Part of Jun 2010
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper Says Art Is Good Business
Leanne Goebel caught up with Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper before he won the Colorado gubernatorial election, back in June 2010, to talk about how he made art the centerpiece of his mayoral agenda in Denver.
Selecting Daniel Libeskind as architect for the hideous DAM extension was not an accomplishment to be proud of. It was a mistake and the abominable leaky mess was there for three years to prove it. Just ask the people of Toronto who also have had their city blighted by another of the ego-driven Libeskind’s miserable “creations”.
ART? Really Hick, you are talking about art? Maybe the walls are so barren because they cannot afford to buy art because of the new tax hikes that you have let pass by standing aside and not doing anything. And 1/10th of 1% spending on art? Make business pay for that and really all you have is another tax, the state or city pays for it and now we just add to the increasing deficit. I would have expected better…
Nate, What tax hikes? Name them. The Denver budget has actually decreased under his leadership. They are doing more with less. His idea actually makes sense because it would create a larger market for creative industries (5th largest in the state). The more art that is purchased the stronger that sector becomes. Wouldn’t it be great if businesses did it on their own, with only the suggestion? Just like buying locally…
Andrew. I did ask Mr. Hickenlooper about the Liebeskind building and if he had any regrets (since he sat on the committee as a business person that selected Liebeskind). He told me he loved the building and wouldn’t have done anything differently. He said this notion that we can only have white rectilinear rooms to show art doesn’t make sense. “”It’s change and a lot of people react differently to it and that’s what art is…
I feel like there are a lot of people hating on Hickenlooper right now but that man has VISION. I was walking around the Civic Center / DAM and that place feels like you are somewhere worth being. These are the kind of things that Denver & Colorado need in order to become a better place