In the foreground young woman and man looking at art in the Northwest Coast gallery, behind them are other young women looking at artworks

5 Things to do at the DAM Cinco de Mayo Weekend

If you’re coming downtown for Cinco de Mayo celebrations, we invite you to include the Denver Art Museum in your visit. The DAM features a host of programs and exhibitions for you and your family to explore Latino arts and culture.

Below are cinco ideas for things to do at the DAM during Cinco de Mayo. All of the following are included with general admission (which is free May 6). Youth 18 and younger always receive free general admission to the DAM.

1. Explore concepts of identity & place in Mi Tierra: Contemporary Artists Explore Place

This exhibition features installations by 13 Latino artists that express experiences of contemporary life in the American West. Learn more about each of the artists’ inspirations and processes in stories and videos. #MiTierraDAM

2. Celebrate Latino culture & creativity at CelebrARTE

Join us for artmaking, storytelling, and more at CelebrARTE at Free First Saturday on May 6. General admission is free the first Saturday of every month and includes bilingual activities for toda la familia. En español.

3. Delve into Pre-Columbian & Spanish Colonial Art & History

Did you know that the Denver Art Museum houses more than 70,000 works of art, making it one of the largest art museums between Chicago and the West Coast? This includes the noteworthy pre-Columbian art and Spanish Colonial art collections. The pre-Columbian art collection features masterworks in ceramic, stone, gold, jade, and textiles and represents nearly every major culture throughout Mesoamerica, Central America, and South America.

The Spanish Colonial art collection of the DAM is the most comprehensive collection in the United States and one of the best in the world, and represents the diverse cultures and geographic areas of Latin America including Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Argentine, Chile, and the southwestern United States.


4. See work by Cuatro[4] Artist James Córdova

The Cuatro[4] series connects local creatives to the DAM’s pre-Columbian and Spanish Colonial collections to bring the artworks to life. James Córdova is our current Cuatro[4] artist. His work, San Hipólito y las secuelas de la conquista, provides an in-depth look at how the mixing of indigenous and European cultures came together to create a new visual vocabulary. En español.

San Hipólito y las secuelas de la conquista. © James Cordova.

5. Get creative in the Costume Studio

Explore the vital role that costumes play in developing characters and telling stories on stage and film. Fun for all ages. On May 6 and 7 (noon–3 pm), Gabriela Martinez returns to the Costume Studio to demonstrate costume creation.