Arty Parties: Your Guide to October’s First Friday in Denver

The monthly First Friday celebrations that take place around Denver are some of the city’s most popular events.

The community event in the Art District on Santa Fe underwent some changes this year, but ADSF director of operations Ana Paula Pinto told Westword that things are starting to settle down now. “After releasing our open letter and connecting directly with vendors and businesses, there has been much better understanding and support of the challenges surrounding this event and why changes were needed for accessibility and safety at these growing events,” she said. “We’ve received great feedback from local small businesses who feel their spaces are more accessible, from visitors who are having an easier/safer time navigating the district, and from vendors who have registered and had great experiences in our designated vendor areas.”

First Friday events draw thousands of people looking to shop, eat, browse galleries and immerse themselves in the arts scene of the Art District on Santa Fe, the River North Art District (RiNo), Tennyson Street Cultural District, 40 West Arts District in Lakewood and more.

So get out there for October’s First Friday on October 3, but first, read about the exhibits and shows opening this month.

What is the First Friday Art Walk in Denver?

First Friday is a largely unofficial event celebrating community, culture and art on the first Friday of every month. Thousands come to the metro area’s art districts to view art, visit galleries, meet artists and browse street vendors selling handmade wares and food.

What Time Does First Friday Start in Denver?

First Friday events start at different times in different art districts.

• Art District on Santa Fe: 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
• RiNo: 6 to 9 p.m.
• Tennyson Street: 6 to 10 p.m.
• 40 West Arts District: 6 to 9 p.m.

Where is First Friday in Denver?

Art District on Santa Fe: Spans from West 13th Avenue to Alameda Avenue and Kalamath Street to Inca Street. The bulk of the galleries are in a walkable area between Fifth and 11th avenues.

RiNo: Most galleries are on Blake, Walnut, Larimer and Lawrence streets between Broadway and Downing Street.

Tennyson Street: Along Tennyson Street in the Berkeley neighborhood in northwest Denver.

40 West Arts District: Lamar Station Plaza, 6501 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood

Other popular art gallery locations include the 1400-1500 blocks of South Pearl Street, and arts areas in Englewood, Littleton and Arvada.

Are There First Friday Public Transportation Options in Denver?

At the start of this year, the Regional Transportation District added a new ART District Connector bus route. The route connects pockets of some of Denver’s most visited cultural sites, including the Art District on Santa Fe, Denver Theatre District and RiNo Arts District.

The route serves the Baker, Five Points and Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods. In February, Westword tested out the route.

What Can I See During First Friday in October?

There are new shows opening all over town on First Friday weekend. Here are some of the most intriguing:

How Fargo Can You Go?
The Lab on Santa Fe, 840 Santa Fe Drive
First Friday/Opening Date: October 3; Artist Reception: October 11, 3-5 p.m.; On display through November 15
How Fargo Can You Go? is an art tribute to the Coen Brothers’ cinematic spirit and a juried show led by Denver-based artist Rick Dallago. The show features more than twenty artists from across the nation who have creatively interpreted the themes, characters and distinctive storytelling style that define the Coen Brothers’ cinematic universe.

Creature Feature
Access Gallery, 909 Santa Fe Drive
First Friday/Opening Date: October 3, 6-9 p.m.; Meet the artists: October 17, 6-8 p.m.; On display through November 7
Creature Feature is a group show at Access Gallery dedicated to things that go bump in the night. This show celebrates the fantastically strange and wonderfully weird through the unique lens of Access Gallery artists, with a range of digital prints, paintings, drawings and even adoptable critters you can take home for your Halloween celebrations.

Mystic
First Friday: October 3; Reception: October 10, 5-9 p.m.; Artist Talk: October 12, 1-3 p.m.; On display through November 3
931 Gallery, 931 Santa Fe Drive, Suite 150
Mystic features the paintings of Michael Wray, which reckon with the tragic death of 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic in Texas, while confronting climate catastrophe, collective memory and the fragile search for peace in an unforgiving universe. Wray’s paintings combine color, texture, and movement to explore themes of memory, loss and the environment.

Echoes of Silence
First Friday: October 3; Reception: October 10, 6 p.m.; On display through November 2
931 Gallery, 931 Santa Fe Drive, Suite 150
Echoes of Silence features the abstract sumi-e paintings by Colorado artist Marilyn Wells. The work encompasses gestures from the
Magical and Mythical — where form arises from emptiness, and presence from absence.

