DENVER, COLORADO.-  The 14th Annual Friendship Powwow and American Indian Family Day, a celebration of the vitality of living American Indian cultures, will be held Saturday, July 12, on Acoma Plaza at the Denver Art Museum from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Gourd dancing will kick-off the day’s festivities, followed by the spectacular grand entry of dancers at noon and a full afternoon of dancing, singing and drumming on the plaza.  The Powwow features tribes from the Denver area and throughout the region performing ceremonial and contest dances.  This day of fun for families includes contests and art-making activities, American Indian arts and crafts and authentic foods.  This cultural celebration coincides with the opening of Art, Identity & Community, an exhibition on the Museum’s C-level of artwork by local American Indian teens in the Native American Youth Outreach Program.  The students will be on hand to demonstrate their artistic skills at various art-making booths.  Admission to the Powwow and general admission to the Museum is free.

The Denver Art Museum’s expansion project is moving into the construction phase with major site work beginning in July.  Mortenson is the general contractor in charge of constructing the Daniel Libeskind-designed Frederic C. Hamilton Building, which will total 146,000 square feet, nearly doubling the size of the museum.  The Museum will celebrate the beginning of construction by hosting a community celebration, featuring several interactive and informational activities related to the museum expansion project, on August 16 and 17, 2003.  Interactive building games, tours of the site, informational presentations, building models and documentaries will be featured during the weekend.