Milk Cow Blues

Best piece of outdoor artwork at the Denver Art Museum, hands down. It’s called “Scottish Angus Cow & Calf” by Dan Ostermiller. A lot of people must like it too because someone is always hovering around, waiting to have their photo taken in front of it. Especially kids. Today was Jake’s turn. I worked at the DAM for several years during the expansion. BTW, best office location I ever had. Right inside the new Hamilton Building. Whenever I needed a mental health break, I just walked upstairs and strolled through a few galleries. How cool is that?

Two things stick in my mind about these bronze sculptures:

First, I remember the day they installed them. The pieces pulled up on a flatbed truck. I walked out of the museum to the surreal sight of the calf sailing through the air at the end of a crane.

Second, it wasn’t even part of the initial plan for the artwork outside the new building (like the Big Sweep or Denver Monoliths). Someone wanted to donate it to us. We found an empty spot on the south end of the site. It was one of those serendipitous events where the single best thing is always the one that you didn’t anticipate. Unscripted. Unplanned. Unexpected. Just like Jake’s current journey.