Near East to Far West: Fictions of French and American
WHEN: Thru May 28, 2023
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
French Orientalism refers to artworks produced by French artists during the 1800s inspired by North Africa and the greater Islamic world. Their creation paralleled French colonial expansion into Algeria beginning in the 1830s and, as the United States expanded westward, presented a template for how American artists depicted landscapes and people of the American West. This exhibition presents more than 80 artworks exploring the many ways that the style and substance of French Orientalism directly influenced American artists and their representations of the American West in art and popular culture during this period.
Melanie Yazzie: Peace Walking
WHEN: Thru May 29, 2023
WHERE: Denver Botanic Gardens
Contemporary artist Melanie Yazzie was born in northeastern Arizona to a family from the Salt Water and Bitter Water Diné (Navajo) clans. In this exhibit, she weaves together nature and narrative in multi-layered prints, paintings and sculptures to explore the experiences that shaped her. Yazzie employs iconography featuring animal, plants, land maps and female figures to tell a story that is deeply personal but also communal in nature. Her work conveys qualities of wonder and healing, while encouraging viewers to engage with complex Indigenous experiences.
Disney Animation: Immersive Experience
WHEN: Thru May 29, 2023
WHERE: 3900 Elati St.
This innovative celebration takes you inside the greatest films of Walt Disney Animation Studios, from their very earliest, groundbreaking features to the beloved hit movies of today. Imagine stepping into the Casita with Mirabel from "Encanto," or being at Pride Rock as Rafiki presents Simba. Imagine hopping on a train with Judy Hopps and going into "Zootopia," or taking a magic carpet ride with Aladdin and Jasmine. Now you can! Step into the art and legacy of Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Memory Mirror
WHEN: Thru June 18, 2023
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
Lares Feliciano's Memory Mirror is an immersive installation that invites visitors to explore their relationship with memory through animation, dioramas and interactive storytelling. Designed to evoke the memory of a relative's living room, this exhibition will transform the museum's Precourt Family Discovery Hall into a surreal domestic den that is both familiar and fantastic.
Tamara Kostianovsky: Renewal
WHEN: Thru June 18, 2023
WHERE: Denver Botanic Gardens
Textile sculptor Tamara Kostianovsky presents 13 large-scale sculptures of tropical birds, flora and tree stumps. The works draw inspiration from her childhood home in Argentina and seek to envision a utopian future restored from past and present exploitation. Repurposing clothing from her own wardrobe as well as clothes, linens, upholstery and towels from family and friends, Kostianovsky forges connections to loved ones and childhood memories.
Explorations of Resilience and Resistance / Our Backs Hold Our Stories
WHEN: Thru June 28, 2023
WHERE: East Window Gallery, Boulder
East Window is an exhibit window viewable outdoors from the east side of the building. Lights are on from 10:00 am to 11:30 pm every day. Kali Spitzer is an Indigenous, femme, queer, photographer living on the traditional unceded lands of the Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish and Musqueam peoples. Her heritage deeply influences her work as she focuses on cultural revitalization through her art, whether in the medium of photography, ceramics, tanning hides or hunting. She has documented traditional practices with a sense of urgency, highlighting their vital cultural significance.
Rainbows & Revolutions
WHEN: Thru June 30, 2023
WHERE: History Colorado Center
LGBTQ+ people have always been part of Colorado communities. They have pushed against stereotypes, transforming the way mainstream society views them. Rainbows & Revolutions is about more than just Pride — the exhibit explores how LGBTQ+ people’s very existence in Colorado has been a rebellious act beyond the rainbow, from quiet assertions of identity to loud and proud demonstrations for civil rights and equality.
Her Brush: Japanese Women Artists from the Fong-Johnstone Collection
WHEN: Thru July 16, 2023
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
This exhibition takes a nuanced approach to questions of artistic voice, gender and agency through more than 100 works of painting, calligraphy and ceramics from 1600s to 1900s Japan. Many of these artworks will be on view for the first time to the public.
I Invite Myself Vol. II
WHEN: Thru July 30, 2023
WHERE: Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, Colorado Springs
In the first museum solo exhibition by the award-winning inter-disciplinary artist Eiko Otake, the artist's experimental, movement-based art practice engages and pushes traditions of dance, exploring themes of mortality, time and place. The Fine Art Center’s exhibition foregrounds Otake’s recent film and video works, which have developed alongside her dance, choreography and performance installations. The works feature a body as it moves in and through various places, including the urban infrastructure of Tokyo and New York, irradiated post-nuclear disaster Fukushima, and the vast landscapes of Wyoming and California. Viewers are strongly encouraged to return, as select media will rotate over the course of the exhibition in recognition of changing seasons.
From Chaos to Order: Greek Geometric Art from the Sol Rabin Collection
WHEN: Thru July 30, 2023
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
This exhibition, traveling to Denver from the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, presents 57 artworks from 900 to 700 BCE, an expressive period of Greek art characterized by balance, symmetry and rhythm, all aimed at refining the concept of beauty down to its elemental core. These works, many of which have never before been on public display, open new windows into this formative period of Greek art history, revealing what beauty (Greek: kallos) meant to Greeks of the Geometric period.
