Art events around Denver this week, June 11-18

Use this guide to find out about new art exhibitions opening around Denver, plus ongoing shows worth a visit.

In Denver arts news

• First Friday vendor registration: July and September registration is $50 for regular spots (assigned randomly), and $75 for corner spots. August First Friday pricing is TBA. Register on the ADSF website.

Art shows opening around Denver this week

Gallery of Second Chances
Thursday, June 11, 5 p.m.
Space Annex, 95 S. Cherokee St.
This immersive art experience amplifies the voices and creative expression of justice-impacted individuals alongside community artists by bringing together justice-impacted artists alongside supportive community artists to share stories of healing, growth, and renewal through art. The event includes visual art, photography, spoken word, and Indigenous cultural performances, all created by individuals whose lives have been shaped by the journey of reentry and the strength of community support. Tickets, which start at $100, include a food truck voucher, snacks and drinks.

“Fragmented Realities”
Opening reception: Friday, June 12, 5 to 8 p.m.
Walker Fine Art, 300 W. 11th Ave.
This show features the work of Bryan Leister, Doug Haeussner, George Kozmon, Ben Strawn, Sabin Aell and Gary Day as they examine how images, memories, and materials are broken apart and reconfigured, revealing perception as something fluid, constructed, and continually in flux through collage, paint and code.

“Converging Visions”
Opening reception: Friday, June 12, 6 to 9 p.m.; through June 28
D’art Gallery, 900 Santa Fe Drive
Featuring the work of Denise Bohart, Laura Brenton and Vicky Smith, “Converging Visions” explores relationships between movement and structure, light and shadow, and the interplay of elements that create a whole. Though working across diverse media, the three artists’ different practices resonate in a visual dialogue, revealing how unity can emerge through differences.

“Found Narratives”
Artist reception: Saturday, June 13, 4 to 8 p.m.; layered printmaking demo by Victoria Eubanks: Saturday, June 20; through June 28
NKollectiv, 3485 S. Broadway, Englewood
Featuring the work of Hugh Daly and Victoria Eubanks, “Found Narratives” works through themes of memory, a daydream, a place in time, a moment—captured through physical media. Daly’s art weaves intricate, color-filled composites of collage and painted images, while many of Eubanks’ pieces reflect themes of abstracted vines and grasses.

“Pain & Prosperity”
Opening reception: Saturday, June 13, 6 to 9 p.m.; on display through Aug. 2
Pulse Visual Art, 3256 Walnut St.
This solo exhibition featuring the work of Fresh Sam is made up of works on canvas, framed prints, T-shirts, and custom clothing. A fashion designer and wardrobe stylist by trade and founder of the clothing brand Infatué, Fresh Sam will be venturing outside her typical mediums to explore the idea that pain shapes us all. This collection invites the viewer to see pain differently — whether emotional or physical — not as an ending, but as a catalyst for prosperity.

Ongoing art shows worth a visit

CHAC Gallery Members’ Showcase
Through June 20
CHAC Gallery, 834 Santa Fe Drive
This showcase is a multi-generational show bringing together CHAC artists ranging from emerging creatives to accomplished masters, highlighting pieces that are deeply connected to the essence of Denver. Each artist has chosen work that is the deepest expression of their voice.

Western Federation of Watercolor Societies’ 51st Annual Exhibition
Through June 27
Curtis Center for the Arts, 2349 E. Orchard Road, Greenwood Village
Master watercolorists from the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies, which includes groups in several states, including Colorado, will show off their work in this exhibit.

“The End Is the Beginning“
Through June 28
PonPon, 2528 Walnut St.
“The End is the Beginning” is a photography show featuring the work of long-time Denver music photographer Michael McGrath, a long-time fixture on the Denver music scene, photographing local and national acts for a variety of outlets including the Denver Post, Audiovore, and Twist and Shout Records since the early ’90s. McGrath was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive Stage 4 cancer in January of last year and was told he had “months” to live. Since then, he has been undergoing often debilitating treatments to fight the cancer while continuing to shoot live music regularly. “The End is the Beginning” features recent work, much of it created since his diagnosis. It also features his early work, from 35 mm film, from the early ’90s — including Indie Rock pioneers like Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, Iggy Pop and Hole.

SABO / UNSAVORYAGENTS: “The Right Kind of Rebels”
Through July 1
VFW Post #1 Denver, 841 Santa Fe Drive
Art created by veterans and SABO, the artist responsible for the “KAMALAS ILLEGALS” and “MIGRANT HOOKERS $20” art placed around the Denver Capitol about a year ago will be on display in “The Right Kind of Rebels” at VFW Post #1. The collection on display comments on current politics, history and events that have helped shape the collective American psyche. SABO says this is his first show in the Denver area, and he’s curious to see the reception of the work. “I don’t do landscapes, and I believe that if art is not political, it’s wallpaper,” SABO says. “I hope this opportunity catches the eyes of some other galleries who are open to displaying my more edgy works.”

“Let’s Go Big”
Through July 3
fooLPRoof art gallery, 3240 Larimer St.
In this playful exhibition featuring large works. fooLPRoof art gallery celebrates an expansion of a new adjoining space called “The Gallery,” which includes a bar and tearoom. The Gallery side features a group exhibition with 25 artists and a full bar with a wine, drink and tea special all evening.

