to enjoy a “Dinner and a Show” at the Nocturne Jazz and Supper Club.
Opened in 2015, the Club features two live nightly jazz performances from Wednesday to Sunday. Co-owner Nicole Mattson tells me that the 100-seat club takes “full advantage” of the two-storey, acoustically sublime room, inspired by 1920s and ’30s Atlantic coast art deco of cities like New York. The walls are lined with portraits of 20th century jazz greats like Duke Ellington, and a mural of Billie Holliday takes pride of place next to the front door.
The dinner portion features a three-course menu with optional wine pairings to accompany dishes like autumn roots salads, bowls of tagliatelle Bolognese and plates of duck confit.
On my visit, the Show stage is occupied by local musicians Adam Gang and Jack Dunlevie and band, playing jazzy interpretations of Chopin’s Nocturnes — a truly stellar fusion of Western classical music and modern piano, saxophone and bass.
My exploration of Denver’s artistic side is paired with a tasty appraisal of the city’s culinary arts. There are 28 restaurants listed in the Michelin guide in Denver and the surrounding area, including four one-stars, two green star rooms and the rest, Bib Gourmand restaurants of good quality and good value cooking, featuring everything from contemporary Chinese to Mexican, Mediterranean and Italian cuisine.
After a morning spent strolling through the flower beds, art gallery and orangery in the beautiful Denver Botanic Gardens, I opt for a bar-side seat at Tavernetta, a beautiful room warmed by the prominent fireplace, located just steps from the tracks and trains at Denver’s Union Station.
The lunchtime menu is a well-priced and delicious three-course meal with a perfectly hot porcini mushroom soup starter that’s thawing me from the inside out, taking the edge off the chill in the air.
Snow is in the forecast but right now, barman Jack Simpson is placing a bowl of pecorino-flaked cacio e pepe in front of me and that’s all I’m able to focus on, keeping an eye on leaving room in my dessert stomach for tiramisu and a digestive of Braulio, an aged amaro from Italy’s northern Lombardy region.
I offer a toast to Jack and to Denver, saying cheers and thanks for a memorable time spent enjoying the charms of the Queen City of the Plains before boarding the convenient Denver airport rail to head back home. The approaching snowstorm means there’ll soon be powder in the nearby hills and slopes of the Colorado Rocky Mountains — the perfect opportunity to plan a return trip.
Claudia Laroye was a guest of Visit Denver, which did not read or review this article before publication.