As part of its Untitled mixed media event series, the Denver Art Museum kept its doors propped for an additional two hours Friday, May 27th. This month’s event was built around the museum’s temporary Cities of Splendor: A Journey Through Renaissance Italy collection. Officially billed as “Tourist,” the museum’s 37th installment of its Untitled series tied in activities and performances with the travel motif.

The 50 paintings, textiles, and decorative arts of the Cities of Splendor collection were grouped together according to city. Works from Florence, Siena, Mantua, Venice and Milan and all across the Italian Alps were on display. Arranging the pieces according to geography helped illustrate the characteristics of each city while also demonstrating the multi-directional flux of ideas and trends from one area to another. A guided tour of the exhibit by collection curator Angelica Daneo and Roman art historian, Giulia Bernardini as part of the Tourist event further enhanced the experience of viewing the collection both aesthetically and intellectually.

After venturing through the city-states of Renaissance Italy, you could head to one of the many destinations that further fleshed out the tourism theme. You could learn how to sharpen your tourist skills with “The Art of the Tourist Photo” hosted by photographer McCory James or take home some “souvenirs” with themed craft activities from Oceania, Colonial Spain, and the old American West. There was also the “Confession Booth: What Happens on Vacation Stays on Vacay” where guests were invited to don a disguise and enter a photobooth/confessional and relate a tale to the understanding ears of a video-recording Macbook. After so much activity a well-deserved break could be found at “Braincation with Breathe Yoga” which is exactly what it sounds like. The event also featured some entertaining if unremarkable performances with the music of Petals of Spain, Kal Cahoone, and The Dirty Pretty as well as another Joan & Charlie play staged in a freight elevator.

The Untitled events which take place on the last Friday of every month are prime opportunities to turn a museum visit into a true experience. The D.A.M. really woke up patrons’ imaginations, enlivening the already outstanding Cities of Splendor to where you almost thought you were viewing the works in a centuries old Cathedral with the smell of incense tickling your nostrils. The additional acts and activities added to in addition to expanding the theme of Renaissance Italy and travel. The D.A.M. truly put together an eventful evening that gave guests memories of more than just art.