Art Attack: 25 Shows to See on First Friday in Denver and Beyond

First Friday in June is amazeballs, and you won't want to miss it. The lineup is filled with great shows — more than you can count on your hands and feet — and the content is out of this world.

You heard it here first: This First Friday will be good to the last drop. Get a taste here:
Richard Kallweit: Early Works
Rule Gallery, 808 Santa Fe Drive
Thursday, June 1, through July 29
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 1, 6 to 8 p.m.
Like his Drop City cohort Clark Richert, Richard Kallweit applied his interest in Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic domes to his work, forging a mathematical pathway between art and science to create geometric, pattern-based paintings and sculptures in the ’70s and ’80s. At Rule Gallery, beginning June 1, you'll see his pyramids of plexiglass cubes and large patterned canvases in contrasting colors that evoke curiosity and are easy on the eye.
Melanie Rothschild, Paint Lust
Michael Warren Contemporary, 760 Santa Fe Drive
Thursday, June 1, through July 1
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 1, 5 to 8 p.m.
Artist Talk and Gallery Tour: Saturday, June 3, 10:30 a.m. to noon
Melanie Rothschild’s wild, Dionysian paintings let loose in thick, tactile splatters and drips of pure color, like a hybrid Joan Miró-Jackson Pollock spree thrown down on a canvas. Yet they are also elegant and sassy in a way that’s all Rothschild's own, installed in found frames that are part of the package if you’re a collector. Looking for fun? This is a good bet.
Cody Kuehl, Event Horizon
Valkarie Gallery, 445 South Saulsbury Street, Lakewood
Through June 25
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 3, 5 to 8:30 p.m.
Cody Kuehl brings another round of his neo-
Western paintings and mixed-media works utilizing layered plexiglass that play up iconic cowboy characters in action, six-guns blazing. For Event Horizon, Kuehl injects a futuristic take on the old frontier.
Eyes Wide Shut: Visual Meditations on the Plague
McNichols Building, 144 West Colfax Avenue
Thursday, June 1, through June 29
Exhibit Reception: Friday, June 16, 4 to 7 p.m.
Eyes Wide Shut is a nod to Pride Month that resets and universalizes our post-pandemic views about the AIDS epidemic. Several OGs from the local art community (who still remember the early ’80s in Denver) pop up here, offering a poignant view of how things could have been handled more compassionately. Bring your heart. The show connects with several satellite events in June; find the schedule and show information here.

Sculpture Evergreen: Sculpted
Center for Arts Evergreen
Thursday, June 1, through July 8
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 1, 4 to 7 p.m.
CAE Day of the Arts/Evergreen Sculpture Walk: Saturday, June 3, 2:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Woodsy Evergreen had been prettying up its streets with sculpture for years when the town designated an official Sculpture Walk in 1999. Nearly 25 years later, the Center for Arts Evergreen has taken the reins of the venture. CAE kicks it off Thursday with an indoor exhibition, Sculpted. If a Thursday evening isn’t a good time to dash up into the foothills, wait until Saturday for CAE’s Day of the Arts celebration for a full-on festival, where you can also take the free, self-guided sculpture tour, using a downloadable map, and see eleven new sculptures being installed in the outdoor collection.
Preserving Our Place: Knowledge Is Power
NCAR Mesa Lab Visitor Center, 1850 Table Mesa Drive, Boulder
Thursday, June 1, through August 20
The National Center for Atmospheric Research will host Preserving Our Place: Knowledge Is Power, a new exhibition by Indigenous photographers Chantel Comardelle of the Jean Charles Choctaw Nation, Louisiana, and Dennis Davis, of the Native Inupiat Village, Shishmaref, Alaska, as well as work by Pete Mueller, Nathan Jessee and Thomson Reuters. They all focused their cameras on climate change's  consequences on culture in two unique regions, for an eye-opening capture of truth happening in front of our eyes. It’s free to see; find visitor info here.

