Beyond the Museum


In addition to presenting programs at the Denver Art Museum, the Asian Art Department participates in activities and projects arranged by other organizations. By forming strategic alliances with local, regional, national, and international groups, the department promotes a broader understanding and appreciation of Asian art and culture.

Colorado Dragon Boat Festival 2008
Summer2008
The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is a summertime tradition for Denver families. It is a two-day celebration of sport and culture, achieved through team building, entertainment, good food, arts and crafts, and friendly competition. The eighth-annual festival honors the state's diverse Asian-Pacific-American community with performing artists, a bustling marketplace, and—of course—the exciting and highly competitive dragon boat races.

Colorado Dragon Boat Festival 2007
July 28 and 29, 2007
The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival was a tremendous success despite a drenching rain the night before. Soggy grass did not discourage the racers, performers, vendors, and more than 90,000 spectators from participating in the region's premier cultural summertime festival. Held in Sloan's Lake Park, the seventh-annual festival honored the state's diverse Asian -Pacific-American community with performing artists, a bustling marketplace, and the exciting dragon boat races. The Denver Art Museum’s entry, That DAM Boat, was headed by captain Felicia Alvarez and co-captain Trish Tomlinson. It won three of its five races, losing the last one by a fraction of a second. As they said in Brooklyn, “Wait ’til next year!"

Central City Opera: Poet Li Bai
June 20, 2007
In celebration of its 75th anniversary, Central City Opera joined the Denver Art Museum and First Western Trust Bank to present Chinese Art and Opera, featuring music by Guo Wenjing. The musician’s Poet Li Bai had its world premiere in Central City on July 7, 2007. The opera takes place in China during the Tang dynasty and incorporates the writings of one of China’s greatest poets, Li Bai (701–762). Following operatic performances by Wu Wei, Yang Bo, and Zhou Xiaolin (members of the Central City Opera apprentice artists program), the DAM’s curator of Asian art Ronald Otsuka spoke on “Chinese Art—Then and Now.” He pointed out works at the DAM, including Tang dynasty tomb figures, a portrait of Li Bai, and contemporary Chinese art from the exhibition RADAR: Selections from the Collection of Vicki & Kent Logan (October 7, 2006–July 15, 2007).

Ima Hogg Ceramic Circle
March 27, 2007
Founded in May 1976, the Ima Hogg Ceramic Circle promotes education, research, and enjoyment of ceramics. Named for the philanthropist who donated her home, Bayou Bend, and its collection to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the circle presents an ongoing forum for connoisseurs, scholars, and collectors to stimulate interest in ceramics. Invited by Lynda Walsh to speak in September 2005, curator Ronald Otsuka’s lecture “Japanese Porcelain: A Global View 1650–1750” was postponed because of Hurricane Rita’s looming approach toward Texas. Speaking on a rescheduled date, Otsuka was welcomed by the circle’s president-elect Marilyn Elliott and hosted at a thematic reception prepared by Carol Kors and her committee. In addition to tea, sushi, and flower arrangements, the gathering featured a tablescape of Japanese ceramics from the collection of Betty Williams.

Workshop for Korean Art Curators
October 10–20, 2006
Held in Seoul, the eighth Workshop for Korean-Art Curators focused on Korean folklore. Nearly thirty curators from more than a dozen countries met to attend lectures, watch performances, visit museums, tour a folk village, and witness a shamanic dance. Sponsored by the Korea Foundation, the workshop provided valuable information about the material culture associated with festivals, annual rites, and rites of passage. In addition to participating in workshop programs, Denver Art Museum curator Ronald Otsuka visited two former museum research fellows from Korea, Min-Gwon Park (2004–2005) and Ki-in Son (2005–2006). Son studies traditional Korean architectural painting (danchung) and Buddhist painting with Yong Woo Kim (So-woon), whose painting of Bodhidharma is represented in the DAM’s collection.

Colorado Dragon Boat Festival 2006
July 29 and 30, 2006
The sixth-annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival attracted 65,000 attendees to Sloan's Lake Park for two full days of shopping in the Asian Marketplace, watching entertainment on the Performing Arts Stage, and cheering on the athletic competition of dragon boat races. Fifty-six teams competed (48 adult and 8 youth), including the Denver Art Museum squad, That DAM Boat, led by captain Felicia Alvarez. The Asian Art Association sponsored artmaking activities for children in Dragonland, where volunteers folded paper samurai hats for kids to decorate. For five consecutive years, That DAM Boat and the Asian Art Association have helped the festival celebrate the cultures of different Asian-Pacific-American communities.

Workshop for Korean Art Curators
October 17 - 25, 2005
Sponsored by the Korea Foundation, the 2005 Workshop for Korean Art Curators focused on architecture. Attended by thirty curators from eleven countries, the program featured visits to Confucian temples, traditional Korean villages, royal palaces, governmental buildings, and an eighteenth-century fortress that is now a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. The participants attended lectures by leading Korean scholars and previewed the new National Museum of Korea one week before its public opening. Walking tours of Seoul included a stop at the former US Legation Building, built in 1883, which now serves as the US ambassador’s guesthouse.

