Acoma Plaza of the Arts

Welcome to Acoma Plaza of the Arts, a small pedestrian square tucked between two cultural landmarks: the Denver Art Museum and the Denver Cultural Complex. Take a moment to look around. The bold lines, the tilted walls, the unexpected shapes, everything here is meant to surprise you. Right in the middle stands a giant blue broom sweeping up a pile of debris. That’s Big Sweep, a playful pop-art sculpture by the duo Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, installed in 2006. Their signature style was turning everyday objects into oversized works of art, always with a sense of humor. If you’re a fan of modern American art, you’ll find the Clyfford Still Museum behind the Denver Art Museum, dedicated to one of the founding figures of abstract expressionism. The entrance may be modest, but the experience inside is anything but ordinary.