Peggy Mangold (1932-2022)
Peggy Lou Mangold was born on October 4, 1932 in Monroe Country, Indiana, the only child of farmers, Thelma Denney and Carl Burks. She was raised by her parents, together with a large “village” of family and friends in the surrounding community. Throughout her life Peggy considered the family farm to be her true “home”.
In 1955, Peggy married Robert “Bob” Mangold in Bloomington, Indiana, when he was a graduate student at Indiana University; in 1958, the couple had the first of their two daughters, Lisa. In 1960, the young family relocated to Denver, Colorado, when Bob was given a teaching position at the University of Denver, having been hired by Vance Kirkland, the head of the visual arts department. In 1964, their second daughter, Mickey, was born. For several years Peggy raised her children while supporting Bob in his growth as an artist and a professor of art.
From the time they first came to Colorado, Peggy and Bob were intensely involved in nurturing Denver’s contemporary art scene with many of their oldest friends and associates being a part of the “Beat generation”. The couple emerged as key “influencers” of that era. As a result, during the next fifty years, Peggy and Bob would emerge as being major players in the art world in Colorado, and a constant in the lives of many of Bob’s former students.
In the 1970s, Peggy began to develop her own identity in the scene distinct from that of her prominent sculptor husband, becoming active in all aspects of the contemporary art world for the remainder of her life. She began by working with friends, Carol and Erick Schwartz, at their quarterly arts magazine Ocular. After several years there, she resigned to help her husband Bob and other sculptors of large-scale contemporary works with the administration of their newly established group, Form. This led Peggy to open the legendary Artyard Gallery, one of few venues exhibiting large outdoor sculpture in Denver. Peggy mounted an incredible number of both indoor and outdoor exhibitions at Artyard winning Westword’s ”Best of Denver“ award multiple times. She was known for her integrity as a gallerist, both mentoring young emerging artists as well as facilitating the national and international exposure of more established talents. She was involved in many large outdoor sculpture exhibitions including those at Burns Park, Jesus Morales at MOA, and in the placement of permanent installations of other artists at MOA, Loveland Sculpture in the Park, Barcelona Eight Options at 1999 Broadway, the Arvada Center, and the Denver Botanic Gardens, just to name a few. Peggy served on the boards of the Denver Art Dealers Association, DAM Contemporaries of the Denver Art Museum, CHAC (Chicano Humanities and Arts Council) and the International Sculpture Group. Notably she was among the founders of the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver.
Peggy also had many other interests. She was a voracious reader of cookbooks, medical journals and contemporary art tabloids. She loved to cook and grow veggies in her garden. She canned, baked, entertained and still managed to be very hands-on in raising daughters and was deeply involved in their education personal pursuits. She was involved in local and national elections. One of her favorite things to do was hunting wild mushrooms both at the couple’s cabin in the Colorado mountains and on the family farm in Indiana.
Peggy died on February 13, 2022 at Denver Hospice after losing her battle with ALS. She Was 89. She is survived by her husband, Robert Mangold, her daughters, Lisa Mangold-White, Mickey Mangold, her husband, Andy Herb, and Lisa’s daughter, Zoe Zella Mangold-White Mäkelä, and her husband, Nikolas Mäkelä, all of whom currently reside in Colorado. Until her passing Peggy also maintained deep and loving relationships with many of her extended blood family as well as friends and neighbors “back Home“ in Indiana.
On February 26, 2022, following her wishes, the family buried Peggy in the Denney family cemetery on her family farm in Indiana. She arrived in a pine box covered with wildflowers, carried by a horse-drawn wagon, ushered in by a fiddler.
She will be deeply missed.
DENVER MEMORIAL:
There will be a public memorial service in Denver at the Arvada Center for the Arts arvadacenter.org
March 12 from 3:00 to 5:30 hosted by The Natural Funeral
The family asks that any donations in honor of Peggy go to the Arvada Center for the Arts.
https://www.arvadacenter.org/support-us
Click on “Donate to the Arvada Center”
-This will open a new page where you can make your donation.
-Select the amount you want to donate
-At the bottom of the page under “Gift Designation” select “In Memory of” and under that write Peggy Mangold.
So sorry to hear of your loss. Aunt Peggy has always had a special place in my heart. I always wished we could have been and lived closer. Her obituary is beautifully written. My prayers go out to you. She will be greatly missed. Love you all
Tina (Mangold) Outcalt
Ernie’s (Joy) youngest daughter
Please give Uncle Bob a big hug and kiss for me! And tell him he’s always been my coolest uncle.
