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Did you know Denver Botanic Gardens has an art collection? Home to over 1,300 unique art objects, the collection is full of hidden treasures, from historical botanical illustrations to contemporary pieces exploring natural themes. Visitors have the rare opportunity to see behind the scenes and experience our art collection first-hand during From the Vault tours . I chatted with Jensina Endresen, assistant manager of exhibitions, about our art collection and what makes it so special.

KF: How do artworks end up in our collection? JE: Some items are donated, and others are proposed by artists, but all go through a committee-led approval process before being officially entered into the collection. When selecting works for the collection, we think about how a piece contributes to the Gardens’ mission of connecting people with plants, as well as our ability to house and care for the object.

KF: What are some of the oldest works in our collection? Newest? JE: Our oldest works are lithographs dating to the 1740s. The newest works were added to the collection this year from exhibiting artists and Land Line artists in residence .

KF: Do you notice any resonance between pieces in the collection? Are they talking to each other? JE: Intentionally or not, there are a lot of interesting conversations happening across time, space and medium within the collection. A number of the contemporary works seem to honor their artistic predecessors while updating content and materials for the current age. For example, Elizabeth Gould's lithograph from 1835 is a traditional scientific illustration that isolates tropical birds from their surrounding environment. A piece from 2022 by Tamara Kostianovsky mirrors the subject of Gould's lithograph but her work is made from recycled textiles, and she positions her bird within a larger tropical landscape, highlighting the connection of species to surroundings.

KF: What do you wish people knew about our collections? JE: The entire collection is visible online through our website , and if you ever want to see a piece in person, we're always more than happy to book a tour! Collections and archive staff love to nerd out about our work.

KF: What do you like to show people during From the Vault tours? JE: In addition to highlighting my favorite objects, I think giving people a behind-the-scenes tour of how and where objects are processed, cataloged and stored is a really cool and uncommon practice. Opening up these spaces might inspire future collections managers, archivists, registrars or conservators. Educating visitors on a new part of their already-loved museum and gardens is a great experience.

Join an upcoming From the Vault tour to experience treasures from our collection and learn more about how we preserve artwork for future generations.

This article was contributed by Curatorial Assistant Katie Foster.

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