Every year since 2007, when bike lover/entrepreneur Charles Youel started ARTCRANK in his home town of Minneapolis, the concept -- a bike-centric exhibit and sale of hand-screened posters by regional artists -- has gotten just a little bit bigger and spread to new cities, from St. Louis to London. Denver was one of the first cities to hop on the runaway two-wheeled train; this year, ARTCRANK is spreading to Austin, L.A. and New York. "It's turned into an ambitious problem child," Youel jokes. "I'm not sure how to discipline or control it anymore." Growing pains or not, being the bike town that it is, Denver is following suit by presenting the biggest ARTCRANK Denver party to date, today at Taxi, 3457 Ringsby Court in RiNo.

And what a party it will be: Aside from the signed, limited-edition posters that are the focal point (a gorgeous selection ground out by 36 artists, each selling for $40), ARTCRANK will be swimming in brews from Widmer Brothers, served in commemorative pint glasses; after 5 p.m., a bevy of food trucks will roll up for show-side dining. Also on the agenda: DJs, live screen-printing and bike films on Taxi's outdoor screen. All proceeds from sales of the official ARTCRANK show poster will benefit Bike Denver, a cause near and dear to our ever-pedalin' hearts.

The space and environment at Taxi, Youel notes, allows for growth: "One challenge in Denver is that we've never held the show in the same place twice. In other cities, ARTCRANK's had a location-based association, so doing it at Taxi, it feels like we've finally found a place we can call home for at least a few years. The kind of creative community built there really dovetails with what we represent as an event."

Visit ARTCRANK Denver from from noon to 10 p.m.; for details, go to www.artcrank.com/denver.
Sat., Sept. 1, 12-10 p.m., 2012