Thank you Tina. I’ve been overwhelmed with all of the loss this last year. I’ll get phone numbers an call when we get through the Denver service. I think of you all often and life seems to keep me otherwise engaged. I’m determined to get in touch in the near future. Hugs to everyone! I hope you are all well and flourishing ❤️
The obituary has been beautifully written and honors the many facets of Peggy. I always had a special place in my heart for her as well as her family. So many memories… Where have the years gone. Much love to Mickey Lisa Bob and the rest of her family that I did not know..
You will always be in my heart💗
Thank you RaeAnn. You are like family too me and I appreciate hearing from you!
Mickey
The obituary was beautifully written MRs Mangold was a beautiful soul even when she was battling with her illness. She will always have a special place in my heart and I will forever be grateful to have met her and her family ❤️❤️❤️ Sleep on Angel 🙏🏾
Thank you she is always in our hearts and memories
Thank you Dena!! You were so important to her in her last days!! We couldn’t have dune it without you. You made her laugh so much!
I’m so sorry to hear that Peggy has passed. I hadn’t thought of her in awhile and this sad news brought back many memories. ArtYard, various committees we sat on, Bob’s sculpture, etc., etc.
She was a big part of Denvers contemporary art scene and will be missed.
Thank you Bill!!!
So sorry to hear of Peggy’s passing and my thoughts are with Bob and her family. She was truly a force in the Denver Art Community and a giving soul.
She was a wonderful friend and powerful voice in the Denver arts community. She will be greatly missed.
I’m so very sorry for this loss of a powerful force in the Colorado art community. She will be missed and remembered with great affection.
I’m so sorry to learn that Peggy has left. She was one of those powerful people bthat accomplished amazing things quietly, always moving toward a goal that would help others, always doing it with out fanfare or the expectation of personal reward. She was a true champion of the arts, the community and family.
My sincere condolences to Bob and the girls. She made a difference.
Lisa and Mickey and family, We are so sorry to hear of your loss. We were so lucky to befriend Peggy & Bob over the last 8-10 years. Peggy was so caring and we recognize that she not only looked after Bob’s artwork but really was a steward of the community. Being late-comers to the scene, she was always happy to educate us on Bob’s work and also to tell us the background on art community stories we might have missed. One of our favorite memories was at the Arvada Center – she was so focused on being a support to Bob while she gave us a tour of the exhibit we could really feel her love and devotion.
I’m so sorry to hear of Peggy’s passing, but glad of all the memories that come along with her name: ARTYARD! and the wild array of exhibits I was privileged to view there and often review – Chuck Parson! Dede LaRue! FOUNTAINS! and so, so many more. Artyard was a realm of sculpture, within the gallery and out in the yard, where even the largest pieces had room to breathe and the viewer had space to find relationship with each one. It was a visionary undertaking and an incredible boon to the region’s art community, born of Peggy’s heart and wisdom.
Bob and all the family, my deep condolences. Peggy, may the Ancestors greet you with the same warmth, love and joy that you brought to Denver’s artists and all the extended community. With great appreciation, Renna Shesso (aka Nancy Clegg)
Dear Mangold Family,
i am so deeply sorry for your loss. She was lovely and no one can say more than that.
I am sure she will miss you all too. Be kind to yourselves.
Lisa, Mickey and Bob
Dear, resourceful, bright Peggy was a true advocate and collaborator in promoting Denver to the status of an art destination.
Looking back, our close association with outdoor sculptors – especially Bob- led to many noted and wonderful installations!
Peggy and Bob were a couple that combined their talents so successfully in their purposeful life in the arts that many artists careers and exposure flourished.
Many of the good memories of projects and get togethers and advocacy indulged Peggy Mangold.
Deeply sorry for her loss.
Cynthia
Dear Mangold Family,
I was saddened to hear Peggy had recently passed away. She always impressed me with her passionate energetic curiosity for the visual arts with her special sensitivity for sculpture. May you all in time find peace from your loss and may the memory of Peggy be for a blessing.
Sadness on losing a good friend
The Weil Family ties to the Mangolds goes back to the 60s like all good disruptors of conventional blah. My father, Jack, took art classes at Metro and met them then. I have warm thoughts of Peggy all these years. She and Bob have made their indelible mark on the art scene in Denver and beyond so her legacy remains. This has been a tough time but I hope the family is grateful for a long life well lived and that somehow gets me past the loss in my own family.
So, so sorry to learn just today of Peggy’s passing. She was a lovely woman. I so enjoyed her and cherished two of Bob’s sculptures. She was a pioneer in bringing contemporary art recognition to Denver. She was so supportive of so many, but especially of Bob and his hard work. I wish the Best to Bob & her family.