Time is running out to see The Masterworks of Charles M. Russell: A Retrospective of Paintings and Sculpture, jointly organized by the Denver Art Museum (DAM) and Gilcrease Museum. The exhibition – the first major retrospective of Russell’s most important paintings and sculptures – includes 60 major works in oil, bronze and mixed media as well as a selection of objects that portray the charismatic artist in his own words and images. Many of these works have not been on public view for decades. The final day for the exhibition is January 10.

Conversations with Curators: See Russell with a Curator
On Friday, January 8, at 4 p.m., Joan Troccoli, senior scholar at the DAM’s Petrie Institute of Western American Art, and Thomas Smith, director of the Institute, will lead a special tour of The Masterworks of Charles M. Russell. Both the exhibition and tour are free with general admission. Meet in the Hamilton Building atrium on the first level; no reservations are needed.

Winter Break at the Denver Art Museum: Western Animals
December 19-January 3, 10 am-4 pm (noon-4 pm on Sundays)
School’s out, so come join the fun as we track down all the western creatures great and small that live in the Museum. Kids can create animal puppets, make a posable horse or find cows with their tongues out in the Charles Russell exhibit. Check out our Coastal Critters Backpack or our Fox Games Art Tube! Backpacks, Art Tubes and Hotspots will be available daily during Winter Break. All Winter Break activities are included with general admission. Free general admission for kids 18 and under. No reservations are needed.

Logan Lectures, Spring 2010 – Artists on Art: Embrace!
Rick Dula, January 20, 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.)
Denver artist Rick Dula’s photorealistic painting, A Moment in Time: Here, might convince viewers that they are peering into the Hamilton Building’s walls to the steel structure beneath. His mural-sized painting is one of 17 site-specific works created for the Museum’s new exhibition, Embrace!  Dula will discuss his work at the first of the Spring 2010 Logan Lectures, which features artists who participated in Embrace! In addition to Dula, the spring schedule includes Tobias Rehberger (February 17), Rupprecht Matthies (March 17), Nicola López (April 21), John McEnroe (May 19) and Lawrence Weiner (June 23).

Individual tickets are $8 students with ID, $12 DAMC members and artists, $15 Museum members, $18 others. Series tickets are $45 DAMC members and artists, $65 DAM members, $85 others.  Reservations are strongly recommended; call 720-913-0150. For details, visit damcontemporaries.denverartmuseum.org. Supported by Vicki and Kent Logan and DAMContemporaries, a DAM support group.

Lunch Box series with Rick Dula, January 21, noon
Artist Rick Dula returns for the Lunch Box series, in which artists present one work from the Embrace!exhibition each month. Meet in the Hamilton Building’s atrium to walk to a lunchtime presentation in the galleries. Included with general admission; no reservations are needed. Lunch Box is powered by DAMContemporaries, a DAM support group.

Guided tours of Embrace! are offered weekdays at 2 p.m. and weekends at 3 p.m. Tours meet on the first level of the Hamilton Building and are 45 minutes. The Embrace! exhibition and tours are included with general admission. No reservations are needed.

Create Playdates
Second Wednesdays, January-May, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.|
Drop in on the second Wednesday of the month with your little ones (ages 3–5) for artmaking in Duncan Pavilion, story time throughout the Museum and scavenger hunts in the galleries. Upcoming themes include: January 13 – Smear; February 10 – Drip; March 10 – Dig; and April 14 – Splash. Playdates are included with general admission; no reservations are needed. For more information, call 720-865-5000 or email info@denverartmuseum.org.

Face to Face opens January 30
An exhibition of portrait drawings from the Denver Art Museum and various private collections in Colorado, Face to Face opens January 30, 2010. Approximately 30 works are included in this new rotation in the works-on-paper gallery on the third level of the Hamilton Building. Most of the pieces on view are from the late 20th century, but the older drawings have just as strong a presence. The earliest drawing – Bernardo Buontalenti's Portrait of a Woman Wearing a Hennin from the 16th century – is as fresh as Chuck Close’s 1973 drawing, Phil. Among other artists with works in Face to Face are Richard Phillips, Marlene Dumas, Francesco Clemente, Lucien Freud, George Condo, Philip Guston and Bill Amundson. They all answer the question: how many ways are there to draw a face?

Demo & Do: Letterpress Printing
Saturday, January 9, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Designers, crafters and lovers of all things printed will have a rare opportunity to see a vintage Washington Handpress letterpress up close and in use. Rob Barnes, master printer and owner of Foils and Dies, will set up a vintage presswork studio complete with a 125-year-old letterpress in the Museum’s Duncan Pavilion. Barnes will demonstrate the letterpress printing process, which requires a high degree of craftsmanship. Visitors will be able to talk with the artist, learn about the equipment and materials, examine the press and sample the process, leaving with their own printed souvenir. The presentation is included with general admission; no reservations are needed.