Welcome to Mad About Art!
Mad About Art! is an enthusiastic group of art lovers run by a volunteer board. MAA! offers monthly programming featuring unique art activities in the Denver metro area. Programs include artist studio visits, private collection tours, corporate art tours, and public art tours. There are also book salons and lectures. Social activities include member parties for holidays and special events. In addition, the MAA! Travel program provides small group excursions to national and international locations several times a year. Membership is $75 per household for a calendar year.
It is time to renew your Mad About Art! 2025 membership. Programming is well underway for 2025, with events you won’t want to miss. Click the link below to complete your membership renewal, then view your cart and pay. Membership dues are $75.00 per household for 2025. You cannot sign up for events until you renew your membership. So sign up NOW!
(Note: Any new members joining 9/1/24 or later are already considered paid for 2025.)
Scroll down to the bottom of the page to Join or Renew Your Membership
(Don’t forget to view your cart and pay after you have registered.)
Looking forward to another year of exciting art adventures.
Don’t delay; renew your membership today!
HAPPENING IN MAY 2025
Meet Artist Terry Maker at Her Latest Exhibit
Thursday, May 1, 2025, 1:30pm
Artist Terry Maker will discuss her work and process at the Robischon Gallery and take you through her exhibit. In Terry’s words, “These images of my Drawn from Dust series of wall hangings are in a large part drawings based on and drawn from the original wall sculpture Dust. My Dust series of work, begin a story of the inherent Progeny of all the Wall Hangings. I have titled the entire collection Dust, of which these seven images are representative, to point to the conceptual cohesiveness of the works. The original wall sculpture, Dust, which resembles the solar system, and gestures to both our origins and our ending. We all, like the very solar system from which we are assembled, rotate all-too-briefly through some portion of the human life cycle as we journey through our material existence, and then return again to the dust.”
All the large-scale durable paper wall hangings in the Dust body of work were created using techniques of rubbing, drawing, painting and marking and reflect the fact that so much of what we are as dust-derived creatures living in a cosmos both infinite and infinitesimal is essentially a unique and original copy of something preceding us, whether that progenitor be Star Dust or the cosmos itself.
No cost to attend
Click here to RSVP by April 28, 2025
Event Location: Robischon Gallery, 1740 Wazee Street Denver CO
The program is limited to 30 Members.
Tour of exhibition Kent Monkman: History
is Painted by the Victors
with Denver Art Museum Curator John Lukavic
Wednesday, May 7, 2025, 11:00Am
Join us for a tour with head of the Native Art Department, Curator John Lukavic who will provide an inside look at this celebrated exhibition showcasing 41 monumental works by Canadian Cree Artist Kent Monkman. Based in New York City and Toronto, Canada, Monkman is known for his provocative interventions into Western European and American art history. Through his painting, Monkman pushes forward an understanding of the lived experiences of Indigenous people today while confronting colonial injustices. Featuring 41 monumental works, History is Painted by the Victors draws from the DAM’s extensive collection of Monkman’s work alongside newly created works and loans from other institutions and private collections.
History is Painted by the Victors explores Kent Monkman’s use of history painting as a contemporary genre to highlight relevant issues such as climate change and environmental protection, the impact of governmental policies on historically marginalized communities, generational trauma, and Two-Spirit and other queer identifying communities’ visibility and pride.
“The DAM has supported and acquired Kent’s boundary-breaking work for over a decade, and we are proud to be the first museum in the U.S. to present this broad examination of his career, creating an opportunity for American audiences to experience Kent’s monumental art firsthand.” said John P. Lukavic, the Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Native Arts and Head of the Native Arts Department at Denver Art Museum.
Cost to attend $5
Click here to sign up by Friday, May 2, 2025.
Event Location: Denver Art Museum, Hamilton Building, 100 W 14th Ave. Pkwy., Denver, Colorado
The program is limited to 25 Members.
Special instructions: We will meet on the first floor of the Hamilton Building. Please arrive 15 min early.
Meet the artists Homare Ikeda and Naomi Scheck and hear them discuss their art.
Saturday, May 17, 2025, 12:00PM. Gallery opens at 11:30AM.
To painter Homare Ikeda, a blank piece of paper can be a breath of the infinite. “As I make marks on paper, I am aware and not aware of the forms emerging. The forms and marks interact with each other. I feel they are voices trying to signify something”. Perhaps it takes the unique perspective of a childhood spent on a small island to see the infinite guises of the world in which we live; Ikeda’s unique skill is in his translation of these reflections onto the blank canvas from which, it could be said, all life begins. In Ikeda’s paintings—watercolor painting referred to as ‘mixed media paintings’ since pen and ink are often added—there is a playfulness to the artist’s sensitive lines and seed-like forms, even as the images appear almost primordial in impression.
Ikeda’s work can be linked to classic Abstract Expressionism and to the later Neo-Expressionism, but it is difficult to see any traditional influence of Japanese painting. “My line, to me, is very Oriental,” the artist observes, “and the way I compose forms is Oriental, too.” This blending of East and West gives Ikea’s painting their unique look; a look that evokes an innocent time and yet is surprisingly revelatory when examined up close.
Naomi Scheck’s studio practice is influenced by her sense of awe and wonder for the natural world, and her artwork addresses themes of duality such as growth vs decay, unpredictability vs turbulence. Scheck uses mixed media processes and materials to create her abstracted surfaces. Working on a synthetic paper, she meticulously stains, paints, pokes, and cuts at the paper to create organic multi-dimensional forms. Due to the time intensive nature of her practice, Scheck produces a small body of work annually.
Scheck received her BFA in Studio Art from the University of Denver in 2006 and her MFA in Drawing from Colorado State University in 2013. Scheck current lives and works in Denver.
No cost to attend.
