About Us

Museum of Outdoor Arts, show creators

The Museum of Outdoor Arts (MOA) is a forerunner in the placement of site-specific sculpture in Colorado. MOA specializes in creating environments that promote a range of sculpture, as well as performance art. MOA’s art collection is located within various public locations throughout the Denver metropolitan area. From commercial office parks to botanic gardens, city parks and traditional sculpture gardens, the art is placed to interpret space as a “museum without walls”. Employing a combination of art, architecture and landscape, MOA is best known for integrating these disciplines in order to create exemplary environments. Foremost, the Museum of Outdoor Arts believes in “making art a part of everyday life” by integrating the arts into public spaces accessible by all.

Headquartered at the Englewood Civic Center in the heart of Englewood, MOA also offers indoor galleries, studios and special events and programs. Founded in 1981 by John W. Madden, Jr. and daughter Cynthia Madden Leitner, the Museum of Outdoor Arts is a synthesis of fine art, architecture and landscape design integrated into the community and business environment. It is fully accessible to the public, exemplifying the belief the “art is a part of everyday life”.

When the Museum of Outdoor Arts opened to the public in 1982, there were nineteen acquisitions on display. Currently, the pieces in the collection number over two hundred.

Lonnie Hanzon, designer of Hudson Holiday

Hanzon has been working with the Museum of Outdoor Arts (MOA) since 2005. Before becoming the “Wizard in Residence” at the Museum, he wowed audiences from Dallas to Denver and Omaha to Hong Kong (and back!) with his over-the-top holiday displays, public art and attractions. He has worked at corporate levels with Neiman Marcus, St. Johns Knits, Swire Properties, The Men’s Wearhouse and Lucas Arts, as well as municipalities including the Downtown Denver Partnership, Colorado Council on the Arts, and Olde Town Arvada.

The Hudson Gardens & Event Center, host location

The Hudson Gardens & Event Center is the fulfillment of a dream that began in 1941 when Colonel King C. and Evelyn Leigh Hudson purchased five acres of land on the two-lane dirt road of Santa Fe Drive along the South Platte River. The story of King and Evelyn Hudson is of a Colorado business success, abiding love for the land and a commitment to beautification through horticulture.

The legacy of Evelyn Hudson continues today in the form of The Hudson Gardens & Event Center, Colorado's premier outdoor regional display garden and event venue. The Gardens reflect the multitude of plants, flowers and trees and thrive in the dry Colorado climate, and include land that varies from high, dry prairie to wetlands near the river. Thirty acres of gardens are arranged in a continuous flow featuring ponds, wildlife, sculpture, a garden railroad, adventure hideaways and spectacular natural displays along a mile-and-a-quarter walking path. Quite simply, The Gardens are an oasis of serenity in the midst of the City that allow visitors to simply enjoy their distinct beauty or learn how to beautify their own yards and businesses.

Today, The Hudson Gardens & Event Center is multi-faceted. It is first and foremost a classic regional display garden, drawing visitors mainly from the Denver metropolitan area. Opened to the public in June of 1996, The Hudson Gardens is a private non-profit organization, as well as a Tier II Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) organization.
 

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