Colombia: The Corn, The River, and The Grave
WHEN: Thru Aug. 20, 2023
WHERE: Museo de las Americas
An identity story of the anxiety and the calm of the Colombian territory, this exhibition weaves a possible fabric about the complexities of the land as a point of divergence between the sacred and the mercantile. Exhausted from development driven by selfish interests, the alteration of the rivers, and the uneven expansion of the tombs of war, Colombia has reached a historical crossroads.
Bugs
WHEN: Thru Aug. 27, 2023
WHERE: Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS)
Precision flight, swarm intelligence, mind control … enter the world of bugs! This exhibition, created by Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand and Weta Workshop (the creative studio behind the Lord of the Rings films’ fantastical sets), reveals the secrets of insects and arthropods in delightful, dazzling ways. From immersive activities that get you thinking to hands-on games that get you moving, Bugs inspires us to be curious about the tiny-but-mighty creatures among us, appreciative of the vital role they play in the natural world, and energized to help them thrive.
Las Adelitas Living the Arts: Community, Creativity, and Empowerment
WHEN: Thru Aug. 31, 2023
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
A grassroots non-profit organization, Las Adelitas supports women who have endured acts of violence and trauma through the healing power of community, the arts and creative empowerment. This exhibition showcases the creative work of the organization’s artists, including paintings, poetry, video art and the vibrant dresses, stories and performances of the Las Adelitas Ballet Folklorico Dance Group.
Awful Bigness
WHEN: Thru Sept. 10, 2023
WHERE: Clyfford Still Museum
Awful Bigness fills the museum’s largest, skylit galleries and celebrates Still’s biggest, most ambitious works. This installation follows a chronological display of Still’s works in the museum's first four rooms, offering an overview of Still’s groundbreaking path to abstraction.
Return of the Corn Mothers
WHEN: Thru Sept. 30, 2023
WHERE: History Colorado Center
Return of the Corn Mothers marks a three-year effort to honor 22 new Corn Mothers in 2022. What began in 2007 with a small grant from the Rocky Mountain Women’s Institute and eight local women has now expanded to include more than 70 women. Join in the rich tradition of honoring Southwest women through this revitalized exhibit.
Fantastic Brush: Twentieth-Century Chinese Ink Art from the Robert and Lisa Kessler Collection
WHEN: Thru Nov. 1, 2023
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
The 23 ink paintings featured in this exhibit showcase some of the most important artists in twentieth-century China, including Zhang Daqian, Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, Wu Changshuo and Wu Guanzhong. The collection includes examples by teachers and students, friends and colleagues. The artists come from very different backgrounds: some traveled to Europe to study Western art, some went to Japan to study Japanese art and Western art as filtered through Japanese experience, and others never went abroad. Nevertheless, all were well versed in traditional Chinese ink art.
WHEN: Thru Dec. 30, 2023
WHERE: Golden History Museum & Park, Golden
Seeking additional income for her family, homemaker-turned-entrepreneur Dorothy Harmsen heard about people making a fortune in Florida selling ice cream from newly invented soft serve machines. In 1949, Harmsen rented a store in downtown Golden and made a down payment on a new machine. Within a few years, she and her husband, Bill, built one of the most iconic confectionery companies in the world.
WHEN: Thru Dec. 30, 2023
WHERE: Golden History Museum & Park, Golden
Epic Events walks you through over three dozen moments that shaped Golden’s past. Those times range from big to small, happy to sad. Some are memorable and some are best forgotten. Step inside this exhibit and feel what it’s like to live through 150 years in Golden.
WHEN: Thru Dec. 30, 2023
WHERE: Golden History Museum & Park, Golden
People are the ingredient that makes Golden a vibrant community. Over the years, so many have called the area home, from nomadic Native Americans, adventurous miners and cunning politicians, to innovative business owners, hard-working students and curious tourists. Their interesting stories make for a rich history. Learn the biographical highlights of some little-known characters, like beloved educator Gertrude Bell, Olympic athlete Lindsey Horan and many more.
WHEN: Thru Dec. 30, 2023
WHERE: Golden History Museum & Park, Golden
Old signs are powerful evidence of the changes Golden has experienced. Simply put, signs are visual graphics we use to communicate information to each other. We’ve used them for thousands of years, and if you stop and look around, they’re everywhere. The permanent City of Golden collection currently cares for more than two dozen commercial and business signs.
WHEN: Thru Jan. 1, 2024
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
A series of thematic installations drawn primarily from the architecture and design collection, this exhibition illustrates the abundance and versatility of approaches to design. How does it come into being? Who creates it and for what purpose? What trends inspire it? And how does it serve society?