“Tender Wild”
Through July 5
Valkarie Gallery, 445 S. Saulsbury St.
“Tender Wild” is a collaborative exhibition featuring artists Alison Flannery and Colleen Tully, opening this season alongside a companion group exhibition, “Poetic Reverie,” a call-for-entry showcase featuring several artists interpreting poetry through visual art. The exhibition brings together two distinct artistic voices rooted in reverence for the natural world and the quiet poetry found within it. Through paintings that move between observation and imagination, “Tender Wild” explores themes of tenderness, transformation, and the delicate relationship between human emotion and the living landscape.

“Queerazón: Rooted in Amor y Comunidad”
Through July 12
CHAC Gallery, 7060 W. 16th Ave., Lakewood
“Queerazón: Rooted in Amor y Comunidad” is a vibrant group exhibition of storytelling, healing and collective care — uplifting queer and trans voices. Curated by a queer Chicana artist and founder of Curioso Cats Arts & Crafts, “Queerazón” centers inner child healing, cultural reconnection, and art-making as remembrance. Guests are invited not just to view, but to feel, share, and be part of the experience.

“Good Sports”
Through July 18
Access Gallery, 909 Santa Fe Drive
Featuring artwork by more than 20 Access Gallery artists, “Good Sports” explores movement, competition, teamwork, play, and personal connection through a wide range of artistic voices and unexpected interpretations of sports.

“Sacred Reflections & Pieces of the Whole: 2026 Youth Art Exhibition”
Through July 26
RedLine Contemporary Art Center, 2350 Arapahoe St.
In this youth art exhibition, young artists explore what matters most to them, individually and together, while recognizing their power to shape their communities. Through reflection and creation, students are encouraged to embrace their identities, honor their intersections, and stand rooted in self-awareness. Learn more about the program and RSVP here.

“Beyond the Western Horizon“
Through July 31
Madden Gallery at Museum of Outdoor Arts, 6331 S. Fiddlers Green Circle, Greenwood Village
Celebrate the “reimagined myth, memory, and the enduring spirit of the American West” with “Beyond the Western Horizon,” an exhibit featuring twenty artists and over fifty artworks depicting aspects of the American West, from people and animals to landscapes, through a variety of mediums. “We’re lucky to live in a state with stunning natural resources, strong light and Western lifestyles stimulating our many talented visual artists,” MOA founder and director Cynthia Madden Leitner says.

“Accidentally on Purpose – Pasó lo que tenía que pasar”
Through Aug. 9
Museo de las Americas, 861 Santa Fe Drive
“Accidentally on Purpose – Pasó lo que tenía que pasar” is a landmark exhibition celebrating the 50-year artistic journey of Denver Chicano renaissance artists and activists Maruca and Daniel Salazar, featuring animation, film, video, photography, installation, sculpture, and paintings created over the last half century as Maruca and Daniel Salazar chronicled the Chicano movement and the role of art in social change — celebrating their journey of Chicano identity, from Denver’s Northside and across the invisible railroad tracks.

Plein Air Buddies Show and Sale
Through Aug. 15
James J. Richey Gallery at Lakewood Civic Center, 480 S. Allison Parkway, Lakewood
See 51 paintings created outdoors in Colorado by 17 artists at the Plein Air Buddies show. The Plein Air Buddies group was formed six years ago by several professional artists and educators. Today, the groups enjoys each other’s company and discussing the artwork produced as they paint and share ideas. All paintings on display are also for sale.

On the Walls at CSU: Posters from the 1970s
Through August 16
CSU Libraries – Morgan Library, 1201 Center Avenue Mall, Fort Collins
Colorado State University showcases campus life, design and activism through archival posters from the ’70s at Morgan Library. The exhibition features posters, exhibition panels and publications produced at CSU in the 1970s and preserved in the University Archives.

“Tilting West”
Through Aug. 23
The Arvada Center Galleries, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada
“Tilting West” is a large-scale group exhibition that re-examines the genre of the American West through a contemporary lens. Blending invited and juried artists from across the region, the exhibition includes 12 invited artists and 102 selected works chosen from 1,555 submissions by 335 artists. This exhibition presents a wide range of perspectives that engage with and challenge the traditions within Western art.

Nikki Pike: “YES“
Through November 2027
BMoCA, 1750 13th St., Boulder
“YES” is a large, red steel piece of the word “YES,” Nikki Pike’s potential antidote to xenophobia, both a call to action and a reminder that the affirmative and the welcoming are something as innate to us as our fears. Pike is a Denver-based artist and activist.

Coming soon

931 Gallery Associate Members’ Show
Opening reception: Friday, June 19, 5 to 9 p.m.; on display through July 12
931 Gallery, 931 Santa Fe Drive
This group show includes a variety of expressionist paintings and mixed media that meditate on the magical power of circles, the inspiration of a storm, urban and wild landscapes and unconscious perceptions.

Sea Change
Artist talk: Saturday, June 20, noon; on view through July 3
William Havu Gallery, 1040 Cherokee St.
“Sea Change” is Amy Metier’s eleventh solo show with William Havu Gallery, featuring new paintings on panel and works on paper. Most of these works are abstracted references to landscapes, still lives or architecture. Metier’s work is in the permanent collection of the Denver Art Museum and The Kirkland, as well as private and public collections throughout the United States and Europe.

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