Macy’s, Inc. Announces Three-Year Polaris Strategy to Stabilize Profitability and Position the Company for Growth

• Provides preliminary 4Q and full-year 2019 sales results, narrows annual EPS guidance to upper end of range; provides 2020 guidance and three-year financial targets
• Begins a reset of fixed cost base to stabilize and then grow profitability and cash flows; expects annual gross cost savings of $1.5 billion to be fully realized by year-end 2022, with $600 million gross cost savings achieved in 2020
• Prepares to launch next phase of successful Macy’s Star Rewards loyalty program
• Lays out plans to build four $1 billion power private brands
• Optimizes store portfolio by continuing the Growth treatment of stores in best malls, closing approximately 125 stores in lower tier malls within three years, and exploring new off-mall formats
• Establishes single corporate headquarters and relocates digital business to New York City, the heart of the fashion industry

Macy’s, Inc. today announced an updated strategy and three-year plan designed to stabilize profitability and position the company for growth.

“We have a clear vision of where Macy’s, Inc. and our brands, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury, fit into retail today. We are confident in our Polaris strategy, and we have the resources required to return Macy’s, Inc. to sustainable, profitable growth,” said Jeff Gennette, chairman and chief executive officer of Macy’s, Inc. “We will focus our resources on the healthy parts of our business, directly address the unhealthy parts of the business and explore new revenue streams. Over the past three years, we have shown we can grow the top-line; however, we have significant work to do to improve the bottom-line. We are confident the strategy we are announcing today will allow us to stabilize margin in 2020 and set the foundation for sustainable, profitable growth.”

“We are taking the organization through significant structural change to lower costs, bring teams closer together and reduce duplicative work. This will be a tough week for our team as we say goodbye to great colleagues and good friends. The changes we are making are deep and impact every area of the business, but they are necessary. I know we will come out of this transition stronger, more agile and better fit to compete in today’s retail environment,” continued Gennette.

The five major components of the Polaris strategy are outlined below.

Strengthen Customer Relationships

The company is focusing on building customer lifetime value, accelerating personalization and monetization programs and expanding its loyalty program. This includes the launch of the next phase of its already successful Macy’s Star Rewards Loyalty program later this month. Loyalty 3.0 is expected to increase the engagement of occasional Macy’s customers and to bring new customers into the brand.

Curate Quality Fashion

Customers come to Macy’s for a compelling curation of the latest trends, exclusive products and the best brands at great value. Macy’s is driving disciplined merchandise product category roles to be the top destination for the best brands, while balancing sales and margin. As part of the merchandising strategy, the company is committed to a more focused approach to its higher-margin private brands business with plans to build four $1 billion brands.

Accelerate Digital Growth

The company has a scaled and growing digital business across its brands that generates more than $6 billion per year in sales. Macys.com contributes to overall operating profit, and the company will continue to invest in its websites and mobile apps to deliver a superior fashion experience, accelerate growth and further strengthen profitability.

The macys.com headquarters will relocate from San Francisco to New York City, the heart of the fashion industry. This will allow for better coordination and increased collaboration and better access to Macy’s brand partners. The company will also expand its presence in the Atlanta area, which will serve as the primary technology hub for the company. This includes adding positions to its current Johns Creek, GA, facility, as well as opening an office in Atlanta.

Optimize Store Portfolio

Store Closures and Staffing

The company completed a rigorous evaluation of Macy’s store portfolio. This included a store-level assessment of each store’s overall value to the fleet, including predicted profitability based on consumer trends and demographics. As a result, Macy’s plans to close approximately 125 of its least productive stores over the next three years, including approximately 30 stores that are in the process of closure now. These approximately 125 stores currently account for approximately $1.4 billion in annual sales.

Across the remaining store fleet, the company is adjusting its staffing with reductions in some stores and increases in others.

The updated stores strategy better serves today’s shopper who expects a consistent experience whenever and wherever they encounter the Macy’s brand.

“Our customers expect convenience and a tailored experience across all channels. We have an opportunity to build a broader yet integrated Macy’s experience within a metropolitan area by investing in our magnet stores, building freestanding Backstage locations and testing new, off-mall store formats,” said Gennette. “The more convenient, brand-right touchpoints we have, the greater loyalty and engagement we engender. This will enable us to grow with the next generation of American shoppers.”

