More than any other Denver co-op, Spark Gallery has held onto its members, some for decades. So it’s no surprise to find the two main rooms occupied by a pair of artists who are longtime members and veterans of the alternative scene: In the west gallery, there’s Sue Simon’s Anxiety, and…
New queen on the scene Jessica L’Whor gathered together every lady on Westword correspondent Keith Garcia’s January list of the Thirteen Freshest Faces of Denver Drag last Saturday at Charlie’s for a vision of the future of Denver drag. Photographer Ken Hamblin III documented the grand coming out with these images…
If Opera Colorado’s world premiere production of composer Lori Laitman’s adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, which debuts May 7 at the Ellie, is a hit with staying power, it may one day be thought of in the repertoire simply as “Laitman’s Scarlet Letter.” But opera is a team sport…
Shows in town right now include work by artists who haven’t exhibited here in some time — and they’re a welcome sight. That Was Then, This Is Now, conjoined solos at Goodwin Fine Art, pairs paintings by Mark Villarreal and Andy Berg; though both have lived in Colorado for decades…
I have never been good at naming things. I usually tend towards a one-word solution; my former shop, Pod, and gallery, Capsule, were prime examples of this propensity. It takes me hours to name a work of art, googling and reading etymology of words as I overthink. When it came…
You can find art all over Denver — not just on gallery walls. In this series, we’ll be looking at some of the local artists who serve up their work in coffeehouses and other non-gallery businesses around town. Dane “Colfax” Stephenson – also known as the “Tiny People Photography” guy…
This weekend, world-class modern sculpture lands at the Denver Botanic Gardens, while local co-op artists team up for engaging shows in the neighborhoods. Keep reading for the details. Stories in Sculpture: Selections from the Walker Art Center Collection Denver Botanic Gardens April 29 through October 2 The Denver Botanic Gardens…
Denver is lucky to be home to a handful of vintage movie houses-turned-performance venues. For the city’s Northside, The Oriental Theater is the remaining shining star. And this weekend, the Oriental Theater’s exterior will reflect just how special this historic place is to the area with the unveiling of a…
When the label “emerging artist” crops up, it typically refers to a kid who is still wet behind the ears. Sometimes, though, an emerging artist is one who has been at it for years but only recently started to exhibit. That describes Conn Ryder, whose impressive Conn Ryder: Selected Works…
Over the weekend, as Denverites came out to celebrate architecture with Doors Open Denver and the new A Line commuter train to the airport, the denizens of the RiNo Art District threw a party — and not just any party. Where Art is Made! showcased RiNo’s artists, eateries and breweries,…
You can find art all over town — not just on gallery walls. In this series, we’ll be looking at some of the local artists who serve up their work in coffeehouses and other non-gallery businesses around town. This fall California expat Lynn Baker will formally launch her new venture,…
Michael Paglia just revealed “The Hateful 8,” eight examples of the kind of disappointing architecture — or is that n’architecture? — that you see all over Denver these days. But did he leave out some important, awful buildings? Anyone riding the free A Line train to Denver International Airport yesterday…
Derrick Velasquez’s new piece for Black Cube, New Brutal 2, will debut today at La Alma Park at a Doors Open Denver event. The original New Brutal was shown last fall at the future Stanley Marketplace, and inspired this response from reader Laura Conway: Derrick Velasquez’s piece New Brutal is set…
Since stepping in to take over the citywide Doors Open Denver in 2014, the Denver Architectural Foundation has taken great strides toward growing the event and making it more accessible to a diverse audience. This year, the programming will include architecture-inspired urban arts and cultural events bankrolled by the Bonfils-Stanton…
Black Cube artist fellow Derrick Velasquez is standing in the middle of his workspace at TANK Studios, a piece of foam trim in one hand, a picture of Patrick Swayze in the other, and talking about why a giant medallion-shaped dart board measuring 96 by 78 inches is hanging above…
It is a testament to the adaptability of the individual that my brain didn’t explode last week when circumstances put my aesthetic judgment in a kind of netherworld. That’s because at the same time that I was putting together my guide to the worst of the new architecture in Denver,…
Since the giant shipping container first came onto the Denver art scene, Black Cube has never been like other museums, especially when it comes to building lasting relationships with its artist fellows. On Saturday, April 23, as part of Doors Open Denver, Black Cube will launch the first of two…
In its sixth year, the Denver County Fair is still full of surprises — and this week’s 2016 poster reveal offers another one. The latest masterpiece from fair poster artist and Denver painter Mark Penner Howell is all about politics, with an emphasis on the fair’s newest addition: the Political…
Denver is changing rapidly. Some of the changes have been good: the burgeoning art scene, the museum-building boom, the explosion in restaurants and the whole Napa-of-craft-beer thing, not to mention legalized marijuana. But there have also been some bad changes: the terrible traffic, the litter and pet waste everywhere, the…
#84: Curtis Tucker Trained in graphic design, Curtis Tucker is one of those staunch DIY guys. He’s worked as a middleman in the underground zine industry as a traveling vendor; through his online venture Far Out Zines, he’s distributed micro-press and handmade publications, including his own. As a ground-floor gallery…
Husband-and-wife duo Jonathan Fessler and Delanie Holton-Fessler are in the business of rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty, and now they have more than enough elbow room to do their work. The founders of The Craftsman and Apprentice, named Best Place to Learn Your Craft in the Best of…
You can find art all over town — not just on gallery walls. In this series, we look at some of the local artists who serve up their work in coffeehouses and other non-gallery businesses around town. Jan Friedman is showing her chalk compositions at La Cour Bistro & Art…
