By John Wenzel | May 5, 2026
Denver’s renowned museum of Still’s work hears symphonies, noise and lots in between
Art museums are hushed places. Whispers are often broken only by thelaughter springlaughter of children or the delighted meeting of two friends. Echoes spring from from footsteps, not piped-in tunes. It can feel downright solemn.
The Clyfford Still Museum is challenging that with a sound-driven, “multisensory exhibition” opening May 16 called Still in Sound, as well as a world-premiere symphony. Bailey Placzek, the museum’s curator of collections, and Ben Coleman, a British multidisciplinary artist, put the Sound exhibit together alongside a new exhibition that celebrates 15 years since the museum’s opening.
And the symphony, which was commissioned by the museum, takes place Thursday, May 7, at Boettcher Concert Hall, with British composer James Clarke flying in this week for rehearsals.
It’s all in an attempt to welcome people into what may may otherwise seem like a walled-off world.
“We have this whole set of cultural expectations that we carry with terms like ‘abstract expressionism,’ but you don’t have to be some kind of cultural elite to enjoy it,” said Joyce Tsai, the museum’s director. “We’re inviting people in to see that, yes, this is a glimpse of a world that’s serious that’s completely different than what’s in front of us. It’s undeniably serious art. But it can also be joyful.”
The Denver-based Clyfford Still Museum, which collects 93% of the late artist’s work, is embracing the idea that visual art inspires sound. That applies even to Still’s thousands of large-scale abstract expressionist paintings, which can prompt a sort of Rorschach test response in viewers, who may see animal-skin rugs, maps, weather, or other relatable shapes.