Old Style

Go back to the future at the Denver Modernism Show.

Comments (0) By Susan Froyd Thursday, Aug 24 2006

When collector/show promoter Dana Cain brought Denver the Baby Boomerama back in the ’90s, what she really wanted to celebrate was the retro spirit — that innocent belief in a bright, shiny future — in all its rich, expansive, pioneering entirety. But rather than produce an expo that waded knee-deep in progressive cachet, it devolved into yet another vintage toy show — not a bad thing, necessarily, but simply not the whole thing. After that, the full-fledged modernism extravaganza she dreamed of was left to percolate on the back burner. Until now.

More About

As Denver seems to be in a design-savvy upsweep, sparked by the Denver Art Museum expansion, First Friday mania and other artsy turns in the civic road, Cain decided the time was right for the Denver Modernism Show, which debuts this weekend at the Capsule Art & Event Center, 560 Santa Fe Drive, an outré location she feels fits the event like a pimento in an olive.

“I wanted to make the point that modern design is art,” Cain says of the expo’s art-district locale, where some thirty vendors will display retro, pop, art deco and modernist artworks and objects, furniture, pottery, glassware and the whole mid-century shebang. “Denver has never seen a collection like this in one spot. People who have been stashing their treasures for years are bringing them out for the show,” she promises.

Denver Modernism kicks off tonight with a reception from 6 to 10 p.m. (admission is $10 at the door) and continues from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow ($5 at the door); go to www.denvermodernism.com for details.
Fri., Aug. 24, 5-7 p.m.; Sun., Aug. 26, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.