Carnegie Hall Artist Update: Tchaikovsky Competition Winner Alexandre Kantorow Steps In for Pianist Murray Perahia, Appearing in Recital on Wednesday, March 25

Carnegie Hall today announced that pianist Alexandre Kantorow, recent gold medal and Grand Prix winner at the XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition, will step in for pianist Murray Perahia, appearing in recital on Wednesday, March 25 at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. Mr. Perahia regretfully had to withdraw from his upcoming recital due to medical reasons. Mr. Kantorow will perform works by Brahms, Liszt, Fauré, and Stravinsky. The complete updated program information is below.

In an official statement, Mr. Perahia said, “To my North American fans, it is with regret that I have to cancel my upcoming recitals for medical reasons. I hope to be able to return before too long and thank you for your continued support.“

At 22 years old, Alexandre Kantorow is the first French pianist to win the gold medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition as well as the Grand Prix, awarded only three times before in the competition’s history. Already hailed by critics as the “young tsar of the piano” (Classica) and “Liszt reincarnate” (Fanfare), he has received numerous other awards and is already being invited at the highest level worldwide.

Alexandre-Kantorow. Photo by Jean-Baptiste Millot.

Even before the competition, Mr. Kantorow had already been attracting attention. He began his career at an early stage and at 16 made his debut at La Folle Journée festival in Nantes. Since then he has played with many of the world’s major orchestras, including regularly the Mariinsky Orchestra with Valery Gergiev, and highlights in this and future seasons include the Orchestre de Paris, Staatskapelle Berlin, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, and tours with the Orchestre National de Toulouse, Budapest Festival Orchestra and the Munich Philharmonic.

In recital he appears at major concert halls such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam in their Master Pianists series, Konzerthaus Berlin, Philharmonie de Paris, BOZAR in Brussels, Stockholm Konserthus and at the most prestigious festivals including La Roque d’Anthéron, Piano aux Jacobins, Verbier Festival and Klavierfest Ruhr.

He records exclusively with BIS, to great critical acclaim, and his most recent recording of Saint-Saëns has received Diapason d’Or and Choc Classica of the year. His à la Russe recital recording won numerous awards and distinctions including Choc de l’Année (Classica), Diapason découverte (Diapason), Supersonic (Pizzicato) and CD des Doppelmonats (PianoNews). For BIS he has also recorded Liszt concerti, with a forthcoming recital including rhapsodies by Brahms, Bartók and Liszt.

Alexandre Kantorow is a laureate of the Safran Foundation and Banque Populaire, and in 2019 was named ‘Musical Revelation of the Year’ by the Professional Critics Association.

Born in France and of French-British heritage, he has studied with Pierre-Alain Volondat, Igor Lazko, Franck Braley and Rena Shereshevskaya.

Program Information

Wednesday, March 25 at 8:00 p.m., Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage

Alexandre Kantorow, Piano

• JOHANNES BRAHMS Rhapsody in B Minor, Op. 79, No. 1
• FRANZ LISZT Transcendental Etude No. 12 in B Minor, “Chasse-Neige”
• GABRIEL FAURÉ Nocturne No. 6 in D-flat Major, Op. 63
• IGOR STRAVINSKY Three Movements from The Firebird (arr. Agosti)
• JOHANNES BRAHMS Piano Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 5

Tickets, priced at $40–$131, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org.

For Carnegie Hall Corporation presentations taking place in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, a limited number of seats, priced at $10, will be available day-of-concert beginning at 11:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:00 noon on Sunday until one hour before the performance or until supply lasts. The exceptions are Carnegie Hall Family Concerts and gala events. These $10 tickets are available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis at the Carnegie Hall Box Office only. There is a two-ticket limit per customer.

In addition, for all Carnegie Hall presentations in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage a limited number of partial view (seats with obstructed or limited sight lines or restricted leg room) will be sold for 50% of the full price. For more information on this and other discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts. Artists, programs, and prices are subject to change. 

Insights Design Lecture Series Returns to the Walker Art Center this March

Expand your understanding of graphic design with the Insights Design Lecture Series, presenting five leading designers from around the world. Dive into the thinking behind their work, then hang out after the lectures to meet the speakers, grab a drink, and chat with your fellow design lovers. This year’s lineup features branding expert Leland Maschmeyer, LA multidisciplinarian Daniel DeSure, hyper-aesthete Hassan Rahim, magazine expert Veronica Ditting, and a special, bonus lecture from design ethicist Ruben Pater.

