Happy Birthday MCA

Tonight at 6 p.m., Denver’s Museum of Contemporary Art (1485 Delgany Street, 303-298-7554) will be hosting a reception for members, followed by the 12th annual members meeting. Although the museum has been around for a dozen years, this is the first time it has marked a birthday in the new David Adjaye-designed building.

Karl Kister, the outgoing president of the board of trustees will welcome the group and introduce the new board members. Kister is being succeeded by Mark Falcone, of the real estate development firm, Continuum Partners. Falcone and his wife, Ellen Bruss, are as responsible as anyone for seeing the MCA’s dream of having its own dedicated structure come true since they donated the land and live right next door in the steel panel-covered townhouse that is also the work of Adjaye.

Museum director Cydney Payton, who wove the upstart institution out of whole cloth, will then review MCA’s remarkable year, including the completion of the building and the installation of several permanent pieces of art like “Toxic Schizophrenia” by British duo, Tim Noble and Sue Webster (pictured), in and around it. She also plans to discuss the Star Power exhibits that were on display when MCA opened last October.

There will also be a presentation of awards, the most important of which is the Sue Cannon Award. Cannon, MCA’s original founder and donor will present the award herself, to Karin Bond. The events are open to members only, but it is possible to join on arrival at the front desk. -- Michael Paglia