Koko Bayer, Imagine Love
Bus Stop Gallery, 4895 Broadway, Boulder
Friday, June 2, and Saturdays, through July 1
Opening Reception: Friday, June 2, 6 to 9 p.m.
Bus Stop Gallery in north Boulder makes a good call by hanging a Pride Month showcase for activist and muralist Koko Bayer, whose Rainbow Heart Project and Project Spread Hope have spread love throughout Colorado in the form of signature heart murals — hundreds of them — painted in public places. Bayer, who memorialized the Colorado Springs Club Q mass shooting with 24-by-32-foot mural for the Wynwood Mural Fest during Art Basel Miami, will show a Rainbow Heart Project mural, an AI exploration of LGBTQ+ identity, and new editions of hand-folded shadowbox prints and multiples.

No Vacancy 2023
IMAC building, 2550 Larimer Street
Friday, June 2, 6 to 9 p.m.
To visit No Vacancy is to see into the heart of creativity: The second iteration of this RiNo Art District artist residency program put five vetted creatives together in the empty IMAC warehouse on Larimer Street to see what they would do — before the structure undergoes demolition. New media artist Phillip Stearns is unveiling his Open Vault — The Market installation, a store that sells plush weapon replicas, such as those used by the Russians in the war with Ukraine. Spiritually motivated artist Jonathan Saiz has been building a lush green temple to the works of nature, and street dance artist Taylor Madgett’s Dance Canvas transforms the physical energy of dance into synesthetic visual art. Mackenzie Urban, who’s been stopping people on the street to make pinkie-finger castings, will debut an installation of the casts poking out of the wall, among other pieces inspired by her art-science-powered practice. That leaves Isaac Lee, who is known for making art out of used plastic waste.
Arm's Length
Georgia, 952 Mariposa Street (enter through the alley)
Friday, June 2, through Sunday, June 4
Opening Reception: 6 to 9 p.m. (Sound Performance by Alex White at 8 p.m.)
Visitors’ Hours: Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4, noon to 4 p.m.
For Georgia’s farewell exhibition, curator Kealey Boyd brought together a dynamic group including Tya Alisa Anthony, Taiko Chandler, Trey Duvall, Chris Kannen and Laura Shill, most of whom have had ties to RedLine at some point in their careers. Arm’s Length addresses impersonality issues, from gig economy to Craigslist and the prevalent loneliness of social media. It’s the kind of show people expect to see at Sommer Browning’s garage gallery, which in its six-year run housed experimental, immersive and bold exhibitions, along with readings, performance, film and video screenings, music and sound installations. Browning has other rows to plow, but she’ll be missed as a gallerist and deserves our kudos for a well-executed project space.
Mark Andrew Farrell, Daniel Granitto and Noah Schneiderman, Ghost Body
Bell Projects, 2822 East 17th Avenue
Friday, June 2, through June 25
Opening Reception: Friday, June 2, 6 to 10 p.m.
Mark Andrew Farrell, Daniel Granitto and Noah Schneiderman all have the ability to express the emptiness of suburban neighborhoods and campgrounds where people barely exist, except as fleeting ectoplasmic figures in the shadows. Are they beautiful? Are they frightening? A little bit of both, bright with a subtle chill.

Daily Specials: A Two for One Exhibition
Philip J. Steele Gallery, Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, 1600 Pierce Street, Lakewood
Friday, June 2, through July 14
Opening Reception: Friday, June 2, 5 to 8 p.m
The Chicago-based artist collectives Hyperlink (which includes some Denver artists in its ranks) and Tiger Strikes Asteroid will be storming RMCAD’s Philip J. Steele with an art-collective consciousness-raising installation called Daily Specials. Beginning on First Friday amid 40 West Art Crawl festivities throughout the district, the artists will ask you to look more closely at our surroundings.
Mark Brasuell, Traumwelt (Dream World)
Fred Becker, Generative
931 Gallery, 931 Santa Fe Drive
Friday, June 2, through July 2
Opening Reception: Friday, June 2, 6 to 9 p.m.
Abstract painter Mark Brasuell will bring a new collection of black-and-white charcoal renderings marked with subtle color from the ongoing series Traumwelt to 931 Gallery, as well as invited guest artist Fred Becker, who provides colorful counterpoint in Generative. Believe it or not, Becker has taken photos of crushed Dodge RAM trucks as a starting point, using the rectangular pod shapes as the structure of abstract paintings ripped with color.