Directly following each lecture, meet the speakers, grab a drink, and chat with fellow design lovers in the Walker’s Main Lobby or in Esker Grove.

Watch Anywhere: Insights Viewing Parties

If you can’t make it here in person this year, consider having an Insights Viewing Party with and watch the livestream on walkerart.org. Send in your comments and questions for the speakers via Twitter (#InsightsDesign).

LECTURE SCHEDULE

Leland Maschmeyer, Chobani, March 3, 7 pm

Image courtesy Leland Maschmeyer

Future-oriented designer and creative director Leland Maschmeyer unearths captivating stories hidden within the most unlikely contexts. As co-founder of design agency Collins, Maschmeyer helped reimagine brands such as Spotify, Airbnb, and Facebook. He joined Chobani in 2016 to oversee the creation of its new in-house design team, which was named Ad Age’s 2019 In-house Agency of the Year. As the company’s Chief Creative Officer, Maschmeyer invests the socially-conscious yogurt brand with folklore magic, meticulous mistakes, and design-centric packaging.

Daniel DeSure, Commonwealth Projects/Total Luxury Spa, March 10, 7 pm

Image courtesy Daniel DeSure

Can a juice bar rejuvenate bodies, minds, and communities? Can T-shirts create the future? With an emphasis on his local community and an expansive collaborative network, Daniel DeSure has created a multidisciplinary practice that skirts the worlds of art, fashion, design, and film. His many projects include founding the creative studio Commonwealth Projects, with clients such as Rimowa, Sonos, Nike, Olafur Eliasson, and Sundance, as well as Total Luxury Spa, a ridiculously hip fashion line dedicated to serving LA’s Crenshaw neighborhood.

Angélique Kidjo Concludes her Perspective Series at Carnegie Hall

Special Guests Brittany Howard, Manu Dibango, Baaba Maal, and Yemi Alade Announced for Daughter of Independence Concert in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage on Saturday, March 14

Celebratory Program Marks Kidjo’s 60th Birthday an the Anniversary of Independence for Benin and 16 other West African Nations

On the heels of winning her fourth Grammy Award, Angélique Kidjo concludes her Perspectives series with Daughter of Independence on Saturday, March 14 at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium/ Perelman Stage. The concert marks both her 60th birthday and the anniversary of independence of her native Benin in addition to sixteen other West African nations. For this momentous occasion, Kidjo is joined by Grammy Award-winning vocalist Brittany Howard (of Alabama Shakes), legendary Cameroonian singer Manu Dibango, Senegalese singer and guitarist Baaba Maal, and Nigerian Afropop singer-songwriter Yemi Alade, to celebrate her remarkable musical career. Major support for the Angélique Kidjo Perspectives series has been provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation.

Angélique Kidjo Concludes her Perspective Series at Carnegie Hall with Special Guests Brittany Howard, Manu Dibango, Baaba Maal, and Yemi Alade. Photos courtesy of Carnegie Hall

“When I look back at 60 years of independence for my country, I feel that my life and career have been shaped in many ways by the postcolonial history of West Africa: I consider myself a true daughter of African independence,” says Kidjo. “I hope the audience leaves the March performance understanding that it doesn’t matter where you come from; it doesn’t matter your skin color or which language you speak. Music reduces it all to the fundamental element that speaks to us all as human beings.”

Program Information

Saturday, March 14, 2020 at 8:00 PM

Angélique Kidjo, Daughter Of Independence, Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage

With special guests

• Brittany Howard
• Manu Dibango
• Baaba Maal
• Yemi Alade

Tickets: $34–$90

About the Artists

Angélique Kidjo’s performances over the past two decades have thrilled audiences and left an indelible mark on the history of Carnegie Hall. In 2014, she closed Carnegie Hall’s UBUNTU festival with a tribute to singer Miriam Makeba that inspired concertgoers—including Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu—to rise to their feet and sing along. In 2017, Talking Heads lead singer David Byrne joined Kidjo on stage for her cover of the band’s hit “Once in a Lifetime” before she led a conga line that made its way throughout Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage. The upcoming series is sure to give audiences more unforgettable moments with performances featuring outstanding guest artists joining together to celebrate one of music’s most vibrant voices.

