But that's not the only show in town, of course. Valentine events, co-op offerings and stunning new exhibitions at the Denver Botanic Gardens and Denver Art Museum are all lovely ways to look at art this weekend.
"Waiting," by Lucinda Gaines, an entry from last year's Casa Bonita show.
Lucinda Gaines
Next Gallery, 6501 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood
February 14 through March 2
Opening Reception / Casa Bonita Fashion Forward Costume Contest: Friday, February 14, 5 to 9 p.m.
Kids’ Days: Friday, February 21, 5 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, February 22, noon to 5 p.m.
Casa Bonita Awards Ceremony: Friday, February 28, 7 p.m.
Possibly the most celebrated annual show in Lakewood’s healthy co-op community, Next Gallery’s artistic paean to Casa Bonita returns with a speculative theme dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the legendary pink entertainment palace — hence the title: The 2074* Casa Bonita Art Show (*not a typo). Complete with a kids’ gallery of art depicting the refurbished attraction, this year’s show promises to be out-of-this-world, with special events happening every Friday during the run, returning judges Andrew Novick and Denver fashion designer Mona Lucero keeping things snappy, and Casa Bonita swag (including dinner for six) for prize-winners. Opening night will double as a costume contest with Lucero presiding, followed by an entire kids’ weekend on February 21-22, and the awards ceremony on February 28.
Denise Bohart, Messages
Melody Epperson, Meandering
Kathy Knaus, The Days of Velvet Skies and the Smell of Lemons
D’art Gallery, 900 Santa Fe Drive
February 13 through March 9
Opening Reception: Friday, February 21, 6 p.m.
D’art Gallery members Denise Bohart, Melody Epperson and Kathy Knaus hang solos this week, including kiln-fired glass sculpture and wall pieces by Bohart; new works inspired by living on the land in inks, both commercial and handmade using harvested pigments, and encaustic; and nature-inspired abstract acrylic paintings. The formal reception is scheduled for February 21 (Collectors’ Night in the Art District on Santa Fe), in conjunction with other new shows opening this month within D’art’s extra-large, shared space.
Cast Iron as a Medium
FoolProof Contemporary, 3240 Larimer Street
Valentine’s Day Reception: Friday, February 14, 6 to 9 p.m.
Open House: Saturday, February 15, 3 to 5 p.m.
Just for fun, FoolProof hosts a Valentine’s Day reception on Friday night for the continuing sculpture show Cast Iron as a Medium, with added food, beverages and V-Day-forward art on the walls. The vibe at the following Saturday afternoon’s open house, also with bites and sips, will be more lowkey, catering to collectors. See what’s going on at this large gallery with a little bit of everything.
Sculpture by mining engineer Sebum Duzgun composed of clay and natural found objects.
Courtesy Sebum Duzgun
Core Art Space, 6501 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood
February 14 through March 2
Opening Reception: Friday, February 14, 5 to 10 p.m.
While the legend of Casa Bonita is celebrated in the same building, Core will unveil its own open-call juried show at the 40 West Hub on a more serious note. Adjudicated by art and architecture historian and former Westword critic Michael Paglia, See it. Feel It. Abstraction Today offers a wide-focus view of the genre, as rendered in varied mediums.
Randy Cummings: How Did This Happen? Naropa University Art Students: Immediacy (the emotions of the moment are all we know)
Edge Gallery, 6501 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood
February 14 through March 2
Opening Reception: Friday, February 14, 6 to 9 p.m.
At Edge, member Randy Cummings looks to political painters of the past, in the vein of Max Beckman or Käthe Kollwitz, for inspiration in his work for How Did This Happen?, a question that’s on the world’s collective mind right now. Hand-in-hand with Cummings, Naropa University students chip in with Immediacy, for which they dealt with important issues on their minds in the moment.
Lisa DiaMor Sanchez, Choose Love, at Bucu West.
Courtesy Lisa DiaMor Sanchez
BuCu West, 4200 Morrison Road, Unit 3
February 14 through February 28
Opening Reception: Friday, February 14, 4 to 7 p.m.
It’s purely Valentine’s Day at Westwood’s BuCu West Gallery on Morrison Road, where the sweetly titled Choose Love: A Feminine Perspective shoots an artful arrow to the heart on the very day that we celebrate love annually. Curated by Crystal O’Brien and Lisa DiAmor Sanchez, with works by sixteen local women, the exhibition is short and to the point: Love is everything. And don't forget: Original art makes a lovely gift.
Anna Kaye: “Whirlwind,” charcoal on paper.
Anna Kaye, courtesy Denver Botanic Gardens
Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York Street
February 15 through May 20
Opening Reception: Wednesday, March 5, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.; free, RSVP here
Intersections Lecture: Artist and Scientist Talk with Anna Kaye and Christina Alba: Wednesday, April 16, 6:30 to 8 p.m.; $12-$15, tickets here.
Anna Kaye studies the impact upon lands destroyed by fire in tandem with nature’s slow rebirth in the stunning black-and-white charcoal drawings of sparks, flames, burnt trees, returning wildlife and other signs that comprise Finding Light, opening this week at the Denver Botanic Gardens. The free formal reception, however, is scheduled for Wednesday, March 5, to coincide with other new spring shows at the gardens. In April, Kaye will join DBG Associate Research Scientist Christina Alba to discuss the theme of wildfire ecology in April.
Nancy Hemenway Barton, Con Muchissimo Cariño, 1966.
© Estate of Nancy H. Barton, courtesy Denver Art Museum
Denver Art Museum, 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway
February 16 through October 19
Curator Conversation: The Life and Work of Nancy Hemenway Barton, Sunday, February 16, Sharp Auditorium, 11 a.m. to noon; $15 to $20 here.
Twelve textile wall sculptures and five works on paper comprise the Denver Art Museum’s new exhibition Confluence of Nature: Nancy Hemenway Barton, which follows the Maine-based artist’s multifaceted practice and travels. Along the way, she was inspired to incorporate indigenous weavings from around the world into abstracted, nature-influenced wall reliefs, sculpture and drawings. The earthy, natural works will be on view through October on the Martin Building’s sixth floor, but for more insights, sign up for the opening-day conversation or one of the ensuing gallery tours.
Interested in having your event appear in this calendar? Send the details to [email protected].
