Party Arty

 Westword's eleventh annual Artopia party promises to be one wild ride this year. It's bigger, better and, well, badder than ever before. There are now four fashion shows instead of one, featuring the confections of Betsey Johnson, the Fabric Lab, Equillibrium and Lynne Bruning; next up is art by the Magnet Mafia, the Scattered Arts Collective and the Object + Thought team, whose members are all about pushing boundaries; Meese, Jonathan Byerly, Future Jazz Project and Melissa Fuller will offer their musical stylings; and everyone from Via Modern Italian Trattoria to BESO de Arte Bistro are preparing tasty treats. Plus, the third class of Westword MasterMind Award winners will be announced, honoring five artists for their work in pioneering Denver's cultural landscape. The kudos even come with cash — $4,000 per brainiac.

Start getting your groove on when the doors of Vinyl, 1082 Broadway, open at 7 p.m., and keep going until 2 a.m. For those who can keep on keeping on, hit AfroBlu, the after-party happening at the Flying Dog Brewery warehouse, 2407 Blake Street, thrown by previous MasterMind winner Cafe Nuba. Artopia tickets are $35 in advance at www.westword.com or $45 at the door; that ticket plus $5 gets you into AfroBlu. Visit www.westword.com for more information.
Sat., Feb. 24, 7-11 p.m.