American Art Awards Names Best Gallery In Colorado, 2022: Mirada Fine Art

Thom Bierdz
4 min readMay 28, 2022

Each year the American Art Awards selects the 20 Best Galleries And Museums In America; only one museum or gallery per state per year. Among other criteria, selections are based on years established, industry reputation, online buzz, location, size, socially relevant exhibits, motivational and educational programs, represented artists as well as artist, client and visitor references.

American Art Awards: “We considered thousands of the most established art venues from Hawaii to Maine. This year we chose five museums, one with an impeccable reputation for 125 years, one 80, one 50, one 40, and one fairly new. We selected a Mid-West art center doing important community work for 44 years, and a lively Southern gallery linked to a 5 day festival. Most the galleries we selected are heralded longtime landmarks with expansive interiors perfect for exhibiting today’s contemporary masters. Many have several locations and cater specifically to regional collectors with regional artwork, but just as many represent all genres of work from all levels of national and international artisans.

“American Art Awards choice for Best In Colorado, Mirada Fine Art, was located in an historic log building in the foothills just west of Denver for 12 years. Last year, Mirada expanded to a building twice as large but equally historic. Their ‘new’ building was built in 1878 and was originally a saloon and dance hall. This location is in the LoDo (lower downtown) section of Denver, which is Denver’s oldest neighborhood. Mirada’s new space is a spectacular environment to immerse oneself in their remarkable contemporary collection from artists across North America. The popular space regularly features some of the finest contemporary art in the nation in pertinent and insightful exhibits.”

Owner Steve Sonnen: “A large part of the Mirada experience is the warm, inviting ambiance.”

Steve Sonnen continues to be acknowledged with awards for this fine art institution: Denver A-List, 2016, 2017, 2018… Top Denver Gallery, TheCultureTrip… on numerous ‘Best Of’ lists… featured in national and international publications, like ‘American Art Collector’ and ‘Luxe’ Magazine.

“Our collectors have a discerning eye,” says owner Steve Sonnen, “and ultimately our goal is to bring some of the very best contemporary artwork to Colorado, in warm, inviting environments.”

Sonnen has been able to curate an amazing collection of paintings and sculpture, and pulled in award-winning artists such as Andrew Baird, Lyudmila Agrich, Bruce Marion, Mark Yale Harris, and an impressive list of artists from around the globe. Mirada’s staff strives to provide the best customer service possible, and continuously brings new artists and artwork into the gallery, so visitors are always sure to find new treasures during each visit.

http://www.miradafineart.com/

1331 15th Street / Denver, CO 80202 / 303.697.9006

‘Denver’s Best Art Gallery’ — -Denver A-List, 2016, 2017 & 2018

‘Top 25 Art Galleries in the United States’ — -also a previous winner in American Art Awards.

Mirada’s gallery manager, Jan Thompson: “Although I think some of our long-term clients were disappointed that we were moving out of our historic Trading Post, I think they’ll be ‘converts’ when they see the artwork in this new, even more fabulous location.”

www.AmericanArtAwards.com annually awards 20 museums and galleries in spring, and with their critique in autumn, awards 300+ artists (painters, photographers, sculptors and digital artists).

--

--

Thom Bierdz

One of Medium’s TOP ART CONTRIBUTORS, award-winning author, actor, film-maker, painter. 12 books: 6 on art. President of WAA & AAA & ACCA.