Art Attack: Twelve of the Best Things for Gallery Lovers to Do This Week in Denver

What’s on tap this week in the local art world? Plenty, it seems, beginning with the Biennial of the Americas, which continues to partner with artists for special installations in spite of its more business-oriented agenda in recent iterations. Read up on the BotA art itinerary and check it out, through September 29. In addition, catch the amazing Jaguara art car in action at the biennial wrap-up party, Cósmico Americas, on September 28. But the biennial isn’t the only game in town when it comes to art. Try these twelve shows and events, too:

Rian Kerrane, Inside/Out
Republic Plaza, 370 17th Street
September 26 through November 8
Arts Brookfield and the Downtown Denver Partnership’s Alleyways Project handed metal sculptor/installationist Rian Kerrane a double header that unfolds both indoors and outdoors at Republic Plaza. Defining Milieu, in the office building’s lobby gallery, depicts ordinary household objects and shipping pallets as symbols of daily life and consumerism, while her three-dimensional mural "The Oscar Wallpaper" adorns an outside wall with a William Morris-style floral design. Kerrane sourced Oscar Wilde and his hilariously recounted 1882 trek through Leadville, Colorado, as an inspiration for both installations.


Mark Brasuell, Schöne Bilder
Leo Franco, In Relief
Craig Robb, Remnants of a Thought
Spark Gallery, 900 Santa Fe Drive
September 26 through October 20
Opening Reception: Friday, September 27, 6 to 9 p.m.
Spark Gallery hosts a show of new pastel paintings in springy colors by Mark Brasuell and a selection of Leo Franco’s hardwood, metal and plexiglass sculptures, while Craig Robb echoes Franco’s direction in his own inimitable way with constructions of wood and steel in the North Gallery. All three shows are worth a look-see.

Louis Recchia
Peter Yumi, Fruitland Museum of Contemporary Art
Pirate: Contemporary Art, 7130 West 16th Avenue, Lakewood
September 27 through October 13
Opening Reception: Friday, September 27, 6 to 10 p.m.
Louis Recchia throws down a new selection of his whimsical and beautiful oils and mixed-media wall pieces at Pirate, while incoming buccaneer Peter Yumi takes over the associate space with Fruitland Museum of Contemporary Art, the unfolding story of a mythical republic and its artists and society members, as well as its enduring love of fruit. Rumor is, there’ll be a fresh-juice stand, curated music and other surprises at the reception.

Shantell Martin, Underlined
Adam Milner, If digging something up makes it true, what does burying do?
David B. Smith Gallery, 1543 Wazee Street
September 27 through November 2
Opening Reception: Friday, September 27, 6 to 8 p.m.
International star Shantell Martin, already famous around here for her two-year-old sidewalk mural at the Colorado Convention Center, is back in the local art news with a new exhibition opening today at the Denver Art Museum. But you can also take in the squiggly-lined Martin aesthetic on a more personal level at David. B. Smith Gallery, which is hosting a concurrent show of six smaller works on canvas and paper. The opening also marks the return of gallery artist Adam Milner, the Brooklyn-based Denver émigré whose show in the Project Room continues the artist’s obsession with personal objects and mementos.

Altered States of Beauty: Transformation
Zen Room, 29 Degrees Dojo, 5515 West 38th Avenue
Friday, September 27, 7 to 9 p.m.
Donations accepted
Silvana Vukadin-Hoitt continues her brave and poignant public visual cancer diary, Altered States of Beauty, with a soirée and photo exhibition of her own mortal journey. Space is limited; please RSVP at the Facebook page in advance. Hors d'oeuvres and refreshments will be served.

Mona Lucero Scarf Debut
Shop Mona Lucero, 126 West 12th Avenue
Friday, September 27, 6 to 10 p.m.
Fashion designer, Denver treasure and Westword MasterMind Mona Lucero has always considered herself an artist first when creating new and classic looks in her local atelier: The evidence is in her occasional hand-adorned and -painted garments created over the years. A new line of scarves created using fabric printed with her own photography and artwork makes up Lucero’s latest artistic foray. Get ’em while you can.

Surreal Road Trip
Kidrobot Spiritus Dea Blind Box Release
Sally Centigrade, 445 South Saulsbury Street, Lakewood
Opening Reception: Friday, September 27, 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Sally Centigrade weighs in with nothing but fun: A pop-surreal and urban-art group show and the latest blind box release from Kidrobot, including a multi-artist-designed lineup of Spiritus Dea Dunny goddesses. While you’re there, get warmed up for the gallery’s October duo with works by Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters; attendees will be given a $5 certificate for a credit toward any item at the next opening.

Untitled Final Friday: Harvest of the Dreamer
Denver Art Museum, 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway
Friday September 27, 6 to 10 p.m.
Untitled is included with general admission (free for members and youth ages eighteen and younger); two-for-one admission for college students with ID
Poet/musician/activist/Westword MasterMind Adrian Molina, aka Molina Speaks, aka MO SPKX, represents for Untitled this month, bringing a whole party-load of his friends with him to celebrate the changing of the seasons, with a blast of culture, art, music and metaphysics. Collaborate on a zodiac mandala, dance to music by Felix Fast4ward, share poetic words with American Indian poet Crisosto Apache, commune with the meta-realist and neo-pre-Columbian art of Stevon Lucero. These are just a few of the worlds you’ll traverse in one night.

Vera Benschop and Dylan Griffith
Doublespace, 144 West 12th Avenue
September 27 through October 5
Opening Reception: Friday, September 27, 6 to 9 p.m., Saturday, September 28, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Doublespace opens for Final Friday in the Golden Triangle with a show of collaborative textile, printmaking and installation works by Vera Benschop and Dylan Griffith.

Clambake to Celebrate Nora Burnett Abrams as New Director
MCA Denver, 1485 Delgany Street
Saturday, September 28, at 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Free
Out with the old, in with the new: Longtime MCA Denver curator Nora Burnett Abrams will get a community welcome as the new director of the museum at a clambake that’s not a clambake (perhaps a reference to her East Coast roots), but really just a fun and free party with music for everyone. You get the message: Arrive with your dancing shoes on.

Erica Williams, Caelum
Tina Jiang, Ancient World
Helikon Gallery & Studios, 3675 Wynkoop Street
September 28 through November 9
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 28, 6 to 10 p.m.
After announcing the imminent closure of Helikon recently, gallery owner, entrepreneur and artist Cayce Goldberg promised that the gallery would continue to mount shows through the end of the year, and this is one of them. Artist Erica Williams contributes drawings and prints articulating her occult interests in the main gallery, while Chinese-American artist Tina Jiang presents a series of mixed-media digital artwork for her solo.

Man Eating Plant Studio Art Show
1566 High Street, in the alley garage
Saturday, September 28, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
A group of nine independent local artists join forces in a one-night garage-gallery extravaganza that will no doubt boast affordably priced art for everyone. Better yet: Partial proceeds of every sale will go to Judi’s House, a local organization providing care to grieving children and their families.

Interested in having your event appear in this calendar? Send the details to [email protected]. For more events this weekend, find details in this week’s 21 Best Things to Do in Denver.