Kidjo is one of the greatest artists in international music today. A creative force with 14 albums to her name, Time magazine has called her “Africa’s premier diva.” The BBC has included her in its list of the continents’ 50 most iconic figures, and, in 2011, The Guardian listed her as one of their Top 100 Most Inspiring Women in the World. Forbes magazine has ranked Angélique as the first woman in their list of the Most Powerful Celebrities in Africa. She is the recipient of the prestigious 2015 Crystal Award given by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and the 2016 Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award.

Denver Art Museum To Bring Education To The Heart Of New Campus

Morgridge Family Foundation, Schlessman Family Foundation and Singer Family Foundation gifts totaling $8M to support education experiences designed by Mexico City-based design firm Esrawe + Cadena

The Denver Art Museum (DAM) announced three significant museum donations totaling $8 million for its new Bartlit Learning and Engagement Center in the Martin Building (formerly North Building), which will help fund an expansion of spaces and visitor experiences. Set to reopen to the public starting June 6, 2020, the museum’s large-scale construction and renovation project will unify the campus and create a welcoming and engaging experience for visitors of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.

The Morgridge Family Foundation contributed $4 million and the Schlessman Family Foundation and Singer Family Foundation each gifted $2 million in support of the DAM’s $150 million capital campaign for construction and renovation. The funds will contribute to expanded public spaces for school and youth group visits and educational opportunities for all visitors. International design team Esrawe + Cadena, based in Mexico City, Mexico, will bring these spaces to life in support of DAM’s welcoming environment, community connections, creativity for all ages and the power of harnessing early childhood education inventiveness.

Esrawe + Cadena has been working with museum staff during the past year to reimagine education and community experiences at the DAM. The new education center will welcome visitors with flexible spaces that inspire experimentation and engagement with their own creativity, while simultaneously connecting visitors with one another and Denver’s creative energy through local artist collaborations. When the museum begins its phased reopening this summer, the new Morgridge Creative Hub, four workshop areas, sensory garden and Wonderscape Singer Community Gallery will offer these new experiences. Combining the principles of participation, flexibility, creativity and spontaneity, as well as incorporating the use of delightful colors and design, were a focus for the museum and the Esrawe + Cadena teams as well.

Esrawe + Cadena also designed custom modular furniture for the Creative Hub and workshop areas that will be flexible enough to create multiple types of educational environments. Visitors will be able to reimagine and reconfigure the furniture with the ability to move between spaces to support creativity and programs. Tables and multiple seating arrangements in each of the spaces will be able to be arranged both collectively and individually to facilitate collaborative and independent activities. Additionally, mobile activity carts will give visitors the ability to take hands-on projects to multiple areas.

Designed more than 50 years ago by world-renowned Italian architectGio Pontiand Denver-based James Sudler Associates, the Martin Building first opened to the public in 1971. By the time the renovation project is complete in 2021, the transformed Martin Building tower structure will house the majority of the DAM’s permanent collection galleries. The contributions made by the Morgridge, Schlessman and Singer Family Foundations will help the museum bring its exemplary educational programs to a more central location of the building and expand opportunities for visitor creativity and engagement.

“The Denver Art Museum is a leader in the field of museum engagement, and these generous contributions will help expand our ability to welcome the community, celebrate creativity and create connections between people, their communities and a larger humanity through art,” said Christoph Heinrich, Frederick and Jan Mayer Director of the DAM. “We are also grateful to be collaborating with international design firm Esrawe + Cadena to further the museum’s efforts to engage and inspire visitors of all ages.”

Morgridge Creative Hub

The Morgridge Family Foundation’s contribution to the Martin Building project is being recognized in the renovated building’s Creative Hub. The Morgridge Creative Hub will be a dynamic educational space in the location formerly known as Ponti Hall on level one of the Martin Building. It will facilitate school group visits, feature hands-on artmaking activities inspired by the creative process and serve as a location for creative communities to convene for discussion and participation in DAM programs.

“We are pleased to support this important project at the Denver Art Museum and, especially, to help create spaces that will transform the way the community can participate in creativity at the museum,” said John Morgridge, president of the Morgridge Family Foundation. “We hope this will be an engaging space for every visitor to explore their own creativity.”

The Morgridge Family Foundation was granted charitable status in April 2008 and is committed to making investments that transform communities by working with nonprofit partners. At the DAM, the Morgridge Family Foundation has supported the museum’s Creativity Resource program, an online art education resource center for classroom teachers, home-school educators and families since 2008. The Foundation has made numerous contributions to the Denver community, including to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, National Jewish Health, University of Denver and Mile High United Way.

