On August 1, 2026, the Denver Art Museum will host gallery talks featuring its 2026 Native Arts Artists-in-Residence: CooXooEii Black, Adrian Stevens, Sean Snyder, and Benjamin West. The artists will celebrate new installations in the Indigenous Arts of North America galleries, specifically reimagining the Home/Land section, which honors the Native Nations whose ancestral homelands include Denver and the surrounding Colorado region. The event coincides with the 150th anniversary of Colorado statehood and runs from 2-4 pm, with the artists present to discuss their work.
This event matters because it centers contemporary Indigenous perspectives within a major museum context, directly challenging historical erasure and static representations of Native cultures. By commissioning living artists to reinterpret the Home/Land section during a statehood milestone, the Denver Art Museum actively engages with decolonization and the ongoing presence of Indigenous communities, making the galleries a site of dialogue rather than mere display.