Pit Stop
Urban Mud, 530 Santa Fe Drive
Friday, June 2, through July 21
Opening Reception: Friday, June 2, 5-8 p.m.
One thing the folks at Urban Mud know how to do well is have fun with clay. Their new show, Pit Stop, a themed exhibition of works inspired by the American road trip, should be a resounding welcome to summer.

Romelia Carrillo Pop-Up
Alto Gallery, RiNo ArtPark, 1900 35th Street, Suite B
Friday, June 2, through June 10
Opening Reception: Friday, June 2, 5-9 p.m.
Who is Romelia Carrillo? She’s the best kind of artist, one who taught art to kids like Anthony Garcia Sr. for years at the 5090 Broadway Recreation Center. Garcia grew up to be a fine artist himself, who not only gives back to the kids at the Globeville Rec Center, but to fellow artists as well, as founder of the Birdseed Collective and Alto Gallery. The point? Carrillo will be showing her artwork at Alto during a week-long pop-up, beginning on First Friday. Expect a variety of work, including painting, drawing, papier-mâché and upcycled crafts. What goes around comes around.

40 West Colfax Art Crawl: Circus
1560 Teller Street, Lakewood
Friday, June 2, 6 to 9 p.m.
40 West brought back its summer First Friday Art Crawls in May, but in June, it’s going to be delightful for families, thanks to a circus theme with performers from the Soul Penny Circus, starting at 1560 Teller Street, where CHAC Gallery is hosting its intergenerational show, Weaving Generations: A Tapestry of Love. In addition, the art district has a glut of show openings at the co-ops, ten-minute performance pop-ups every half-hour by Arts District Poet Laureate Katie Mason, and a queer clay show and market at Glazed Ceramics. Go here for a map of the district.
Julie Jablonski, Four Minute Mile
Leah Swenson, Glorifying Obesity
Pirate: Contemporary Art,
Friday, June 2, through June 18
Opening Reception: Friday, June 2, 6 to 10 p.m.
Pirate presents member Julie Jablonski, who has an exhibition of neat and clever cut-paper collages with a sports theme; member Leah Swenson, who also works in collage, comes to terms with being fat for Glorifying Obesity, offering a litany of reasons not to be self-conscious.
Richard Neff, View / Point
Jude Barton, Construction Zone
Core Art Space, 40 West Hub, 6501 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood
Friday, June 2, through June 18
Opening Reception: Friday, June 9, 5 to 10 p.m.
Core members Jude Barton and Richard Neff hold down the fort on First Friday. For Construction Zone, Barton presents more of her modernist geometric paintings alongside guest artists Denise Demby and Peder Morgenthaler, whose minimal sculptural constructions and paintings complement Barton’s body of work. Neff continues in his own style of puzzle-like spatial geometrics. The show will be open on First Friday, but note that the formal reception is a week later.
Richard Chamberlain, Contemplative Minimalism
Lush
Next Gallery, 40 West Hub, 6501 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood
Friday, June 2, through June 18
Opening Reception: Friday, June 2, 5 to 10 p.m.
Next joins its fellow co-ops at the 40 West Hub with a new show by Richard Chamberlain, who calls his work “contemplative minimalism,” which translates into hard-edged geometric color studies that fit nicely with Core's lineup. He’s joined by a group members' show, Lush, inspired by spring’s lush leap into summertime.
Edgestremist 2023: Edge Member Annual Group Exhibition
Edge Gallery, 40 West Hub, 6501 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood
Friday, June 2, through June 18
Opening Reception: Friday, June 2, 6 to 9 p.m.
Edge takes a break from solo artist shows for its annual Edgestremist member exhibition, which always asks the artists to push a little harder and run a little farther.