Colorado Dragon Boat Festival 2005
July 30 and 31, 2005
The fifth annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival began at noon Saturday with a team parade, a Buddhist blessing, and an eye-dotting ceremony that was designed to call the spirit of the dragon boats to life. Eighty-five thousand people came to Sloan's Lake Park for a two-day celebration of sports and culture that included dragon boat racing, traditional and modern performances, martial arts demonstrations, and a colorful marketplace with eighty vendors. On Sunday, forty-eight adult teams representing local businesses and organizations competed for the Dragon Cup. The addition of six youth teams for rowers between the ages of thirteen and seventeen helped make this year's competition the largest to date. The Asian Art Association sponsored the Denver Art Museum's rowing team, That DAM Boat, and artmaking activities for children. "I'm very proud of this year's team," says team captain Carla Stansifer, "We had a lot of fun and a lot of good camaraderie. I'm already looking forward to next year!"
Festival Photos
Team Photos

Central City Opera: Madama Butterfly
Monday, June 6, 2005
Held at the Denver Public Library and promoted by Colorado Public Radio, the popular Opera 101 series introduced the culturally curious to some of the world's greatest operas. In cooperation with Central City Opera, Denver Art Museum curator of Asian art Ronald Otsuka discussed the DAM’s Japanese art collection and artworks relating to Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, one of three operas featured in the opera house’s 2005 season. Members of the apprentice artists program from Central City performed arias from Madama Butterfly, and the audience then visited the Japan Gallery to view selected paintings from the museum’s collection.

Workshop for Korean Art Curators
October 4 - 14, 2004
Curator of Asian art Ronald Otsuka joined thirty colleagues from twelve countries for a workshop in South Korea on Korean archaeology. Sponsored by the Korea Foundation, the program included lectures and visits to archaeological sites, museums, and universities. Sun Myeongjo, director of the Gongju National Museum, showed the group treasures from the royal tomb of King Muryeong (reigned 501-523). Otsuka also attended a lecture by Alice Zrebiec, DAM’s curator of textile art, at the International Council of Museums Conference in Seoul and met with Rose Lee, DAM’s former assistant curator of Asian art.

Colorado Dragon Boat Festival 2004
July 31 and August 1, 2004
Colorado's premier showcase for pan-Asian culture attracted about 60,000 people to Sloan’s Lake Park for its fourth annual celebration. The opening ceremony on July 31 featured a team parade, eye-dotting ceremony, and a dragon dance. On August 1, the festival continued with dragon boat racing, live performances, and a colorful marketplace. Teams representing forty-eight community businesses and organizations competed for the Dragon Cup, and four additional teams competed in the youth division for rowers between the ages of thirteen and seventeen. The Asian Art Association sponsored the Denver Art Museum’s rowing team, That DAM Boat, and the children’s artmaking activities in Dragonland.
Photos coming soon.
Festival and Team Photos

Adoration and Glory: The Golden Age of Khmer Art
July 16, 2004
The National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh hosted a book launch for Adoration and Glory: The Golden Age of Khmer Art, co-authored by Denver Art Museum research consultant Emma C. Bunker and Douglas Latchford. The stone, bronze, silver, and gold objects discussed in Adoration and Glory are drawn from major museum and private collections in Cambodia, Great Britain, Thailand, and the United States. They give a comprehensive overview of the outstanding capabilities and craftsmanship of ancient Khmer artists.

Workshop for Korean Art Curators
October 21 - November 1, 2003
Curator of Asian art Ronald Otsuka joined colleagues from Canada, Europe, Japan, and the United States in South Korea for a workshop on Korean arts and crafts. Sponsored by the Korea Foundation, the program included lectures and visits to museums, universities, and Buddhist temples. The group met crafts people specializing in papermaking, ceramics, dyeing, weaving, sewing, and woodworking. Participants donned hardhats to tour the new National Museum building in Seoul, presently under construction.

Colorado Dragon Boat Festival 2003
August 17, 2003
About 50,000 people attended the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival in 2003. Organized by the state’s diverse Asian Pacific American community, the daylong celebration of culture and sport featured live performances, a colorful marketplace, and the exciting dragon boat races. Teams representing forty-eight community businesses and organizations rowed the forty-foot-long boats across Sloan’s Lake as enthusiastic crowds cheered them toward the finish line. The Denver Art Museum’s squad, That DAM Boat, competed for its second year. Many thanks to the Asian Art Association for sponsoring the museum team, the hands-on display of Chinese painting materials in Gateway to Asia, and the children’s art-making activities in Dragonland, which were designed by the DAM Education Department staff.
Festival Photos
Team Photos

J-Pop for a Beautiful Life
Radio 1190AM, KVCU, Boulder
May 11, 2003
Radio 1190AM is the University of Colorado at Boulder radio station. Jessica
Arntson, host of the show "J-Pop for a Beautiful Life," features a wide range of
Japanese music from traditional folk music to contemporary DJs every Sunday
from 4:00 to 5:00 pm. On May 11, 2003, Denver Art Museum curatorial assistant
Carla Stansifer was a guest of the show. She discussed the Asian art collection
and gave a virtual tour of the Japan gallery on-air.

Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah
February 18, 2002
Shaykha Hussah al-Sabah, director of the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah (DAI) in Kuwait, invited curator Ronald Otsuka to participate in her museum’s lecture series on the art, architecture, and archaeology of the Islamic world. DAI member Ahmad Khajah introduced Otsuka’s lecture, "Flight of the Phoenix—Fabulous Birds in Asian Art."


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