Basquiat-Inspired Works, a Party at the MCA and other Upcoming Art Events

In a world being overwhelmed by unsolicited AI-generated cyber junk, artists create work that reminds us what it means to be human, whether through repetitive patterns, creations made of found objects or themes of culture and family — all of which can be found around Denver this month as galleries open new exhibitions.

If you’re looking for ways to get out from behind your screen and back into the real world, here’s a guide to fascinating art exhibits opening around Denver, plus ongoing exhibitions worth a visit.

In Denver Arts News

• Access Gallery Receives an Andy Warhol Foundation Grant: The Denver art gallery for people with disabilities announced earlier this month that it received a two-year Multi-Year Program Support grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts as part of the Foundation’s Fall 2025 grant cycle. “This investment strengthens programs that support artists as they develop, exhibit, and sustain professional art practices, while providing long-term stability that allows Access Gallery to plan strategically and expand artistic opportunities,” a release from the gallery reads. “We’re proud to be among the organizations receiving multi-year support nationwide and grateful for this meaningful investment in artists and the visual arts.”
• RiNo Art District Recognized by USA Today: RiNo Art District announced that it was nominated by USA Today as one of the best art districts in the country in 2026. Voting has ended, but results will be available next week.
• Union Hall Art Space Appoints New Executive Director: The venue in downtown Denver has appointed Sigri Strand as its new executive director. “Sigri brings more than a decade of leadership across Denver’s arts and cultural landscape, and we’re excited to welcome her as Union Hall enters its next chapter of growth and impact,” a release from Union Hall reads.
• Applications Open for Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Social Impact Artist Award: Applications opened February 17 for the award, which “honors and supports the outstanding contributions of two Denver-based artists or artist collectives championing positive impact and social justice through their artistic practice with a $35,000 award and $15,000 socially engaged project grant.” Learn more or apply here; applications are open through March 20.
• Applications Open for 2026 Sharon Prize: Applications are now open for the Sharon Prize, a grant that supports Colorado women and non-binary artists in visual arts, music, film, dance, and literature. The grant offers $5,000 and professional marketing and PR support. New this year, collaborative projects may receive up to $10,000. Applications are open through March 27; apply here.

Art Shows Opening This Week

An Assemblage of Works
Opens Wednesday, February 18; opening reception: Friday, February 20, 5 to 8 p.m.; on display through March 15
Artists on Santa Fe, 747 Santa Fe Drive
An Assemblage of Works by Denver artist Michelle Lundquist is a grouping of new and favorite works featuring an Asian-inspired creative exploration through paintings and mixed media. Lundquist is drawn to found objects, such as old photographs and other artifacts that have been discarded over time. “Some of the most interesting and unexpected results come when I release control and allow the art to evolve as I go,” says Lundquist. “I am drawn to the mysterious and unexpected. I enjoy creating pieces that include the elements of surprise and humor. My goal as an artist is to create work that resonates with the viewer, encourages thoughtfulness, and brings a few smiles along the way.”

Something and Nothing
Opening reception: Friday, February 20, 5 to 9 p.m.; on display through March 15
931 Gallery, 931 Santa Fe Drive
Multi-dimensional show Something and Nothing is an open-call and member exhibit exploring the dialogue between seemingly opposing but interdependent forces. It includes both large and small-scale works, collaborations and various mediums.

exPRESSion
Opening reception: Saturday, February 21, 4 to 8 p.m.; on display through March 29
NKollectiv, 3485 South Broadway, Englewood
NKollectiv joins Month of Printmaking with exPRESSion, a dynamic juried exhibition dedicated to the art and craft of printmaking in all its forms. “During the last Month of Printmaking event two years ago, we were in our small space in the Art District on Santa Fe and had work by only a few guest artists on display,” explains gallerist Nicole Korbe. “Now, in our large Englewood location, we are excited to have the opportunity to celebrate with a much larger exhibition of Colorado printmakers.” There will also be free, drop-in demonstrations of the different printmaking processes, taking place on Saturdays throughout the exhibition.

Ongoing Art Shows Worth a Visit

X Somos Chavos: Un Archivo de lo Banal (Oh Well, We Are Young: An Archive of the Mundane)
Through February 20
910Arts, 910 Santa Fe Drive, Studio 12B
This show features the work of artist Ruth Alvarez Luna, who describes the show as “a materialized archive of identity.” Within everyday banality “unfolds a culture that connects us and shapes us,” she says. “Mexican iconographies — our symbols, colors and gestures — operate as a silent language: they carry stories, inheritances, and affections even when we do not name them.”

The Long View: Making Art a Part of Life
Through February 23
DAVA, 1405 Florence Street, Aurora
The Long View is a retrospective of the work of Downtown Aurora Visual Arts founder Linda Graham and her constantly evolving nature as an artist. “This retrospective is so overwhelming and amazing,” Graham says. “I could never have dreamt of how it was going to turn out.”

Double Opening Reception: Brian Keith Stephens + Nadezda
Through February 28
Abend Gallery, 1261 Delaware Street, Suite 2
My Mother Let Me Be a Cowboy by Brian Keith Stephens and She Is Garden by Nadezda open this Friday at Abend Gallery. Stephens’s exhibition explores a deeply personal approach to the cowboy, not as a costume but as a symbol for freedom, uncertainty and courage. Meanwhile, Nadezda’s She Is Garden features a series of new paintings lush with greenery, gardens and warm light.