WHEN: Thru Jan. 10, 2024
WHERE: History Colorado Center
Over the course of his career, Robert Weinberg captured images of those who left their mark on Denver. Best known for his work with the Intermountain Jewish News, Weinberg focused on portraits of people in the Denver community. Weinberg's photography adds a valuable dimension to the visual record of the Mile High City during the 1980s and 1990s. Now legally blind, Weinberg created braille labels to accompany his work, ensuring that his photographs are accessible to all. He continues to advocate for the visually impaired community by promoting organizations to assist people with low vision to live independently.
WHEN: Thru July 19, 2024
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
Gio Ponti was one of the most inventive Italian architects and designers of his time. For more than 60 years, Ponti’s exuberant approach found expression in public and private commissions from buildings, interiors and furniture to glass, ceramics and flatware, influencing international design for more than 50 years.
Festivals
Denver Arts Festival
WHEN: May 27–28, 2023
WHERE: Central Park's Conservatory Green
The Denver Arts Festival is a free festival featuring fine art and fine crafts from primarily Colorado artists, while also showcasing a select group of national artists. Make a day of it with plenty of art to see, wine tasting from La Crema Winery, food trucks, adult beverages, and free live music both days. There will also be a Kids Art Zone where kids can create their own paintings to take home with them. Come see why this festival is one of the top-ranked art shows in the country!
The Denver BBQ Festival
WHEN: May 27–28, 2023
WHERE: Empower Field at Mile High
The Denver BBQ Festival returns to Empower Field at Mile High! Top pitmasters from Denver and around the country will be smoking more than 30,000 pounds of meat, so be sure to grab your 3- or 4-hour Pit Pass tickets, which include all-you-can-eat and drink! There will also be live music, cold drinks, BBQ demos, a Rib Rumble where BBQ lovers can compete to see who can eat the most rib meat in a 5-minute heat, and a Run for the Ribs 5K race.
Music, Movies & Performing Arts
'On the Exhale'
WHEN: Thru June 10, 2023
WHERE: Curious Theatre Company
When a senseless act of violence changes her life forever, a liberal college professor finds herself inexplicably drawn to the very weapon used to perpetrate the crime—and to the irresistible feeling of power that comes from holding life and death in her hands. Peering down the barrel of a uniquely American crisis, she begins to suspect that when it comes to gun violence, we’re all part of the problem.
'The 39 Steps'
WHEN: Thru June 18, 2023
WHERE: Singleton Theatre in the Denver Performing Arts Complex
Combine a film masterpiece by Alfred Hitchcock with a juicy spy novel and add a large splash of Monty Python humor. The result? A fast-paced whodunit with four versatile actors portraying more than 50 roles! It's London in 1935, and the rather dull Richard Hannay encounters a woman who claims to be a spy. When she is suddenly murdered, Richard finds himself the focus of a nationwide manhunt led by a mysterious organization called “The 39 Steps.” A fresh take on the classic adventure-comedy, this is theatre at its best: an absurd, delightful journey that can only be brought to life on stage.
'Divas Undressed: A Burlesque Revue of Lady Legends'
WHEN: May 13, 20 and 27, 2023
WHERE: Clocktower Cabaret
Fire and Flames Productions Presents "Divas Undressed: A Burlesque Revue of Lady Legends." Enjoy burlesque, drag and circus acts set to the music of some of the greatest divas in history, from Tina Turner to Dolly Parton!
'Memphis'
WHEN: May 19–June 17, 2023
WHERE: Town Hall Arts Center, Littleton
Huey, a white man living in Memphis in the 1950s, becomes obsessed with the rock 'n’ roll sound of a group of Black musicians, particularly that of Felicia, a singer ready for her big break. Huey makes it his mission to give the artists air time by becoming a radio DJ and defying the restrictions of the white-controlled radio stations. As romance blooms between Huey and Felicia, so does the popularity and acceptance of the music. This energizing musical depicting the unifying power of music is a story loosely based on real-life DJ legend Dewey Phillips.
'Company: A Musical Comedy'
WHEN: May 22–June 2, 2023
WHERE: Buell Theatre in the Denver Performing Arts Complex
Winner of five Tony Awards, this revelatory new production of Stephen Sondheim's and George Furth’s groundbreaking musical comedy is boldly sophisticated, deeply insightful and downright hilarious. It’s Bobbie’s 35th birthday party, and all her friends keep asking, "Why isn’t she married?" As Bobbie searches for answers, she discovers why being single, being married and being alive in the 21st century could drive a person crazy.
Chromeo & Hot Chip
WHEN: May 26, 2023
WHERE: Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre
To kick off the weekend, AEG Presents: Chromeo & Hot Chip for Funk On The Rocks with Coco & Breezy and Cimafunk.
Candlelight Open Air: 100 Years of Warner Bros.
WHEN: May 26, 2023
WHERE: Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park, Lakewood
Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations. Celebrate the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros. and discover astonishing cinema, music and iconic magical moments from the Warner Bros. library, including selections from The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, Singin' in the Rain, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, A Star Is Born, and more under the gentle glow of candlelight.
