Fieldwork at the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art

Tara Donovan’s Fieldwork exhibit is something to be seen.  This exhibit, which runs through January 27, 2019, is a full museum takeover of the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art.  Donovan’s art, which includes sculptures, drawings, works on paper and site-specific installations, completely fill the museum space at 1485 Delgany Street.  Some of her pieces encompass entire rooms. Photographs don’t even begin to convey the complexity and power of each piece.

Tara Donovan uses everyday materials, such as rubber bands, index cards, plastic straws, and the tarpaper that is used as a roofing material to evoke the natural world in unexpected ways.

The Composition (Cards) series is a group of framed pieces made of index cards.  They invite the viewer to look at these pieces from all different angles.  It’s intriguing to realize that these beautiful, symmetrical patterns are made of individual index cards.  Another work, Untitled, comprises 16 small plastic tube sculptures placed on the floor.  They appear almost ghostly, shimmering with light, even though they have no light of their own, but are lit from above.  You can’t help but walk around the work to examine it from various vantage points. Finally, the rubber band works were some of my personal favorites.  I marvel at the artist who sees the beauty, symmetry and possibilities of a rubber band!

Be sure to catch this exhibit before the end of January.  You may never again look at index cards and rubber bands the same way.