Untitled: Some Assembly Required is the Sum of Many Parts−The Flobots & More at the DAM May 29

At Untitled: Some Assembly Required we’re opening up the museum machine to reveal the cogs and gears that make art tick. Get a glimpse into different creative processes, learn the ins and outs of savvy art collecting, and go behind-the-scenes of smart exhibition design at the Denver Art Museum. (Download a PDF of the program.)

Not convinced by that quippy intro paragraph? Three words: home-brewing lessons. Warm Cookies of the Revolution teams up with Salud Custom Brew Events to give a demo on how to make your very own micro brew while discussing what it means to be a conscientious consumer.

Need more convincing? Two words: the Flobots. Denver’s alternative hip-hop band and current DAM creative-in-residence is putting together a performance involving storytelling via The Narrators, language, breakdancing and, of course, singing and sound. This performance will be the culmination of the group’s monthlong residency, but it won’t be complete without you. The show hinges on audience participation, so get ready to use those vocal chords!

Continue to follow the music until you find Central City Opera. At Untitled, performers, educators, and other members of the CCO crew pull back the curtain on the company’s upcoming run of La Traviata. Listen as they disassemble the opera into its component parts and then reassemble it into an in-gallery performance.

As for the rest of the night, here’s the breakdown: Untitled is falling to pieces over the Joan Miró exhibition. First, tour the show with exhibitions designer Ben Griswold of Spatial Poetics and hear how the displays were designed to make Miró’s works pop. Look out for bronze cast sculptures made out of things like fondue forks and wooden spoons. Local artist Abby Krause also has an affinity for found objects. In a drop-in workshop at Untitled, in the spirit of Miró, she’ll show you how to weave with kitchen utensils.

Artist Barry Brown also makes his magic happen using an everyday—some might say ubiquitous—material: paper (he’s also known for his unparalleled pumpkin-carving skills, but we’ll leave that for another Untitled). Tonight he’s showing off his newly created, Miró-inspired, wearable fashion accessory painstakingly cut and crafted from paper. Check it out and see how Barry makes his extra-ordinary works in a hands-on demo. That’s a lot to do! Don’t worry, there’s also a way you can kick back, Miró-style. We’ve taken your favorite games and Miró-ified them! Play corn hole using colorful canvases, or challenge your pals to a round of indoor bowling using bowling pins that are one part equipment and one part assemblage sculpture.

After you’ve had your fun, hear the creative process further demystified in an informal chat with contemporary ceramic artist Annabeth Rosen. Maybe you’re beginning to see a pattern. Everyone in the arts has a process, so it should come as no surprise that collectors do too. Pick up pointers from art consultant Katherine Sharp of NINE dots ARTS on how to create a jaw-dropping collection piece by piece. Starting a collection is one thing, installing it is another. So pair Katherine’s tour with a talk from DAM exhibitions assistant Kevin Hester. He’ll show you how the tapa cloths in the recently re-installed Oceanic galleries are rigged and hung.

As always, be sure to catch the latest episode of Buntport Theater’s Joan and Charlie Discuss Tonight’s Theme.

Find more details about Untitled: Some Assembly Required on our Facebook page. See you May 29!