Click here to sign up by Tuesday, May 13, 2025.
Event Location: William Havu Galley, 1040 Cherokee Street, Denver CO
The program is limited to 25 Members.
Special instructions: Please arrive before noon to be seated for the lecture.
MAA Travel Program for 2025
Washington, D.C. and its Fabulous Museums amidst Cherry Blossoms
March 30-April 6, 2025
SOLD OUT
This not-to-be-missed tour of museums throughout the Nation’s Capital will introduce participants to the plethora of institutions such as The National Gallery, the Phillips Collection, the Freer Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, the Hirschhorn, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Museum of Women’s Art, the National Museum of African American Art, the National Museum of the American Indian, among others. Other venues will be added as available. You’ll experience extraordinary hotel accommodations, fine cuisine, and the lively, collegial, and witty banter of the tour’s guide, Dr. Timothy James Standring, Curator Emeritus, Denver Art Museum.
Swiss Museums, Hotels and Restaurants
October 4-15, 2025
SOLD OUT
Pack your lederhosen and Swiss-designed OnCloud sneakers for this fabulous tour of Switzerland’s scenic beauty and memorable museums in 2025 from the 4th to the 15th of October. This tour will travel through the playground of Europe by first-class Swiss passes to Zurich, Basel, Bern, Lucerne, and Geneva, as well as to little-known venues such as Saint Gall and Winterthur. You’ll experience stunningly new museums by world-class architects David Chipperfield in Zurich, Jean Nouvel in Lucerne, Mario Botta in Basel, and Renzo Piano in Bern and Riehen, luxuriate in extraordinary hotel accommodations, and dine at Switzerland’s finest restaurants. The tour’s guide, Dr. Timothy James Standring, Curator Emeritus, Denver Art, will enliven the 20 participants of this Swiss tour with lively, collegial, and witty banter.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
May 1, 1:30pm
Terry Maker discusses her work at Robischon Gallery
May 7, 11am
Kent Monkman: History is Painted by the Victors exhibit at DAM
May 17, 12pm
Artist Lecture at William Havu Gallery
June 5, 11am
Visit to Studios of Amy Metier and Jeff Richards
June 16, 5-6PM
Art and the Body lecture by Shannon Robinson
June 22, 9:00-11:00am
Tour Annie Murphy’s home and garden
June 16, 5-6pm
Art and the Body lecture by Shannon Robinson
July 13, 9am to noon
Summer Social at Chad and Christopher’s garden and home
October 4-15
Swiss Museums, Hotels and Restaurants Trip
For any questions or concerns, please email us at maaprograms@yahoo.com.
PAST PROGRAMS
Studio Visit with Noelle Phares
March 12, 2025
RedLine Contemporary Art Center
March 5, 2025
MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE WITH ART
Center For The Arts Evergreen 31880 Rocky Village Drive Evergreen, CO 80439 • 303-674-0056
Interesting exhibits and a ZOOM book club for members. The book club selections are fiction based on the art world with lively discussions which sometimes include the authors. For more information on the book club, visit evergreenarts.org/cae-book-club.
Crystal Bridges Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a37911642/alice-walton-crystal-bridges-museum-interview/
Great Art Books of 2020: https://apple.news/ADZZ5tDWJO8iZTWWX_UciZA
Google Arts and Culture: https://artsandculture.google.com
Wiki Art Visual Art Encyclopedia: www.wikiart.org
National Gallery of Art: The Art of Looking: https://www.nga.gov/calendar/gallery-talks/the-art-of-looking.html
The National Gallery of Art provides an ongoing webinar series for members. Visit www.nga.gov
The Louvre Museum offers its entire collection online at https://www.louvre.fr/en/
Kino Now: Discover the masterworks of yesterday and new films destined to be classics tomorrow. Good source for viewing films on the subject of art and artists. https://kinonow.com
As a follow-up to our visit with Skip Whitcomb, an interesting article on color theory: https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/primary-sources?fbclid=IwAR1DYkfS52gGztKPid7m3r_QdkEhRUyAm_shHxRKUsb9Ig0AF8J346SdOT
Hybrid Programming
Our hybrid model of programming which offers both in-person and online events began with Covid but has remained popular even as health concerns ease. The 2025 Events list is updated monthly and designates locations, times, and requirements. Please watch your email for any last-minute changes.
Note: In-person gatherings may require proof of vaccination. Masking policy will follow public health guidelines and/or may be required at the request of the host.
Zoom Etiquette
Zoom programs allow us to “travel” to more places and stay safe during events such as Covid 19. Going forward, we hope to benefit from some tips we have learned along the way. While we love to see you on Zoom as does the speaker, adhering to a few common courtesies helps maintain the quality of our programs. For example, once the speaker has begun a program, please remember to mute yourself if the host has not already done so. You will save us the interruptions caused by coughing, talking, etc. which temporarily bring your name up onto the screen. If you are multitasking, please also turn your video off. Scenes of cooking, answering phone calls, exercising, and sleeping are distracting, sometimes embarrassing. Respect for all involved is the goal. We appreciate your help in this endeavor.
JOIN AS A NEW MEMBER BELOW
DUES PAYMENT
Annual dues are $75.00 per household. After completing the Membership Registration form, you will receive access to make your dues payment by debit or credit card. Membership cost is $75 per household for a calendar year.
Member Registration
Membership signup form
MAA! BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2025
President: Chad Skrbina
Past President: Hanne Lichtenfels
Treasurer: Stacey Wilson
Secretary: Kate McDaniel
Membership: Patty Horsch
Programs: Carol Whitley
Communications: Terry McCullough and Robin Schaefer
Travel: Helen Shreves
Nominating: Mary Willis
Check Out Our Video and Previous Programs Page
Here you will find videos from our recent and past events – just click the red video icon.
