Nosh & Posh
Civic Center Park
Wednesday, December 20, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Today could be the last unseasonably warm day in a while. So ditch the office and grab lunch and some last-minute gifts at Nosh & Posh, which returns to Civic Center Park for a final holiday appearance from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 20. You'll be able to satisfy your food-truck fix and shop local fashions from the Denver Fashion Truck, among others. Find out more at civiccenterconservancy.org.
William Matthews Studio
2540 Walnut Street
Through Thursday, December 21, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Give yourself a gift and head to the William Matthews Studio, which is holding holiday hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Thursday, December 21. It's free to look at the stunning paintings and photographs in the current exhibition, Monument Valley: Kurt Marcus & William Matthews. If you're feeling particularly flush, you can always buy one of those pieces, but the studio has other options, too, ranging from a sterling-silver artist’s-palette buckle designed by Matthews and hand-fabricated by Navajo craftsmen ($480) to a special-edition Martin LE Cowboy guitar featuring Matthews's art ($3,375), a hand-crafted wooden puzzle of Matthews's "Hard Candy" painting ($130)...or maybe just a set of four coasters depicting Matthews's Western paintings ($20). The show continues through January 8 at the studio at 2540 Walnut Street, but the studio will be closed from December 22 through January 2. Find out more at williammatthewsstudio.com.
Holiday Fine Arts Festival
Art Gym Denver
1460 Leyden Street
Through December 23
More than forty studio members at the Art Gym are strutting their stuff at the Holiday Fine Arts Festival, an ongoing extravaganza of affordable works that range from art prints and handmade jewelry to holiday goodies baked in the facility’s commissary kitchen. See what’s cooking at the busy shared workspace, where artists gain access to tools and multi-disciplinary studios for a fixed fee. Find out more at artgymdenver.com.
MCA Denver
MCA Denver
1485 Delgany Street
Friday, December 22, 5 to 9 p.m.
MCA Denver lets you do holiday gifting your way: Make-it-yourself upstairs at a naughty Black Sheep Friday “holiday balls” crafting party with the Ladies Fancywork Society and Fancy Tiger Crafts, or head to the museum basement, with cash in hand, for the XXX–Mas Craft Fair, where you can buy stuff ready-made by a dozen MCA-cool vendors. That’s right: not just cool — MCA-cool. Events are first-come, first-served. Members get in free; it's $5 for all others. Find out more at mcadenver.org.
RiNo Art District
RiNo Made in the Source
3350 Brighton Boulevard
Sunday, December 24, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
If it’s Christmas Eve and you’re just reading this, it’s your own damn fault. But salvation is here: The RiNo Made store in the Source will have excellent, last-minute gift goodies from RiNo makers for sale until 3 p.m., but then you’ll have to skedaddle. On the other hand, if you’re one of those Boxing Day bargain hunters who likes to hit the stores the day after Christmas, RiNo Made will be handing out deep discounts on merchandise from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. December 26. Find out more at rinoartdistrict.org.
Peace in the Universe
DAVA (Downtown Aurora Visual Arts)
1419 Florence Street, Aurora
Through January 12
DAVA’s mission to mentor at-risk kids in Aurora through hands-on art and creative job-training programs turns into a lesson in retail industry during the holidays, when artist-mentors and their students create beautiful handmade gifts for the nonprofit’s annual holiday show. This year’s Peace in the Universe lays out everything from kid-designed mandala rocks to shadowboxes, mobiles and more, alongside “curioscapes” by Jessica Ellis; ceramics, papier-mâché sculptures and paintings by Cal Duran; and sewn and cross-stitched soft sculptures by Frankie Toan. The show opened earlier this month, but you can see it — and buy pieces for great gifts — through January 12. Find out more at dava.org.
