An uncommon history for one of Denver’s most prestigious and celebrated contemporary art operations.

Plus Gallery was originally established in 2001 as a dual purpose operation combining Cordell Taylor Gallery and Hammered Design, with the intention of bringing custom contemporary furniture design and contemporary art under one roof. The initial challenge to gain traction within the Denver art and design communities was a daunting task, one eventually propelled forward through exceptional timing, hard work and the buzz generated by challenging exhibitions and a new era dawning at the entry of the yet to surface River North Arts District. In 2004 the gallery modified the name to + Zeile Judish in order to bring Ron Judish in as a limited partner, and focus exclusively on promoting contemporary art through full use of the exhibition space. The short lived partnership resulted in the final name change to Plus Gallery, which grew to be recognized as one of Denver’s most reputable and reliable spaces for artist representation and vanguard exhibitions. In 2009, Plus Gallery moved to its final location at 2501 Larimer Street after undergoing a major, distinguished renovation in the long defunct “flu” building that was part of the historic Benjamin Moore Paint Factory, tailored specifically to the gallery’s needs and with an adjacent residence as part of the full renovation. The gallery was acclaimed as “Art Space of the Year” by Kyle MacMillan, long-time art critic for the Denver Post. The operation was dissolved in 2014 as dramatic shifts occurred within the RiNo District as well as the art market at large. Some of the leading artists to have grown their careers through the gallery and achieve high acclaim include Jenny Morgan, Mike Whiting, Riva Sweetrocket, Xi Zhang, Melissa Furness, William Betts, and numerous others.

Plus Gallery building renovation at 25th and Larimer Street, Denver, Colorado / 2009 - 2014

View images of the adjoining residence renovation HERE

Plus Gallery first floor exhibition space

Plus Gallery second floor viewing room

Plus Gallery entrance

Jenny Morgan hardcover book “We are all setting suns”

The images here depict some of the deep history of the gallery primarily through exhibition notices and select installation views. A number of artist publications were produced to support some of the gallery’s most prestigious artists, which are referenced on the Plus Gallery publications archive

A historic look back towards the origins of Plus Gallery in Denver, Colorado. The operation first opened under the name "Cordell Taylor Gallery," the history of which is complex. In a nutshell the gallery started as an extension of dear friend and artist Cordell Taylor who ran the original gallery under his name within his own sculpture studio in Salt Lake City, UT up until the year 2000. This video captures life from the first two years in Denver, when we were young, cool and the only gallery in town hosting both experimental music and avante-garde performances. This compilation was intended to be a creative view of the gallery, utilizing documentation regularly taken during special events with an old Sony VX2000 camera.

I could never find the original master, which was on Mini DV, so had to transfer to digital from VHS.

The video features the following artists:

Karen McClanahan

Devon Moore

R. Scott Davis

Cinthea Fiss

John McEnroe

Rick Visser

Roger Rapp

Kent Smith

Bug

Nicholas Silici

Lori Wahl

W.W. Mueller

Shan Wells

Bryan Andrews

Colin Livingston

Warren Kelly

Harry Walters

and the following bands / performers:

UME

Bob Bellerue

Jeph Jerman

David Brady

All footage shot between May 2002 and December 2003

Compiled and edited by Ivar Zeile / Plus Gallery Owner and Director