Sakura Square

Denver, like any other city, is made up of many diverse peoples from all over the world. Each of these people bring a little something to help make the city what it is today. If you head up Larimer Street in downtown Denver, you will find a small area that celebrates Denver's Japanese community known as Sakura Square.

Before 1940, Denver's Japanese community was quite small. This would change, though, during World War II. At a time when Japanese Americans on the west coast were being taken to internment camps, including Amache near Granada, Colorado, Governor Ralph Carr opposed the internment of American citizens. This stance may have cost Carr his political career, yet thousands of Japanese Americans came to Denver. A statue of Carr now stands in Sakura Square, recognizing his stand against injustice during the war years.

The square also features statues of two important Japanese Americans who made an impact on the Denver Community. The first is of attorney Minoru Yasui. Yasui fought against the discrimination of the war years and spent his later years in Denver. The second statue is of the Reverend Yoshitaka Tamai. He was a native of Japan who came to Denver in 1930 and served the Buddhist community of Colorado and the surrounding states for the next 53 years. Sakura Square is adjacent to the Denver Buddhist Temple, which dates back to 1916.

The square also features a small shopping center featuring a few shops and Japanese eating options. The square also hosts an annual Cherry Blossom Festival each summer. There is talk of some improvements being made to the Sakura Square site in the coming years. For now it's a quaint little spot that celebrates the history of one of Denver's many unique communities.

Denver Art Museum - Martin Building Level 4

The last week for me has been filled by a major project at home. Putting in new carpet is exhausting. So, I got a bit distracted from our floor-by-floor look at the Denver Art Museum's newly re-opened Martin Building. So, now let's jump back in with a look at Level 4.

This floor features the Latin American Art and Art of the Ancient Americas Galleries. With more than 1,000 rare works and artifacts, ths is one of the most comprehensive collections of Latin American art in the US. The works span a time frame of over 3,500 years.

The art on this level offers some unique contrasts, as it features both ancient artifacts as well as a great deal of religiously themed items that came after Europeans brought their cultures and beliefs to the region.

Denver Art Museum - Martin Building Level 3

Today we climb the stairs of the Martin Building up to Level 3. Seriously, we do climb the stairs, because even now with two new elevators added during the renovations, the elevators in this museum take too long! Hey, with people getting off and on up and down seven floors it's gonna be that way. Anyhow, Level 3 brings us to the Indigenous Arts of North America Galleries.

One of the things that has always appealed to my family about the Denver Art Museum is that even though art is the focus, it is also very much a history museum. The gallery on Level 3 is a great example of this as it displays objects from more than 250 indigenous nations across the US and Canada.

Here is a small sample. See you again on Level 4!

Denver Art Museum - Martin Building Level 2

My family and I have found that a good way to tackle the seven stories of the Denver Art Museum's Martin Building is to start at the top and work your way down. But, rather than confuse everybody, we're going to do the opposite for this series of posts. Since Level 1 is pretty much an entry level, we begin here on level 2.

Level 2 features two main exhibit areas. The first is devoted to the Northwest Coast and Alaska Native Gallery. Then, shifting gears in a big way, you can make your way to the Design Galleries features unique chairs, tables, and other household items. They don't necessarily appear comfortable to sit on, but they are cool to look at.

Enjoy a few pics I grabbed and come back next time as we go up to Level 3.

Denver Art Museum - Martin Building Reopening

This was a big weekend for the folks at the Denver Art Museum! After a four-year renovation project, the museum's Martin Building has finally been reopened to the public. My family and I made sure to be there on the goodbye weekend for the Martin Building four years ago, so we absolutely had to show up this weekend for the big reopening.

The museum has two buildings which are across the street from each other, connected by a bridge. The Hamilton Building is the newer structure. It was opened in 2006 and is one of the bizarre structures in all of Colorado. The Martin Building, on the other hand, has been around since 1971, so it celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year. It was designed by Italian architect Gio Ponti and is the only completed building in North America by this well-known architect. Many say it resembles a tall castle.

With seven floors of exhibits, it has a lot of vertical ground for visitors to explore. We'll go floor by floor through the building over the course of the next few posts. For this post, though, we're just taking a look at the new Sie Welcome Center, which will serve as a new entry point for the museum. Come back in the days to come for a look at some of the unique exhibits spread throughout the Martin Building.