乐播传媒

A prolific artist who exhibits听nationally and internationally, Joel Swanson is having a successful spring. On April 15, his work,听"Binary Pronouns," began streaming on , a 150-foot long听by 22-foot听high array of 89 LED blades located in the lobby of the iconic听150 North Riverside building in Chicago. Earlier in the month, he joined a distinguished group of artists in the , an innovative art-loaning program听linked to Denver's Museum of Contemporary Art that allows members to live with a work of contemporary art in their homes for several听months before returning it to the collective.听

Swanson explains, "Since the Museum of Contemporary Art isn't a collecting museum and can鈥檛 technically buy artwork to support local artists, the Octopus Initiative is a way to support听local artists and get听their work into the hands of the public. They commission local artists to produce 25 works that then go on loan to the public through a free raffle system."

The brainchild听of Adam Lerner, exiting director of the MCA, the Octopus Initiative maintains a听rigorous evaluative process,听beginning with a nomination from a听leading member of听the Denver arts community, followed by a review by Denver's Museum of Contemporary Art鈥檚 curatorial team who evaluates听a nominee's suitability for the program, conducting studio visits and reviewing a wide body of work.

Swanson, who earned a BFA听in digital art from CU Boulder, has exhibited his work extensively, including the Venice Biennale 2017; Republic Plaza in Denver (solo exhibition through June 12); the Broad Museum in Lansing, Michigan; The Power Plant in Toronto;听the North Miami Museum of Contemporary Art;听and Denver鈥檚 Museum of Contemporary Art, where he had a solo exhibition.

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