For Mark Mothersbaugh—prolific composer (The Lego Movie, Rugrats), artist (he’s had more than 100 shows), and co-founder of rock band Devo—art means perpetual motion. “My nature is to keep moving forward, even when I’m facing backward,” Mothersbaugh says. The new Mothersbaugh exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver will do just that.

His first-ever retrospective, Myopia (October 30 through April 5, 2015), showcases thousands of Mothersbaugh’s drawings, sculptures, videos, photos, prints, and rugs. Yes, rugs. Among the earliest of these are screen prints and decals he made at Kent State University in the 1970s. The wide-ranging exhibit also includes his recent carving of the world’s largest ruby.

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Following its Denver debut, the vast visual encounter (the exhibition includes tens of thousands of pieces) heads to Austin, Texas; Santa Monica, California; Cincinnati; Minneapolis; and New York City. After that, Mothersbaugh can return to what he does best: forging ahead. mcadenver.org