If you venture out into Denver’s arts and retail districts on the First Friday in June, you’ll get a serious injection of aesthetic politics and have a whole lot of fun. Consider these five openings as you look for places to start your journey.
Now More Than Always (Gimme Gimme the Money Please Please I Want the Money Please)
Gildar Gallery
June 2 through July 1
Opening Reception: Friday, June 2, 6 to 9 p.m.
In June, gallerist Adam Gildar turns over his space to artist/curator Taylor Balkissoon for Now More Than Always (Gimme Gimme the Money Please Please I Want the Money Please), a politically charged group show driven by tentative intersectionality in the art world, and how it feels to be different — in Balkissoon’s case, multiracial, queer and female — while seeking to achieve what feels like an unattainable norm. The show asks: Do black artists matter? Balkissoon weighs the insurmountability of unspoken privilege in what might be the most important exhibition in Denver this summer. The show includes work by Rashawn Griffin, Jibade-Khali Huffman, Shaina McCoy, Patrice Washington, Kahlil Cezanne Zawade and others.
2017 Sk8art Show
Abstract
June 2-30
Opening Reception: June 2, 7 p.m.
Anything goes — on wheels — in the annual Sk8art Show at Indyink’s Abstract retail store, for which a raft of local designers and artists contribute one-of-a-kind skateboard decks for your collecting and riding pleasure. Peruse, buy, and enjoy vintage skateboard films at the opening.
The Lowbrow Fifth Birthday Custom Toy Show
Lowbrow Denver
38 Broadway
Opening reception: Friday, June 2, 7 p.m.
The fun continues on Broadway, where Lowbrow joins Indyink in presenting one of the shop’s biggest annual shows while also celebrating five years on the Baker neighborhood retail strip. More than thirty local artists are participating this year by decorating Lowbrow’s first custom DIY vinyl toy. The party will include brews from the Larimer Beer Company, signature Lowbrow enamel pins and new Kidrobot releases. And glitter — always glitter.
Read on for more of the best art openings this weekend.
Reflections: Art by Jessica Loredo
Pattern Shop Studio
June 2-30
Opening Reception: Friday, June 2, 6 to 9 p.m.
Artist Salon: Saturday, June 17, 4 to 6 p.m.
Pattern Shop opens its semi-private doors in June for a show by topical Colorado collagist Jessica Loredo, whose patchwork pieces unfold in one dizzying pastiche after another in a media-like barrage of politics, movements and information. In addition to the June 2 reception, Loredo will elaborate with a talk on June 17; otherwise, the gallery is open from 1 to 5 p.m. Thursdays or by appointment at 303-297-9831.
Ryan Rice: A New Beginning
R2 Studio & Gallery
4424 Tennyson Street
Opening reception: Friday, June 2, 6 to 10 p.m.
Longtime Denver pop artist Ryan Rice isn’t exactly throwing in the towel, but he is giving up his studio/gallery retail space on Tennyson Street in Berkeley in favor of a custom home studio he’s in the process of building in Arvada. As a goodbye gift to his fans, Rice is discounting every painting in the gallery (and promising to continue an online presence while the new studio is under construction). Bid farewell to the space and find a bargain at the closing party.
Check our calendar for more things to do.