Founded by curator Dianne Vanderlip in 1978, the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Denver Art Museum is one of the institution’s most important divisions — if not the most important. Occupying nearly all of the third and fourth levels and the atrium of the Hamilton Building and…
As light rail expands full force to the east and to the west of Denver and the B-cycle bike sharing program builds in Denver and Boulder, it’s clear that Colorado is embracing a desire for accessible transportation. Historic Denver and the Denver Architectural Foundation are capitalizing on that with “Traveling…
The Space Creators, the realtor/masterminds behind the RiNo artist enclaves of Wazee Union, Walnut Workshop and Laundry on Lawrence, do one special thing that sets them far apart from the pack in real estate: They are active partners in the communities they build. Not only do they provide legs for…
If you were ogling those photos of Sonya Looney posing for the 2013 Cyclepassion calendar we posted last week and wondering if she’s the real deal, here’s your confirmation: She was busy training for Saturday’s Vapor Trail 125 High Altitude Ultra-Marathon Mountain Bike Enduro race in Salida when those steamy…
One upshot of the current handmade/crafting renaissance: Quilts are back. Walk into Fancy Tiger in Baker, for instance, and you’ll be greeted by a rainbow of cheerful fabrics cut in squares suitable for the age-old tradition; modern quilts also took ribbons last month at the Denver County Fair. And the…
Since mid-August, painters have been gathering at locations all over town and in the Foothills for paint outs planned by the Golden Triangle Museum District as part of the Plein Air Arts Fest. Today’s paint-out on the 16th Street Mall is one of the last in the ten-part series before…
By now, everyone knows the drill: On the first Friday of every month, Denver’s art scene opens up to public exploration — and occasionally, a little public mayhem. Westword photographer Elyse Mitchell caught a bit of both through her lens on September 7. Continue reading for our twenty favorite scenes…
Ever since E.L. James’ first rectal-extraction, the book Fifty Shades of Grey, hit the market like a drunken Rip Torn ramming his car into a tractor-trailer, the merchandise spin-off has been explosive — or catastrophic, depending on your point of view. Stockings, garters, underwear, pajamas, robes, kitchen and bath décor:…
From 4 to 7 p.m. tomorrow, September 8, Denver Urban Gardens and Art Farm will join forces for the sixth annual Harvest outdoor community art show and garden gala, held at the West Washington Park Community Garden located at 201 Grant Street in Denver…
When it comes to artists decorating objects for charity we’ve probably seen it all by now — giant cow statues, guitars and violins, skateboard decks, fiberglass cats and even those hideous masks that seemed to start it all. But we’ve never before seen the likes of Breasts of Colorado, at…
Peek into the partially real, partially imagined world of Barkley Towers at artist Sara Guindon’s new show that opens Saturday night. The artist creates beautiful, cartoon-like depictions of characters in everyday situations that all revolve around an apartment complex she lived in when she was growing up in Ontario. The…
The DocuWest Documentary Film Festival, a Westword Best of Denver recipient, will continue to champion nonfictional film when the tight little fest returns to the Foothills Art Center and other satellite locations tonight. Nearly forty films of varying lengths, many of them Colorado premieres, will be shown over a five-day…
When I first heard about a pair of shows at Ice Cube Gallery and another at Pirate: Contemporary Art that were going to deal with feminism, I honestly thought, “Gosh, hasn’t that battle been won? Aren’t women now regarded by one and all as having full equality?” Then, of course,…
For this week’s art review, Westword critic Michael Paglia focused on feminism in two simultaneous shows at Ice Cube Gallery and Pirate: Contemporary Art. And before even analyzing their art, he offered up this apology: “I was wrong. Apparently, the subject of feminist art is as urgent and relevant now…
After eight years in the Army, Clifton Archuleta moved back to Colorado to attend Colorado Film School and get his BFA from Regis University. His thesis piece, Broken Cycle, has earned him recognition at film festivals; he just finished making a short film called Breathe in his home town of…
Paint the town! Local artists registered in the Denver Plein Air Arts Fest have been taking their talents to the streets — and the foothills — painting locations around town.The artists “set up an easel and then they have to paint what they see and they have to finish the…
The local graphics community rolls quite naturally alongside the hipster bike community, which is evident every September when the annual ARTCRANK bike-poster show takes a lap through Denver. This year’s event featuring $40 limited-edition, hand-printed posters by 36 talented artists will be in that RiNo live/work haven, Taxi, to celebrate…
Colorado is a key swing state in the upcoming presidential election. In polls, Colorado looks like a toss-up between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, with leads shifting back and forth by the day — and which way the vote ultimately goes here could decide the national outcome. By the numbers,…
The Denver Art Museum’s monthly Untitled series is a study in opposites: Half of its format is instantly recognizable, and the other half — well, you never know what to expect. That is in no way a drawback, mind you: You start with a blueprint, then veer off on unpredictable…
Although Colorado has a substantial ceramics scene right now, back in the second half of the twentieth century, the Centennial State was one of the places to be for artists who worked with clay. The cavalcade of international stars active then included Betty Woodman, Paul Soldner, Richard DeVore and that…
Something About the State of Being opens Friday, August 31, at the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design’s Philip J. Steele Gallery. Curator Cortney Stell is bringing together six artists from around the world — all making their Colorado debut — with a show that explores the human figure,…
Although today he’s known primarily as an Internet artist, Denver’s Mario Zoots will return to his “physical art” roots with a feature show in Mexico City that opens this week. After making a name for himself in the international art community — showing net-based works in Germany, Italy, Amsterdam and…
