SugarCube Building

McGrath & Braun Art Consultants
Presents
Sugar in the City
• Where: The SugarCube, 1555 Blake Street, Denver, CO
• When: Opening Reception on Thursday, April 16th from 4-7 PM
Ongoing Exhibition to follow, open by appointment only.
• Contact: Molly Scharfenaker
molly@mcgrathandbraun.com
(Denver, CO) March 26, 2008: McGrath and Braun Art Consultants and Urban Villages, Inc. are
pleased to present the opening reception for Sugar in the City, a contemporary fine art show, on
April 16, 2009 from 4-7pm in the SugarCube Building at 1555 Blake Street in Lower Downtown.
Co-sponsors for the event include 3 Top Catering, Left Hand Brewery, Wines Off Wynkoop, and
DB Marketing.
McGrath and Braun curators Molly Scharfenaker and Martha Weidmann have selected a survey
of work by local and regional artists that responds to the contemporary design of the SugarCube
Building. The exhibition is presented in the raw ground-floor retail space, located at the corner of
16th and Blake Streets. The selected body of work emphasizes the transformation of raw
materials into constructed displays, mimicking the urban development of the city.
The building, SugarCube, is the first of three Denver projects designed by international architect
KPMB and Denver developer Urban Villages. The building is a testament to how contemporary
design can complement a historic neighborhood. To date, the building has received multiple
awards since its opening in August 2008, most notably:
• Mayor’s Design Award - “Greenest of the Green”
• LODO Inc “Brick Award” for best urban design
• University of Denver’s ”Design of the Year” award
• Westword’s Best Of “Best Addition to LODO”
Sculptural artists on display include Tyler Aiello, Roland Bernier, Mark Castator, John T
Ferguson, Jonathan Hils, Sean O’Meallie and Steve Shachtman. Highlights include: Patrick
Marold’s “Balanced Column,” an 11-foot tower of stacked natural wood blocks that command
reverence for the beauty of raw materials; Mark Castator’s gritty steel formations that imitate the
structural skeletons of urban construction, and Jonathan Hils’ “Amalgamation,” a delicate and
complex patterned steel form that draws comparison to the intricate mapped roadways of the
dense inner city.
Wall pieces include works by Randall Bellows, Susan Berkley, Roland Bernier, Graeme Duncan,
Prent Milhoan, Sean O’Meallie, Brenda Stumpf and Jason Theilke. Highlights include: Sean
O’Meallie’s “L’Arsenal de Joie”, a pop-art inspired wooden gun installation which jabs at the
history and growth of the city; Jason Thielke’s digitally created 2-D impressions that insinuate
traffic, noise and bustling streets with a dynamic pattern of color and line, and Dan Hartline’s
black and white gel transfers of notable downtown Denver landmarks.
Kentwood City Properties, the exclusive leasing agents for the luxury rental apartments, will be on
hand to provide information and tours of Denver’s only residences designed by KPMB. The
apartments are offered exclusively for rent and feature hardwood staircases, marble bathrooms,
Italian kitchens, and private outdoor balconies. In addition, residents are served by the building’s
exclusive personal concierge service.