Denver’s public artwork “Horizon Drift” by Rachel Hayes invites viewers

August can be a dry season for art. Galleries and museums know their clients are distracted by summer fun, and they tend to keep their programs more light-hearted, saving the serious stuff for the important premieres in the fall.

But there is a bright spot this summer in downtown Denver, where I have spent many afternoons in the company of a single artwork, Rachel Hayes’ “Horizon Drift,” installed in the Plaza of the Americas at the corner of 15th and Wewatta Streets. The work is presented jointly by the Black Cube Nomadic Art Museum and the Biennial of the Americas, two of the city’s most significant cultural institutions whose frequent collaborations always result in small miracles.

I rarely bring temporary, individual public artworks to people’s attention. The experience of seeing them can come and go so quickly, and even the largest projects fade into the background and become almost invisible in a short period of time. But Horizon Drift keeps calling me back, especially because it looks different every time I see it.

For the work, artist Rachel Hayes hung meters of airy, translucent fabric over the public space, using the square’s existing infrastructure – building beams, light poles – as supports. The work consists of four oversized panels shaped into triangles that overlap to create a kaleidoscope effect.

The piece has a fifth element: natural sunlight, which falls from above and sends light through the material. On clear days, the panels – painted in rich blocks of blue, pink, red and brown – glow brightly, as if they were electrified.

There are two ways for passersby to enjoy the square: they can look up and see the interplay of colors, or look down and see the varied shades and shadows the colors cast on the concrete floor. Both options change minute by minute throughout the day, inviting visitors to stay a while.

There are many art historical references here, as Black Cube points out in its accompanying literature. One is to the abstract expressionist paintings of pop artist Frank Stella, which were popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Another is to glass artist Dale Chihuly’s glass ceilings installed in buildings near and far. (One particularly famous ceiling is in the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas, which draws huge crowds.)

But it’s most impressive as a tribute to American quiltmakers, who were mostly female and barely known beyond their own friends and families. Horizon Drift presents the patterns and handiwork of these unknown artists on steroids, highlighting both the effort required to make them and their natural beauty. It’s a fiercely feminist work in rainbow packaging.

Hayes is an internationally recognized textile artist who lives and works in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is known for her colorful interventions in public spaces. The artist has installed her panels in locations such as White Sands National Park in New Mexico, the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, and among ancient ruins in Istanbul, Turkey.