Monday, October 7
Artist Suchitra Mattai has had a triumphant year, venturing as far from home as the Sharjah Biennial in the United Arab Emirates — where she contributed “Imperfect Isometry,” a massive canopy installation of woven vintage saris and netting — and as close as the 2019 Biennial of the Americas, where she recently exhibited the same piece in a new configuration at the McNichols Building. One of the region’s most notable artists, Mattai will discuss the installation as well as her mixed-media processes for the Denver Art Museum’s Logan Lecture series at 6 p.m. Monday, October 7, at the DAM, 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway, followed by a reception at the nearby Art Hotel. Admission ranges from free to $20 at denverartmuseum.org.
Tuesday, October 8
Fat jokes have long sullied comedies, so a director who takes on the story of an overweight teenager and treats her experience with respect is something to celebrate. That’s what the coming-of-age comedy Empire Waist — which tells the story of two teenagers who learn to love their bodies through fashion — is all about. Writer and director Claire Ayoub is on tour with her film script, raising money for production through a series of readings. Her Denver appearance, which includes a post-reading Q&A, will take place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 8, at House of Pod, 2565 Curtis Street. For tickets, $10 to $20, and more information, go to eventbrite.com.
Wednesday, October 9
Groundbreaking jazz pianist Chick Corea is still kicking — and still bringing down the house — at 78, sometimes with the Chick Corea Trilogy. The powerhouse acoustic trio, made up of Corea, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade, sizzles with chemistry on works new and old, including Corea’s own compositions and standards from the jazz canon. Jam out with the Chick Corea Trilogy at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 9, at Macky Auditorium on the University of Colorado Boulder campus. Find tickets, $22 to $87, and more info at cupresents.org.
Thursday, October 10
Chefs like to say that we eat first with our eyes, giving culinary creators license to turn entrees into works of art. If the adage is true, you'll leave the Flatirons Food Film Festival full before a single bite passes your lips. The flavor-packed film fest, now in its seventh year, presents eight food-themed movies from Thursday, October 10, through Sunday, October 13, at various Boulder locations, plus a range of activities intended to supplement each film. Choose from presentations by dozens of local and international food authorities, or fill up for real at a wine and oyster tasting. Movie tickets start at $12, with full film passes available for $90. Visit flatironsfoodfilmfest.org for a complete schedule of screenings, discussions and other happenings. Lights, camera...dig in!
Like jewelry? Then head for the hills, where the Mountains of Pawn will offer a huge selection of Southwest pawn and vintage jewelry during a sale that runs from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, October 10, through Sunday, October 13, at Silver Arrow, 28159 Highway 74 in Evergreen. “Just like American Pickers,” the store’s owners advise, “we have a ‘Southwest picker’ who travels throughout the Southwest all year long visiting pawn shops and gathering estates from the farthest regions of Arizona and New Mexico... They will drool over your finds in Santa Fe!” And, hey, it costs nothing to look. Find out more at 303-670-0552 or eventbrite.com.
Longmont does Day of the Dead like a pro in 2019, beginning with the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center’s annual Día de los Muertos exhibition, a traditional celebration of departed family members with community altars and larger-scale muertos art. This year, Ricardo Soltero’s calacas sculptures will loom over the display, focusing on La Catrina, a feminine skeleton famous in Mexican lore. The exhibit opens with a free reception on Thursday, October 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the museum, 400 Quail Road in Longmont, and runs through November 4; come back on Friday, October 11, for Day of the Dead displays at businesses around Longmont’s Main Street, with free walking tours beginning at 6 p.m. (Space is limited, so RSVP at downtownlongmont.com/calendar or call 303-651-8484.) Learn more about the exhibit and other Longmont Day of the Dead festivities at longmontcolorado.gov.
Local artists Suchitra Mattai and Joshua Ware will expose the "interior lives" of everyday objects.
Suchitra Mattai
Absurd times call for absurd entertainment, which is what you’ll get from professional clown Nick Trotter of Circo de Nada. Trotter wraps his physical humor around Idiopathic, a one-man show derived from his personal experiences with addiction and its physical and mental side effects. Idiopathic has a silver lining, though, as it works its way through personal pain using art to find salvation. Join Trotter on his journey when the show premieres at the People’s Building, 9995 East Colfax Avenue in Aurora, over three nights: Thursday, October 10, through Saturday, October 12, at 7:30 p.m. Find tickets, $15, at circodenada.com.