Memories Love to Dance: New Work by Daniel Luna
BuCu West, 4200 Morrison Road, Unit 3
Opening Reception: Friday, June 2, 5 to 7 p.m.
BuCu West pays homage to Daniel Luna, a popular conveyor of the beauty in Chicano culture and traditions who uses sun-bright colors often offset by the burnished clay colors of red mud and adobe. It’s gardening season, so don’t be surprised if Luna brings along some of his painted flower pots. There will be a poetry open mic from 6 to 7 p.m., and live music by Jon Romero.
MOA Open Haüs
Marjorie Park, 6331 South Fiddler's Green Circle
Friday, June 2, 3 to 8 p.m.
The Museum of Outdoor Arts keeps finding new strategies to take art out of the gallery and into the natural world after its indoor building was shuttered last year. But MOA was conceived in 1981 as a true museum without walls, and operated as such until moving into its past second-floor digs at the Englewood Civic Center in 2000. Cynthia Madden Leitner, who shepherded the museum through both periods, knows the territory. And as the daughter of development mogul John Madden, she has a nice, big playground — Fiddler’s Green and the adjacent Marjorie Park, which he designed — to beautify with outdoor art. Open Haüs doubles as the big reveal of eight new murals inside the Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre. The venue’s Panoramic Living Mural, covering the perimeter sound wall with native plants, will also be showcased, and planted art pots will be offered for sale as a fundraiser. The event is free, and food and drink will be available to buy; register to attend here.

CHROMA: A Pride Queer Art Showcase and Vendor Market
Skylight, 833 Santa Fe Drive
Friday, June 2, 5 to 10 p.m.
Pride and art collide in the spacious Skylight event venue for CHROMA, an exhibition and vendor market showcasing LGBTQ+ creatives and aimed at a community ready to spend those “pink dollars.” Denver artists Noah Burgan and Christopher La Fleur will also be selling their limited-edition Jones Soda Pride 2023 Rebel Labels Collection bottles, and giving away signature Jones Soda cocktails.
Konbini: An Immersive Convenience Store
Dairy Block Alley, 1800 Wazee Street
Opening Reception: Friday, June 2, 5 to 8 p.m.
Dairy Block First Friday Art Walks are back for the summer with art curated by Southern Kindness Gallery supplying works in the open-air alley. But perhaps even more exciting is the appearance of Konbini, a working Japanese convenience store that’s actually an installation by artist Jeff Fierberg. Along with the usual snacks and ready-to-eat meals you’d find in a real store, you’ll also find artworks and exclusive clothing items to prove you’ve been there. This could be the best thing in Colorado since Hello Kitty.
Elaine St. Louis, The Practice of Nesting
RPO Framing & Gallery, 1588 South Pearl Street
Thursday, June 1, through June 30
Friday, June 2, 6 to 9 p.m.
RPO opens up its walls on First Friday to Elaine St. Louis, whose entire oeuvre comprises intricate and detailed lifelike paintings, drawings and prints of bird nests.

Out There Art Fest 2023
Globeville Riverside Art Center (GRACe), 888 East 50th Avenue
Saturday, June 3, 3 to 8 p.m.
The Globeville studio warehouse GRACe grew out of the demolition of Wazee Union in 2016, which stood on the spot off Brighton Boulevard now occupied by Zeppelin Station. For many people in the alternative art community, it was a sad day, but GRACe has managed to keep it going. It not only still stands, but it’s occupied and busy after seven years, and best of all, still hosting the Out There Fest, an annual open house that’s a lot like a big party, with open studios, a gallery show, demonstrations, music and food trucks. We hear that if you walk into GRACe, close your eyes and listen to the echoing voices bouncing around, you can imagine you’re back in Wazee Union. Ah, not likely…but maybe…
Sharon Louden, Barriers to Entry
Old Masonic Hall, 136 South Main Street, Breckenridge
Saturday, June 3, through September 3
Gathering at Breck Create: Needs, Wants, Gives: Saturday, June 3, 5 p.m.
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 3, 6:30 p.m.

Established artist and New York-based mixed-media installationist Sharon Louden has been up in Breckenridge working on Barriers to Entry, a site-specific work that comprises unusual and visually exciting reflective materials, lending a chaotic, glitchy space-age look to the environment. It’s going to be ready for its close-up this weekend, with a free workshop and reception scheduled for Saturday.

Interested in having your event appear in this calendar? Send the details to [email protected].