Met Exhibition to Focus on Artistic Legacy of Africa’s Sahel

January 30–May 10, 2020, The Met Fifth Avenue, Floor 1, Gallery 199

From the first millennium, Africa’s western Sahel—a vast area on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, spanning what is today Senegal, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger—was the birthplace of a succession of influential states fueled by regional and global trade networks. On view now at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sahel: Art and Empires on the Shores of the Sahara will be the first exhibition of its kind to trace the cultural legacy of the region, including the legendary empires of Ghana (300–1200), Mali (1230–1600), Songhay (1464–1591), and Segu (1640–1861). The exhibition will bring together some 200 works that were created in parallel to these developments, including spectacular sculptures in wood, stone, fired clay, and bronze; gold and cast metal artifacts; woven and dyed textiles; and illuminated manuscripts.

“This exhibition will celebrate the extraordinary—though relatively unfamiliar—cultural traditions of the western Sahel,” said Max Hollein, Director of The Met. “We’re deeply grateful to our colleagues around the world, especially in the Sahel, for lending the works of art that will bring this fascinating history to life. These highly innovative creations are sure to inspire a greater understanding of the Sahel’s complex history, and the pivotal events that unfolded in this global crossroads. Given the pressing matters confronting the region today, it’s especially important to reflect on its legacy of creative dynamism with our audiences.”

Equestrian (detail), 3rd–10th century. Bura-Asinda-Sikka Site, Niger. Terracotta. Institut de Recherches en Sciences Humaines, Université Abdou Moumouni de Niamey, Niger (BRK 85 AC 5e5). © Photo Maurice Ascani.

The exhibition will bring into focus such transformative moments as the development of urbanism, the rise and fall of political dynasties, and the arrival of Islam. Highlights will include loans from the region’s national collections that will travel to the United States for the first time, such as a magnificent ancient terracotta equestrian figure (3rd through 11th century) excavated at the site of Bura in 1985, from the Institut de Recherches en Sciences Humaines, Université Abdou Moumouni de Niamey, Niger; a rare 12th-century gold pectoral from Rao that is a Senegalese national treasure from the collection of the Institut Fondamental d’Afrique Noire Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar; and the Timbuktu manuscripts from the Mamma Haidara Memorial Library in Mali.

“Although the material artifacts created in the Sahel we will be presenting constitute our most immediate connection to its past, they have largely remained isolated and detached from the region’s history and succession of legendary states,” said Alisa LaGamma, Ceil and Michael E. Pulitzer Curator in Charge of Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. “What is today southcentral Mali is renowned for its traditions of wood sculpture produced by Dogon and Bamana masters. This exhibition seeks to anchor those more fully in what has been an ever-changing cultural landscape and situate them in relation to a more expansive array of its artistic landmarks. The immersive experience of this presentation will take you on a journey that underscores a many-layered past. A sense of continuity in the visualization of ideals of power and leadership will be embodied in a cavalcade of equestrian figures produced by regional artists over the course of the last millennium, led by the commanding Bura example from present-day Niger showcasing a breathtaking amount of detail down to the figure’s adornment of stacked bracelets and chokers and his mount’s harness.”

“There is so much focus on the challenges that the Sahel faces today: increasing desertification owing to climate change, security threats from extremists, and perilous desert and ocean crossings to Europe faced by migrants,” said Mamadou Diouf, Leitner Family Professor of African History at Columbia University, and a key curatorial advisor to the exhibition. “This presentation provides an opportunity to wonder at the Sahel’s legacy of creative ingenuity and resilience going back millennia.”

The exhibition’s opening gallery will dramatically juxtapose ancient sculptural creations, from the monumental to the miniature. An eighth-century three-ton megalith in the form of a lyre, originally from what is today the UNESCO World Heritage site of Wanar—now a fixture of downtown Dakar in Senegal, just outside the Institut Fondamental d’Afrique Noire Cheikh Anta Diop (IFAN Ch. A. Diop)—will be seen in relation to a nearly three-inch female torso known as the Venus of Thiaroye (pre-2000 B.C.), also in the IFAN Ch. A. Diop collection.

