Visual Arts

Lucas Richards, creator of the Horndribbles, a line of plush toys based on his monster designs, is ready to take his project to the next level. Where before, the Horndribbles were labor-intensive and functioned like uniquely soft sculptures, Richards hopes to introduce his labor of love to a new generation.

Westword caught up with Richards in the days leading up to the “Return of the Horndribbles” Children’s museum exhibit, where Richards and his partner Devon Braun of Explorer’s Playground will debut a story book and a line of Horndribbles manufactured for sale as toys.

The days of Internet dating being the domain of basement dwellers, antisocial misanthropes, virgins and folks who are unlucky in the looks department (mix and match any and all of these) are effectively over, and today it seems like everyone is meeting and dating — and venting about meeting and…

A bitter pill wrapped in a sweet cherry coating, comic Natasha Leggero is a double threat of intoxicating charm and tabloid cruelty. With her Audrey Hepburn style and merciless observational humor, she’s known to raise the I-can’t-believe-she-just-said-that bar during her regular appearances on Chelsea Lately, while still maintaining an authenticity…

What makes a city great? Bolstering the arts and culture is a good place to start, and many of the nation’s best cities rely on a civic cultural plan to figure how to best do that. Denver’s last attempt at such a plan came back in 1989 when Federico Peña…

Before I Die, an art installation that encourages people to create a communal bucket list, has been standing in the northwest corner of Civic Center Park since January — and yesterday, Candy Chang, its creator, came for a visit. The New Orleans artist first conceived of Before I Die after…

This Saturday, April 6, Hooked on Colfax will donate its wall space to Local Goes Global, an evening devoted to raising money through art for a global health-focused nonprofit, Comunidades Unidas Peru. A student-run organization, CU Peru comprises volunteers from various schools at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus…

Thomas Horne of Black Book Gallery lost his twin brother, Tim, to cancer. But Horne recognizes that he’s not alone in his loss. In solidarity with the thousands upon thousands of families, friends and patients whose lives are affected by cancer, he and gallery partner Will Suitts organized Knock It…

With his subtly satirical humor and deeply intricate ink drawings, Paul Michel creates stop-and-think images of layered, comedic art. He’ll debut new work in The Fanciest Tiger, a show opening tomorrow at Civilized Living, the monthly First Friday event at Fancy Tiger Clothing. In advance of that opening, we caught…

Su Teatro’s XicanIndie Film Festival, now in its fifteenth year, is a pure distillation of what the Chicano culture center offers on its stages all year long. That almost guarantees a curated whirlwind of diverse Latin-American films, filmmaker appearances, parties and world-class live performances, all in the space of four…

It seems like every place in the city’s art world has gotten into Month of Photography this year. And Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Center for Visual Art has gone beyond, mounting two exhibits — plus a chaser — on the theme. The first show, Semblance, was organized by Metro…

At some point during their comedy careers, every standup has to deal with a heckler. A truly annoying heckler can derail even experienced comedians as well as make audiences uncomfortable. While most hecklers think they’re being funny and can be shamed into silence with a pithy rejoinder from a talented comic, there are a few heckler sub-species that simply refuse to shut up, regardless of the comedian’s reaction.

While most of the world celebrated the resurrection of ol’ J.C., there were several weird developments — both real and satirical — in an even more implausible resurrection: that of Chris Brown’s career. After becoming the most hated man in show business, Breezy has defied logic by continuing to brawl…

Jack Jensen’s Mutiny Now bookstore, now under new ownership, morphed into Mutiny Information Cafe just one month ago. But the changing of the guard at the South Broadway is already making itself evident, as the new book and coffee place begins to add events, such as the Westword Best of…

God save the Queen and her adorable, stilted royal wave; Prince Charles gets a few brownie points for sorta making an honest woman outta Camilla; poor Prince William got his mother’s pretty face but his father’s rapid receding hairline, and Princess Kate has a baby bump that the Brits are…

There are precious few opportunities in life to assist a human puzzle piece and his comely, sword-swallowing sidekick defeat a mutant goldfish. When such an opportunity does arise, it’s best to seize it without concern for danger or reward. Luckily, in the case of Daniel Crosier’s Showdevils Kickstarter campaign, the…

As we inch our way toward the glory of summer comedy festivals, Denver has already begun heating up with a variety of shows featuring whip-smart young comics and world-wise icons of days past. We’ve got a DIY music and comedy festival (with a bouncy castle!), two feature players from Chelsea…

When Dea Webb and Dave Wendt opened Plastic Chapel eight years ago in a literal hole in the wall in Baker, the designer toy emporium was not only a pioneer business in the neighborhood, but it also owned a retail niche that hadn’t been explored much in Denver. They opened…

Westword’s 2013 Best of Denver issue hit the streets yesterday.This year’s prize for Best New Public Art? “Bridge,” by Stephen Shachtman, a work located near Fort Logan in southwest Denver. How does this choice fit with our picks of the last ten years? Some pieces are still controversial, years later;…

Be afraid. Be very afraid. The inaugural Stanley Film Festival, which will run May 2 through May 5 this year in Estes Park, is holding an open house for fright-film fans and potential volunteers tonight. The four-day Stanley Film Festival, which will celebrate the best in independent horror cinema, will…

When we think of photography and American Indians today, the first images that come to mind — ironically and invariably — are the famous, early twentieth-century photogravure portraits by ethnologist Edward S. Curtis. A century later, Navajo photographer and installation artist Will Wilson decided it was time to update the…

Last night, during the grand opening of Colorado’s first Alamo Drafthouse movie theater, Pam Grier got personal with an audience of cinephile strangers. Grier, a Denver native, is a funny and engaging public speaker who spoke freely on a wide array of topics, ranging from moving accounts of her personal struggles and tragic early victimhood as well as lighter subjects like shooting women-in-prison exploitation films in the Philippines and famous exes such as Kareem Abdul-Jabar and Richard Pryor. Host Devin Faraci of Badass Digest guided the evening, screening clips and trailers from highlights in Grier’s filmography.

Space might be the place, but earth is home, sweet, home. And for that reason, tonight’s installment of Deer Pile’s monthly space-nerd evening, Space in Your Face, will turn its telescope on the place where we live, approaching the planet from a dizzying variety of angles, both scientific and out-of-this-world…