Horizon Drift

by Rachel Hayes

Plaza of the Americas, 1550 Wewatta St. Denver, CO

May 16, 2024 - October 27, 2024

With Artistic Direction by Black Cube Nomadic Art Museum and presented by the Biennial of the Americas, Horizon Drift is a newly commissioned, textile-based public art installation by Tulsa artist Rachel Hayes. This temporary installation will open with a reception on May 16 from 5:00 p.m.—7:00 p.m. at the Plaza of the Americas (1550 Wewatta St, Denver, CO 80202), and the artist will be in attendance (above). On May 17 from 4:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. a free public “Party on the Plaza” will be hosted for the greater community including art kits for kids and families, food, music and local vendors (below).  Following the opening, the installation will be on view outdoors, 24/7 through October 27, 2024.

Designed specifically for the Plaza of the Americas and in response to Colorado’s colorscape, Horizon Drift will canopy the Plaza with a series of large, vibrant, and handmade textile panels that attach to and play off the space’s surrounding structures. Made from radially-oriented fabrics intentionally chosen by the artist for their durability and the ways in which their colors, opacities, and textures invoke and interact with the dynamic lighting and palette of Denver, these suspended panels will serve as windows to the city’s ever-ephemeral environmental conditions.

Hayes’ practice calls back to a rich lineage of artistic predecessors, from American quilt-makers, to Frank Stella’s abstract expressionist paintings, to Chihuly’s glass ceilings. Horizon Drift intertwines these references, adapting the traditionally feminine craft of Log Cabin quilting as the backbone for an architectural-scale, contemporary work that is as immense and compelling as it is functional. For viewers, Hayes envisions the installation as an uplifting offering that both augments and softens public space, yielding a place

“where one can have a delightfully bold experience of the senses and also sit, chill out, and notice where we are in this exact moment.” — Rachel Hayes

SUMMER PROGRAMMING

Horizon Drift is on view 24/7 and is free and open to the public. The Black Cube shipping container will be on site for more context about the process in making the artwork. Additionally, five free monthly public programs every fourth Thursday at 6:00 p.m., featuring music, and other creative interpretations of Horizon Drift, partnering with local organizations and creatives. Full summer programming line-up coming soon.

PARTNERS and sponsors

Horizon Drift is made possible through generous support from the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, City of Denver’s Downtown Denver Activation Grant, Colorado Creative Industries, Laura Merage Foundation, Metropolitan District, and Riverfront Park Community Foundation.