The exhibition will afford a broad survey of the region’s visual arts in relation to major historical events and architectural monuments across the western Sahel. Among the compelling works assembled are two terracotta sculptural representations created in Mali’s Inland Niger Delta dating from the 12th to the 14th century: a corpulent reclining figure of a male potentate excavated at Jenne-jeno that is a centerpiece of the Musée National du Mali, Bamako, and, from The Menil Collection in Houston, a kneeling female figure in a posture of intense devotion. A procession of 14 mounted warriors will extend the length of the exhibition—led by Niger’s iconic third-century Bura terracotta equestrian, unearthed in a necropolis, and culminating in a rider carved by a 19th-century Bamana master from Mali as a communal allegory of power. The adoption of Islam in the Sahel in the 11th century as well as the impact of global trade across the region will be illustrated through precious documents, including an illuminated portolan map on vellum from the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris, produced in 1413 by the Majorcan cartographer Mecia de Viladestes.

Art Exhibition Exploring Music Of The Ancient Americas To Open At Denver’s Museo De Las Americas

In Collaboration With The Denver Art Museum, Rhythm and Ritual: Music of the Ancient Americas will feature nearly 80 artworks

Denver’s Latin American Art Museum, Museo de las Americas (Museo), located in the heart of the Art District on Santa Fe, is pleased to announce a collaboration with the Denver Art Museum (DAM) in creating its new exhibition, Rhythm and Ritual: Music of the Ancient Americas. The presentation will explore music of the ancient Americas through about 80 artworks that date from 1000 BCE to 1530 CE. Rhythm and Ritual will be on view at Museo from Thursday, March 26, 2020 to Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, with an opening event taking place on March 26, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Museo.

“As a community museum, it is important that our programming brings awareness to the history and present issues of the Latino community,” said Claudia Moran, Executive Director of Museo. “We are very excited to present Rhythm and Ritual, which is a unique exhibition that takes an in-depth look into the ancient civilizations’ relationship with music. Museo is deeply thankful to the Denver Art Museum for their colossal efforts to showcase their exceptional collection in our galleries, underlining their commitment to Latino culture.”

Unknown Maya Artist, Jaguar-costumed Figurine Flute with Blowgun, 300-600 C.E. Ceramic; 6.5 in. (16.51 cm). Denver Art Museum: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward M. Strauss, 1984.521.

Works on view in Rhythm and Ritual will analyze the context in which music was performed throughout the ancient Americas, celebrate the lasting legacy of ancient music today, and invite visitors to play music on a limited selection of 3-D printed replicas of the musical instruments on display. The exhibition will feature works on loan from the DAM as well as a commissioned mural by local artist David Ocelotl Garcia and a video by Brazilian-born artist Clarissa Tossin.

The exhibition is co-organized by Museo and the DAM, and is curated by Jared Katz, Mayer Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow for Art of the Ancient Americas at the DAM.

Unknown Mixtec Artist, Carved Conch Shell Horn, c. 1300 C.E. Shell; 10.75 x 6 in. (27.31 x 15.24 cm). Denver Art Museum: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Morris A. Long, 1980.171.

“Museo de las Americas is a vital pillar in our cultural community, and we’re always thrilled when we have the opportunity to partner with them,” said Christoph Heinrich, Frederick and Jan Mayer Director of the DAM. “This is also an ideal opportunity for us to showcase works from the Denver Art Museum’s ancient Americas collection while the Martin Building is under renovation.”

The exhibition also will take a closer look at the rich and multi-sensory cultural experiences encountered by people living throughout the ancient Americas by exploring how sound and music impacted their daily and ceremonial lives. Additionally, Rhythm and Ritual will take a deeper dive into related subjects such as music from geographic regions that include Costa Rica, Ecuador, the ancient Andes, and the ancient Maya area.

“At times, the past can appear to be static, as the objects are seemingly condemned to sit in silence,” Katz said. “In reality, each object has a rich life history. Rhythm and Ritual seeks to celebrate the life history of these instruments by populating people’s perception of the past with sound and music, helping museum visitors better understand the lived experiences of ancient people, while simultaneously creating a connection to culture and music that endures today.”

Exhibition curator Katz is currently the Mayer Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow for Art of the Ancient Americas at the DAM. He received his Ph.D. in Anthropology, with a focus on Mesoamerican Archaeology from the University of California, Riverside. He specializes in the study of ancient Mesoamerican music and digital archaeological methodologies. Katz has published numerous articles on the topic, and has held research positions at institutions, including the University of Texas at Austin’s Mesoamerican research center in Guatemala and Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Museum.

Amongst his other positions, he has held a University of California Public Scholars Fellowship, a Foreign Language Area Studies Fellowship, and a University of California Chancellors Distinguished Fellowship.