Museum of Contemporary Art Denver – Cleon Peterson Exterior Wrap (2018)
In early 2018, the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver commissioned artist Cleon Peterson to envelop its façade with a bold vinyl mural for his “Shadow of Men” exhibit. I was engaged by the museum to photograph the striking transformation of the exterior, capturing how Peterson’s graphic motifs evolved across the site.
Museum Architecture
Designed by Sir David Adjaye (in partnership with Architectural Alliance), the MCA opened its permanent home in 2007. The 27,000 ft² dark-tinted glass and translucent MonoPan double-skin façade creates a sculptural, light-filled environment. Strategically placed light wells, concrete, and recycled materials add texture and warmth, while the sustainable design earned LEED Gold certification.
Cleon Peterson’s Intervention
Peterson’s exterior installation presented stark, high-contrast figures evoking power, conflict, and humanity. The wrap’s dynamic energy created a compelling dialogue with Adjaye’s minimal, textured gray façade, melding architectural restraint with visual provocation. Critics noted how the imagery “enriched and aggrandized” each other, turning both building and artwork into a unified, site-specific statement .
Integration
The result was a striking interplay of form and narrative, Adjaye’s architecture provided a refined, shape-driven canvas, while Peterson’s bold narrative energized it with political and emotional urgency. The wrapping highlighted the museum’s adaptability and its willingness to reimagine its façade as a live cultural canvas.
© 2018 jc buck