RAW, CONCRETE
Through February 28
Cottonwood Center for the Arts, 427 E Colorado Avenue
The Brutalist Movement of the 1950s-1980s got its name in part from the French phrase béton brut— “raw concrete,” according to Cottonwood Center for the Arts. The art center’s February call invited artists to create works influenced by Brutalism for RAW, CONCRETE, showing viewers pure materials, utility and economy, and a message on the importance of authenticity.

FIBRUARY
Through February 28
Louisville Public Library, 951 Spruce Street, Louisville
In this fiber art exhibition curated by Megan Morgan, Colorado artists and the everyday materials that connect us all are celebrated through art made of textiles and soft forms. The exhibition invites viewers to slow down, look closely and experience art through touch and process.

Gone to the Dogs 8
Through March 1
Niza Knoll Gallery, 915 Santa Fe Drive
More than twenty juried artists are featured in Niza Knoll Gallery’s eighth iteration of Gone to the Dogs, artwork dedicated to Denver’s favorite four-legged friends. The exhibition includes drawings, paintings, photographs and more — showing off the variety of pooch personalities.

a different distance
Through March 8
Friend of a Friend, 3575 Chestnut Place
a different distance features the work of artists John Lake, Marius Lehene and Regan Rosburg, who wrestle with “incommunicable ideas
surrounding location through points in time, place, and mental state.” The exhibition includes installation work, paintings, photography and sculpture that weave together stories of depression, landscapes, nature and hope.

Illuminations and Ruminations: Photographs & Other Works by Albert Chong
Through March 18
Emmanuel Art Gallery, 1205 10th Street Plaza
Illuminations and Ruminations is a retrospective of the work of Albert Chong since he moved to Colorado in the early ’90s. Often featuring themes of ancestors, family members and other important figures in the artist’s life, the exhibit revolves around Chong’s photography and sculpture work.

Ostinatos
Through March 21
Robischon Gallery, 1740 Wazee Street
In musical terms, ostinatos are a continually repeated phrase or cadence. In Robischon Gallery’s Ostinatos group exhibit, eleven artists explore colorful, repetitive patterns in visual art.

Claiming the Crown
Through March 28
Pulse Visual Art, 3256 Walnut Street
In this solo exhibition featuring the works of local Jamaican artist, SA Bennett, art reaches for inspiration in the evolution of African heritage across different times and cultures. Inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat’s use of the three-tiered crown, which represents the denial of the humanhood of black people — and of society taking gifted people for granted — the exhibition reminds viewers to claim their crowns.

Yes &…
Through May 3
Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, 1750 13th Street, Boulder
In Yes &…, eighteen contemporary visual artists are “united by their human-centered focus and perspective” as AI becomes increasingly ubiquitous. The artists of Yes & remind viewers of what it means to be human through colorful, imperfect and beautiful work.

Gary Simmons: Rush
Through May 9
Cookie Factory, 425 West Fourth Avenue
The Cookie Factory‘s latest show features the work of Gary Simmons, known for using erasure as both a material process and a conceptual strategy. Recognized for his unconventional use of the blackboard, Simmons brings the medium into the exhibition space, drawing with chalk and partially erasing it by hand, commenting on history, imposed identities and a liberated vision of the future.

Nuestras Historias
Through May 17
Museo de las Americas, 861 Santa Fe Drive
Nuestras Historias/Our Stories is Museo de las Americas’ first-ever youth-curated exhibition, featuring work from young artists exploring themes of tradition, justice, identity and playfulness through embroidery, painting, drawing, ceramics, poetry and video.

Art Shows Opening Soon

MCA Spring Exhibitions
Opening Party: Thursday, March 5, 7:30 to 10 p.m.
Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, 1485 Delgany Street
Celebrate the opening of MCA’s spring exhibitions with craft cocktails, music and three new art shows including Ana María Hernando: Seguir cantando (Keep Singing), Sammy Seung-min Lee: Becoming Motherland, and Bethany Collins: The Deluge. Tickets are $32.77.

Ecosystems
Opening reception: Friday, March 6, 4 to 9 p.m.; on display through May 15
DAVA, 1405 Florence Street, Aurora
In conjunction with Mo’Print, DAVA students ages 3 to 18, and guest artists Faith Williams Dyrsten, Virginia Diaz Saiki, Kristin Smith and Johanna Mueller represent animals, plants, and their ecosystems to raise awareness about the importance of biodiversity through a variety of printmaking techniques.

Time and Materials and What’s Across the Street
Opening reception: Friday, March 6, 6 to 9 p.m.; on display through March 22
Pirate Contemporary Art, 7130 West 16th Ave., Lakewood
Two exhibits are opening at Pirate Contemporary Art. In Time and Materials, new paintings by Tim McKay consider the monetary and psychological costs of making art. In What’s Across the Street by Şebnem Düzgün, Düzgün fed her clay art through AI to see them “come alive.”

What We Tend
Opening reception: Friday, March 13, 6 to 9 p.m.; on display through April 5
D’art Gallery, 900 Santa Fe Drive
What We Tend is a two-person exhibition featuring the work of Melody Epperson and Tricia Soderberg as they explored new studio practices in which they “tended” their inner artist, leaning into abstraction and intuition while maintaining their nature-inspired subject matter.

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