Give Paint a Chance

“Most of the peace events today involve marches or holding signs, stuff that I don’t think is fun, even though I love peace,” says Dana Cain, local collector, event planner and child of the ’60s. “Why doesn’t anybody do it like John and Yoko did it?”

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More About

• Dana Cain
• John Lennon
• Bob Ross
• May Pang
• John Hickenlooper

Such was the inspiration for today’s first Imagine Peace Paint-In, a free, eight-hour event in Civic Center Park honoring what would have been John Lennon’s 68th birthday. “John and Yoko had the bed-in on their honeymoon, where they just didn’t get out of bed for a week and invited the press in,” Cain adds. “So I decided to do something similar.”

Participants -- artists, students, music lovers, flower children and other free spirits -- will have to get out of bed for this event, though how they spend their time once they’re downtown is up to them.

“We are expecting artists from all strata, from the superstars to the housewives who watch Bob Ross, over to the art students to professionals, amateurs -- even people who have never picked up a paintbrush who get there and get inspired,” Cain says. “People can just show up whenever they want, leave whenever they want, paint for as long as they want. It’s all free of charge. No one has to pay a dime.” In addition to a free-form art space, the Paint-In will feature more than ten Lennon/Beatles-inspired musical performances, speeches by former Lennon girlfriend May Pang and Mayor John Hickenlooper, and a gigantic peace sign assembled from 250 pairs of donated Crocs. The peaceable party starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 6 p.m.; artists who don’t bring their own stuff can purchase discounted supplies on site from Jerry’s Artarama. More information is available at www.paint-in.org and 303-347-8252.

“It’s going to be just like the ’60s,” Cain promises. “Very, very cool.”
Thu., Oct. 9, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., 2008