Five Things for Art Lovers to Do and See This Weekend in Denver

Old-time week at a classic Denver co-op, an opportunity to reimagine life in the city, artists old and new — you’ll find all of this and a chance to be a kid again in galleries and public places this weekend. Here are five ways to kick off your summer with plenty of art and relaxation.

The Pirate Alumni Show
Pirate: Contemporary Art, 7130 West 16th Avenue, Lakewood
June 22 through July 8
Opening Reception: Friday, June 22, 6 to 10 p.m.
Pirate’s 38-year legacy as one of Denver’s earliest and longest-lasting co-op galleries is about to get some well-deserved attention beginning June 22, when a Pirate Alumni Show flaunts a who’s-who of former members from over the decades. Participants include such high-profile names as Margaret Neumann, Bill Stockman, Martha Daniels, Wes Magyar, Matthew Doubek, Michael Brohman, Viviane Le Courtois, Terry Campbell, Claudia Roulier, Marie Gibbons, Janelle Anderson, Peter Illig, Monique Crine, Christine Buchsbaum, Collin Parson, Sigri Strand, Nick Silici and Dale Chisman. Also on view at the opening: associate member Scottie Burgess and Treasure Chest guest artist Travis Hetman.

Rethinking Urbanism
RedLine, 2350 Arapahoe Street
June 22 through July 22
Opening Reception: Friday, June 22, 6 to 9 p.m.
RedLine executive director Louise Martorano both juried and curated this large group exhibition, a look at the urban infrastructure in which city-dwellers live as an entity all its own, devoid of human participation. Perhaps it’ll be up to you to reimagine a better city — one with people living in harmony.

Meredith Nemirov and Lorelei Schott
Michael Warren Contemporary, 760 Santa Fe Drive
June 22 through mid-July
Opening Reception: Friday, June 22, 6 to 8 p.m.
Get back to nature at Michael Warren, where Meredith Nemirov’s and Lorelei Schott’s abstracted works referencing gardens and pristine outdoor environments open with a reception on Third Friday Collectors’ Night in the Art District on Santa Fe. The two artists arrive at their interpretations in different ways, with harmonious results. Summer is here, inside and out.
Sherman Finch and Jiffer Harriman, Kinetic Iterations
Laura Ahola-Young, Echo Trail
Ayn Hanna, LineScapes
Madeleine Dodge, Rust
Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder
June 22 through August 19 (Kinetic Iterations through July 29 only)
Opening Reception: Friday, June 22, 5 to 7 p.m.
$5 donation requested at the door
Boulder’s Dairy Arts Center unveils a four-pack of new exhibits in the galleries this weekend: Laura Ahola-Young’s paintings capturing the transitory nature of wild places in the face of man-made interventions, Ayn Hanna’s layered and printed fiber works, Madeleine Dodge’s documentation of the slow oxidation of steel plates in her garden, and an interstate team multimedia effort by Houston artist Sherman Finch and Boulderite Jiffer Harriman. Artist walk-throughs and talks will make this opening reception a learning experience.

Stuart Semple, "JUMP (bring us together)"
17th Street between Wynkoop and Wazee streets
Saturday, June 23, and Sunday, June 24, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Stuart Semple will be packing up his floating smileys and saying goodbye to Denver next week, but not before a hopping good finale: “JUMP (bring us together),” an immersive installation that invites folks to dance and bounce around together on a giant inflatable dance floor set up in LoDo. If you’re the adult who always has to steal a turn in the bounce house when no one’s looking, here’s your wildest dream: license to do so right in public with a like-minded all-ages crowd. Plus, it’s free!

Interested in having your event appear in this calendar? Send the details to [email protected]. For more events this weekend, see our 21 Best Things to Do in Denver.