Yappy Hour! Dogmata Unleashed Returns After 21 Years

The first Dogmata show happened all the way back in the late ’90s, and the most recent iteration reaches back to 2004, with an exhibition at Lapis Gallery designed to celebrate Denver’s deep love of dogs and dog culture while benefitting what was then called the Dumb Friends League. Lots has changed in the last 21 years, including a name change for the 115-year-old animal advocacy organization from “Dumb Friends” to Humane Colorado. What hasn’t changed is the Mile High City’s love for loyal canine companionship. Which is only one reason that the Dogmata event is making a return to Denver this year.

“Dogs and Denver just seem to go together,” says organizer and noted Denver author and artist Mario Acevedo, who will serve as emcee for the event. “Denver’s a very walkable city, and if you’re going to have a dog, you’re going to be getting out of the house and walking. Hiking too — dogs are great companions that way. It just seems built into who we are as a city.”

To celebrate that — and support some great canine causes — Dogmata Unleashed will take place on Sunday, September 28, from noon to 4 p.m. at Prismajic, the cutting-edge immersive art space inside the Colorado Mills Mall in Lakewood.

The show itself was founded and continued by a passionate pack of local Denver artists who sought to transform their love for furry companions into imaginative, vibrant art. This year’s artistic lineup includes Acevedo, as well as artists Eric Matelski, Tadd Moskal, Russ Wright, Rebecca Rowley, AJ Duncan and Prismajic co-owner and co-founder Jennifer Mosquera. The event also includes a dog-themed silent auction featuring original art, a dog fashion show, an expanded “Yappy Hour” with live music, door prizes, vendor booths and adoption stations.

It’s those adoption stations that, in part, make this a people-only event, and necessarily excludes pet pups. “It’s because we’re inviting the dog rescue,” Acevedo explains. “This is the first time we’re doing that, and we didn’t want to put any dogs at risk. Some of these dogs from the rescue have emotional problems, and it takes a long time for these guys to socialize. We just don’t want to inadvertently cause any drama we don’t want.”

So why bring back the event after 21 years? “It’s really because Jennifer Mosquera called us all up and said we were going to have another one,” laughs Acevedo. “She’s a force of nature, I tell you. If there was an earthquake happening, and Jennifer said she had other things to do, the ground would stop shaking and the earthquake would wait.”

But it’s also a thing that’s just in the blood of this group of friends who first met back at one of the very early iterations of the Chalk Art Festival on Larimer Square. “The way we all became friends was that we just started talking smack to each other,” Acevedo grins. “Just a bunch of artists having fun.” The group kept talking, shared some art shows, and discovered a shared love of dogs. And so was born the idea to do an event that featured both art and the support of dog rescue organizations in town. “It was really just a way we thought we could give back.”

After 2004, Acevedo says that the group never really disbanded. “We just all went our separate directions in life, you know?” he says. Some of them got married and started families, others took on projects that subsumed much of their attention. “We always kept in contact, though, and when Jennifer called us all back together, everybody was ready to jump back in. Everyone was excited to do it.”

This year, all the furry fun is devoted to two new charity organizations devoted to dog rescue: Ho-Bo Boxer Rescue and Red Fern Animal Rescue, with 100 percent of silent auction proceeds going directly to these organizations.

Acevedo says he’s always loved these events and has high hopes for this new iteration of Dogmata Unleashed. “There’s such joy that people bring to this event,” he says. “People have such fun coming out and helping out. It’s all about a singular outcome: to make things better for our dog friends, and in doing so, we make the world better for ourselves too.”

Dogmata Unleashed is from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, September 28, at Prismajic, inside the Colorado Mills Mall at 14500 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood. Tickets are available at eventbrite for $10, or can be purchased at the door. Kids 13 and under are free. Those unable to attend can contribute on GoFundMe. For more information, see the event page.