The Greene Fellowship Annual Exhibition
RedLine Contemporary Art Center, 2350 Arapahoe Street
First Friday/Artist Talk: October 3, 6-7:30 p.m.; On display through October 26
Greene fellows and RedLine resident artists Alex Branch and Phillip David Stearns will talk about their solo exhibitions, Aesthetic Impermanence and Artificial Geologies, on display through October 26 as part of the year-long Greene Fellowship Program at RedLine. Branch and Stearns’ exhibitions are different from each other, but both follow a trust and experimentation in scientific subjects and narratives that unites them. RSVP for the artist talk here.

Archive 192
First Friday: October 3; On display through November 15
Colorado Photographic Arts Center, 1200 Lincoln Street, Suite 111
Explore a century of experimental abstraction by women photographers through rare prints, books, and ephemera from Archive 192. The exhibit includes work by artists such as Bernice Abbott, Florence Henri, Guerrilla Girls, Tina Modotti, Annie Leibovitz and more.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Next Gallery, 6501 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood
First Friday/Opening Reception: October 3, 5-9 p.m.; On display through October 19
What Could Possibly Go Wrong? by longtime Denver artist Dolla B presents a wry take on well-known tales from our collective memory. Illustrated “snapshots” from tragic movies, books, and fairy tales capture the crux of each story. Just one image sets the stage as to what exactly WILL go wrong. “I am always striving for more than a glance – the spark of recognition creates a true, cerebral connection with my audience,” says Dolla B (aka Betsy Rudolph).

A Ribbon Between Spaces
Next Gallery, 6501 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood
First Friday/Opening Reception: October 3, 5-9 p.m.; On display through October 19
A Ribbon Between Spaces by Virginia Coleman explores the surprising similarities woven through cities that, at first glance, seem vastly different. “Through my travels, I have discovered that their architectural and cultural connotations often echo one another,” Coleman says.

Core Members Exhibitions: Barbara Veatch, Camie Rigirozzi and Maggie Stewart
Core Art Space, 6501 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood
First Friday/Opening Reception: October 3, 5-9 p.m.; On display through October 19
This Core Members show displays Layered Landscapes and Time Tracks by Barbara Veatch, Discovering Humanity: Life on Repeat by Camie Rigirozzi and Botanicals by Maggie Stewart. Veatch’s art layers and collages the old with the new. Discovering Humanity examines the patterns — emotional, societal, behavioral and psychological — that quietly shape our lived experience. Botanicals features Stewart’s macro-botanical photography.

PERICULO FELIS
Cottonwood Center for the Arts, 427 East Colorado Avenue, Colorado Springs
First Friday/Opening reception: October 3, 5-8 p.m.; On display through October 31
PERICULO FELIS compiles juried works from an open call about feline mischief. Entries of all mediums and styles were accepted, as long as they saluted the cheeky delinquency of cat companions in an intentional way.

Ongoing Shows Worth a Visit

Perserverance
O’Sullivan Art Gallery, Regis University, 3333 Regis Boulevard
Through October 9
Perserverance is a group show featuring the work of friends Alicia Bailey, Catherine Chauvin, Melinda Laz and Sharon Strasburg and their works exploring memory, history and nostalgia through mediums like printmaking, collage and ceramics. This is their second group show, with all four artists working together, individually and collectively exploring themes that continue to inspire and draw them together.

Unapologetically Chicano
CHAC 40West, 7060 West 16th Avenue, Lakewood
Through October 24
Celebrate Chicano culture and its unapologetic pride at the Chicano Arts & Humanities Council Gallery in Lakewood for a show including a curated gallery of local and regional Chicano artists. Opening night includes live music and DJs, food vendors and a special appearance by Los Compas Car Club, which will roll through with classic cars.

A Juxtaposition
Camden RiNo Leasing Office, 3235 Larimer Street, Unit 123 gallery
Through October 24
Pulse Visual Art presents A Juxtaposition, featuring the works of painter, sewist and mark-maker Kayla Chalk and ceramic and metal artist Kris Fritzsche in a conversation that contrasts between form and fluidity, weight and levity, containment and expression. “Denver is a city in transition – growing, shifting, and negotiating its identity. Our work mirrors that kind of tension and possibility. It’s also part of a larger conversation in contemporary art about collaboration, process and embracing materiality,” explains Chalk. “We see our show as an antidote to perfectionism – a reminder that art can emerge from dialogue, from trust, from curiosity about what happens when you let go of complete control.”

Interested in having your First Friday event appear here? Send details to editorial@westword.com.