Majority of the world’s biennials take place in cities and institutions in Europe, but they have become more common in the United States in recent decades. Denver’s biennial, known as the Biennial of the Americas, is unique because it concentrates strictly within the Western hemisphere and delves into topics outside of contemporary art. The 2010 and 2013 editions of Biennial of the Americas succeeded to introduce the concept of a biennial event to the city, but there was often a lack of unity among the various significant activities taking place. This year’s execution seeks to diminish this issue and will set the standards for future biennials thanks in part to the ambitious yet focused vision of the Biennial’s new Artistic Director and Curator, Lauren A. Wright.

Originally from Colorado, Lauren has spent the past nine years in the United Kingdom earning her Ph.D in Humanities and Cultural Studies from the London Consortium and serving as Curator at Turner Contemporary in Margate. She returns to her hometown of Denver with the desire to stay with the Biennial long term and help strengthen the bonds with its partners and collaborators.

The theme of this year’s Biennial is NOW!, and while the aim of most biennials is to address current issues, Lauren believes that they still have a tendency to come off as historical or as looking too far into the future. The idea of “now” requires responsibility and response, and she sees Mexico’s art community as one that is taking action and confronting pressing issues. She describes the Mexican art scene as huge and complicated, one where the government and other public institutions do not always support artists. Despite their obstacles, young artists in Mexico remain ambitious and create their own opportunities, spurring new growth and solidarity within the community. They embody NOW! and will have prominence in Lauren’s curatorial vision for 2015.

Artists in Denver have a lot of support from the community, but they still share that sense of ambition and independence with the artists of Mexico. Lauren sees the Biennial as a way for artists from these two regions to build meaningful relationships. After a successful 2014 Mexico City Summit, an event organized in part by Biennial of the Americas, an artist residency exchange program was established between the Denver-based organization, ArtPlant, and SOMA, a contemporary art museum in Mexico City. Two artist ambassadors from each country have been selected for the exchange, and will have their work featured in one of the Biennial’s art exhibitions.

The residency exchange program is just one of the ways this year’s Biennial team is bolstering its artistic platform and solidifying relationships with creative institutions in the Americas. Lauren says that the physical design of the Biennial would also serve these means by uniting its diverse programs under one roof. For the first time there will be a Biennial Pavilion, which will have spaces for exhibitions, symposia, workshops, and collaborative projects, as well as a visitor center and café. The Pavilion will be a place where leaders in business, government, and education can mingle with those in philanthropy and the arts, creating opportunities for Denverites to connect with the rest of the hemisphere.

The Pavilion will be the heart of the Biennial’s activities, but there will still be satellite attractions to encourage visitors and participants to explore the city. Mural projects and other public art will be installed around town, and the main Biennial art exhibition will be held at Denver’s Museum of Contemporary Art, a venue whose mission is in line with the theme of NOW! and will likely draw plenty of visitors. The MCA has always supported Biennial of the Americas, but Lauren acknowledges that it took great confidence on part of the museum to lend itself to her curatorial perspective and further invest in the Biennial’s legacy.

The 2015 Biennial of the Americas opening festival (which will include exhibit openings, symposia, workshops, etc.) will take place in Denver on July 14-18, with programming continuing through September 7. Lauren is committed, though, to help the Biennial become more far-reaching during the time until the next one in 2017, so that people recognize it as a constant working enterprise rather than something that only comes around every other year. It is this type of consistency and investment the Biennial of the Americas needs to maximize its potential as a landmark event for Denver.

-Hayley Richardson