When Nora Burnett Abrams joined the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver in 2009, she found that, like the institution itself, the neighborhood was on the cusp of transformation.
"When I started at MCA, when we moved out here, I would stand outside of the museum and you just didn't see anyone around. The neighborhood wasn't as dense as it has become," Abrams said.
Standing outside MCA Denver today, it's hard to imagine the quiet neighborhood Abrams encountered when she arrived as curator.
"As development continued and as our program really started to take off, it was really exciting to be a part of something that was kind of heading in a really exciting direction," Abrams said.
After rising from curator to director during her 15-year tenure, last week Abrams announced she'll become the Ellen Matilda PA Director at the Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston in April 2025.
Among her significant achievements was navigating the museum through COVID-19.
"I am extremely proud of keeping our entire full and part-time staff employed during COVID and while we were closed ... finding a way to open the museum safely and with extreme care on July 1, 2020," she said.
Beyond the major exhibitions that marked her tenure, Abrams points to initiatives that transformed the museum's relationship with its community
She also led MCA Denver's expansion to the Holiday Theater, a 1926 northside Denver landmark that demanded thoughtful community engagement.
"We wanted to engage with that space by engaging with the community that has been connected to it over the last many decades and generations," Abrams said. The museum established an advisory board of local artists and community members to help shape programming.
Abrams also highlighted one of the ‘quieter programs’ under her leadership, the MCA Denver Creator Studio. It is a workforce development program that's graduated nearly 80 emerging creative professionals.
"It's really almost the first of its kind for a museum to think about and anticipate that there is this rising generation who have engaged with museums in their teenage years or as a student and who are looking to be a part of a creative community professionally," she explained.
Looking back on her time in Denver, Abrams expressed deep gratitude
The news of her departure has resonated deeply within Denver's arts community.
"I cried a few times yesterday. I have received notes from people who have said what an impact MCA has had on them, what an impact our friendship has had on them," Abrams said.
For her successor, Abrams leaves an optimistic message: "You have an incredible team that is creative and caring and curious, and you have the opportunity to spark ideas and initiatives and projects that are going to change what it means to live in Denver."
Reflecting on her time in Denver, Abrams highlighted the city's uniquely supportive cultural environment. "I have always felt so welcomed and supported and encouraged here. And it has been a gift ... Even if people didn't like what we had on view or didn't agree with something that we did, everyone has always said, just keep going, keep trying. You just don't find that everywhere you go."
The MCA Denver board will begin its search for her successor as Abrams continues to lead the institution through April 1, 2025.
