Clyfford Still, Art, and the Young Mind
Clyfford Still, Art, and the Young Mind
Clyfford Still Museum
1250 Bannock Street, Denver, CO 80204
March 11-August 7, 2022
Curated by Nicole Cromartie and Bailey H. Placzek
Admission: Adults: $10, Seniors (65+): $8, College Students and Teaches: $6, 17 and Under, Members, and Military: free
Review by Meca’Ayo Cole
“I am happy, happy, happy, happy,” a child signs in a behind-the-scenes video of the development of Clyfford Still, Art, and the Young Mind—a collaborative exhibit at the Clyfford Still Museum. The child smiles brightly and dances his words. “The art made me feel good. That’s all.”
An installation view of one gallery of the exhibition Clyfford Still, Art, and the Young Mind including a seating area for children, a video featuring children’s responses to Still’s art, and works by Still hung lower to be at the vantage point of children. Image by Meca’Ayo Cole.
I’ve smiled and giggled along with children, aged six months to eight years, throughout my visit to Clyfford Still, Art, and the Young Mind. It is the first exhibit I have seen in collaboration with children. From exhibit videos and staff, I learned that teachers in preschools and grade school classrooms asked children which of the paintings they liked the most. Younger children’s faces lit up as they stretched their hands towards their favorite prints of Clyfford Still’s work. Older children stuck sticky notes above their favorite paintings and stated with total clarity, “Yes. I like this one.” These are just two examples of how children chose art for the exhibit.
Clyfford Still’s PH-272, 1950, oil on canvas, 105 x 88.125 inches, Clyfford Still Museum, Denver, CO, © City and County of Denver / ARS, NY. Image by Meca’Ayo Cole.
Children’s joy emanates from the carefully curated rooms via accompanying recordings. These feature the curiosity and excitement of children’s voices as they explain how they see Clyfford Still’s art, and how it makes them feel.
Clyfford Still’s PH-268, 1955, oil on canvas, 92.75 x 79.125 inches, Clyfford Still Museum, Denver, CO, © City and County of Denver / ARS, NY. Image by Meca’Ayo Cole.
Beside many of Clyfford Still’s works are printed quotes from children’s observations. Marley (kindergarten) says of painting PH-272 (1950), “It reminds me of a forest fire that I saw on TV before. It looks cool and it is also sad for the trees.” Fifth-grader Kevin says of painting PH-268 (1955), “My favorite color is blue because it always makes me feel happy.” The gallery focusing on colors reminds kindergartener Angelo of a rainbow he saw when he “went to ninja class. That made my mind feel better.”
An installation view of one gallery of the exhibition Clyfford Still, Art, and the Young Mind. Image by DARIA.
In one of the exhibit’s rooms, I have dialed in to a recording where a kid excitedly lets us know that this room “Is all about COLORS!” The child directs us to find the red painting with the number PH-272, and then we listen along as children describe what they see, listing colors and impressions.
“What do you guys think about this orange painting next to the red one?”
“It looks like a volcano erupting.”
“The red is like the lava.”
“The red is like a stream of some red liquid and the orange is like a sunset.”
“Now let’s check out the green.”
“It is like a field of green. That sort of looks like a knight in the dark blue. It sort of looks like a wolf.”
Nicole Cromartie, Director of Education & Programs and co-curator of the exhibit, states in an introductory video about the curation that “...museums have a bad reputation for being grownups-only spaces. But I think so many museums today are trying to reverse that and make art museums in particular really welcoming, fun, friendly spaces for families. We are part of a wave of museums who think of families as a core audience, and we want kids to be kids.” [1]
An installation view of one gallery of the exhibition Clyfford Still, Art, and the Young Mind. Image by DARIA.
It becomes evident that the exhibit is made for the whole family. Paintings are hung lower so that children can view the pieces more easily. This also brought the paintings closer to my view. The Clyfford Still Museum already feels intimate, and this action deepens that intimacy with the art.
A mother and child use the light tables and gels to create projected images in the Making Space at the Clyfford Still Museum. Image by DARIA.
The exhibit teaches us about children’s brain development in stages alongside the paintings chosen by different age groups. In the Making Space, we can sit with children as they create artwork of their own with various materials after they have experienced the works in the museum. There are even materials placed on a series of lit tables which project the many overlapping colors of cellophane, ribbons, fabrics, and even the shadow of a passing hand onto the facing wall.
The outdoor display of mirrors on the terrace of the Clyfford Still Museum, inspired by environments at the Boulder Journey School. Image by DARIA.
Staff encourage patrons to visit the two outdoor spaces as well. Moss and pretty grasses grow, and children have arranged mirrors and prisms over the space as a simple accent to the peace that is already there. We see the play of light in rainbows and flashes.
This exhibit is inspiring and full of joy, and worth taking your time and revisiting. It provides an intimate experience with Clyfford Still’s art and process. At the front desk, make sure to pick up a “Touch This” booklet which also provides the tactile experience that children and adults alike crave. “We tell kids that if you touch the art, you’ll give it an owie,” explained one of the staff. The exhibit isn’t just a show. It teaches every visitor, big or small, the love and responsibility of taking care of art so that others can see it. It then invites us all to see anew, and create our own.
Meca'Ayo Cole (aka Tameca L Coleman) is a queer singer, multi-genre writer, multidisciplinary artist, editor, and massage therapist who currently lives in Denver Colorado. They have published work and images in many literary magazines and newspapers. Their debut book an identity polyptych debuted in 2021 from The Elephants on the Salish Sea.
[1] The video is available on the Clyfford Still Museum’s website here: https://clyffordstillmuseum.org/exhibitions/clyfford-still-art-and-the-young-mind/.
